"endurance rides are a PRIVILEGE! If RMs and
their volunteers have to put up with arrogant, self centered, snotty, mouthy
riders or crew members, they will not be willing to DO all this hard work
anymore. It isn't just a matter of cutting trail or proof - it is a mater
of behaving like respectful adults,. no wonder we have a new generation of
snotty kids who don't have any manners:)"
I find this thread very timely and interesting,
having just returned from helping with the Colfax Coal Rush ride. We had a
rude rider incident on Sunday: a rider who was upset at having taken the wrong
trail at a corner came into camp and began screaming at ride
management. Being one of the ones that was taking the brunt of her
screams, I know that there was no reasoning with her: she wouldn't listen to us,
only scream at us. People watching the scenario later told us that they
found it embarressing. I can only imagine the "first
impression" that new riders may have received if they witnessed the
event. She was also rude to the vet who checked her horse (the vet
had been busy "doing her job" and was unaware that the woman had just
thrown a completely immature, inappropriate temper tantrum).
We had to have another rider explain to her that
she had the option to stop at this point and receive completion only (she'd done
at least 55 miles due to being off trail) or do the last 9 mile loop and get a
placing. She opted to finish the ride and get the placing. At the
finish, I went over and apologized to her for loosing my temper and raising my
voice to her (I was ashamed of myself for allowing her to "push my
button". I will try in the future not to stoop to that
level).
I checked the rule book after I got home.
As someone else noted in an earlier post, it appears that you can deny
entry to a rude rider but I couldn't find any mention of being allowed to
disqualify one. Can anyone clarify this for me?
