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RE: [RC] [RC] FEI World Forum on Endurance - Steph TeeterOne can't deny that Dubai is fueling (funding) the growth of FEI Endurance. But there are a lot of us (riders, Federations) that hope the sport can grow Internationally without changing it's nature. The UAE races are unlike races anywhere else in the world If we (riders. Federations, FEI) can just recognize this, and allow the sport to grow to accomodate the various types of Endurance - UAE racing (fast/flat), and Tevis racing (slow/technical) and Malaysia racing (slow/hot) - where the terrain and conditions determine the nature of the competion - then we can stay healthy as a sport. Why not have divisions or classes of competitions. why must all of FEI endurance be seen through the same lens (the one which is fueling/funding the sport). ? Steph -----Original Message----- From: Maryanne Gabbani [mailto:msgabbani@xxxxxxxxx] Sent: Friday, March 30, 2007 7:57 AM To: Steph Teeter Cc: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: Re: [RC] FEI World Forum on Endurance Wow! Does money ever talk! FEI acceptance of endurance as an FEI sport started when Dubai (home of the finest that money can buy) went to them looking for an equestrian sport that a) they felt that they could excel in, and b) could get into the Olympics. This was in the late 90's and despite the well-known fact that the IOC has been looking for ways to get equestrian sports OUT of the Olympics. Until then, endurance was flying under the FEI radar and without big-buck sponsors for the sport, FEI wasn't interested in it because FEI derives its funding from, among other things, a percentage of prize money offered. When a MAJOR sponsor pops up for endurance, all of a sudden the FEI is interested, naturally, and being helpful says "Sure, we can get endurance into the Olympics! Just get it established in enough countries to qualify." And Maktoum And Co. trotted off with their bags of cash dictating races in various countries (mostly the Arab countries who didn't have a clue, like Egypt) with massive cash prizes for the first horses over the line in long races. Whether this was truly endurance as practiced already in other places was irrelevant. This was endurance as Dubai wanted it practiced. Despite many riders in these "endurance races" (accompanied unfortunately by many injured and dead horses who were in no way prepared) and lots of flattering media coverage (after all, who pays the tab?), endurance didn't make it into the Olympics at the millenium and some of the furor died down. At least we stopped having these big glitzy races here and now the local federation just sort of futz along by themselves at a much smaller level that we can all ignore if we want. (But there is still little or no concern for the horses and no education of riders involved as far as I can see.) One might have thought that the issue was then forgotten? No, the Dubai contingent simply was working its way up the ranks in the FEI to ensure its clout. So now they are still talking endurance in the Olympics? But it isn't the old endurance which we know and love that they are promoting because endurance started out with people who wanted to see what they and their horses could do against the terrain. The question was "Are we as tough as our grandfathers/mothers? Can our horses do the treks that their horses did?" That question is no longer relevant on a time-controlled, groomed track using the finest of medical preparation available to pit one very fast horse against another. The only element that the terrain or weather contribute is boredom. This whole thing is something like watching one of those long-lasting soap operas...Lost or Desperate Housewives. Will Dubai finally get its chance to win a gold medal in the Olympics? Will anyone ever remember the name of the horse that the winner rode? Tune in tomorrow folks to find out whether Dubai has enough money to buy the IOC's approval for a new equestrian sport when they are trying to get rid of eventing (witness all the pulling of teeth in the sport that was in the Olympics because it started as a military test for cavalry horses). Please do keep us in touch, Steph, with the developments of Lost in Endurance in Paris. If I sound a little cynical, I've earned that by watching the underside of the development of the "sport" here and seeing what it's done to the minds of people who could have learned something else. Oh yeah, there's a little bitterness too. We have a local endurance group that basically does LD because it started out having seen nothing but these fast flat races that last as short a time as possible. The concept that the word "endurance" has something to do with lasting over time was lost somewhere, and everyone wants to finish by lunch time. After all, isn't that what the big boys in Dubai do? Maryanne On 3/29/07, Steph Teeter <stephteeter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: According to the FEI, Endurance is the fastest growing equestrian sport. But many are wondering if this rapid growth is good for the sport, and many are wondering if the speeds which are currently being attained in the sport indicate the emergence of a "different" sport. Is a 7 hour 160 km (100 mile) race in the desert really the same sport as a 15 hour race across the mountains? Can horses sustain the current speeds of the fast flat courses, or are we approaching an unnacceptable level of injury and metabolic distress? Many Federations are focused on the acceptance of Endurance as an Olympic sport, but to do so one must evaluate the sport from a different perspective: among other things, Endurance as an Olympic sport must be media friendly, it must be viewer friendly, it must be engaging and entertaining. And all agree that the sport must be palatable and humane. While some want whatever changes must be made to create an Olympic style sport, many feel that these changes are not compatible with the 'true' definition of the sport, and foresee a potential split: one side favoring a fast, easy, viewer friendly version of Endurance, and another side favoring a return to the original sport - where the technical challenge of a natural course is the important component of the race. These are among the questions and concerns being brought to the table at this forum. While there will be no definitive answers or decisions made over the weekend, there will be questions raised. There will be alliances formed between regional groups, and there will ultimately be working groups elected to formally carry the issues into the FEI body. It should be an interesting weekend! We'll try to keep everybody posted - Steph =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -- Maryanne Stroud Gabbani msgabbani@xxxxxxxxx Egypt Face to Face www.alsorat.com Weblogs Living In Egypt miloflamingo.blogspot.com Cairo/Giza Daily Photo cairogizadailyphoto.blogspot.com =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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