Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

First, I agree completely with Angie's point.  Competition DOES improve 
us... and everything else too.  Where competing goes awry is when 
beating the other guy overshadows the importance of winning.  It's not 
*winning*, a personal achievement, that leads to anger and fights.  You 
see this syndrome all the time when friends get together to watch a 
sports game.  As long as everyone roots for his/her team, things are 
fine.  But watch out when one guy has too much to drink and starts 
slamming the opposite team and its supporters.

The word "race" has acquired negative connotations that have nothing to 
do with the act of racing.  Perhaps by the simple expedient of replacing 
that particular word with one that carries less baggage, we can focus 
our discussions on the merits of the act instead of the angst of the 
possible, negative consequences of that act.  "Competition"?  "Run"?

I think it is important to remember that lots of people come to 
Endurance because of the objectivity.  They are turned off by the show 
ring where judges decide who wins and who loses, sometimes ("often", as 
some folks believe) for reasons other than the quality of a horse or its 
performance... reasons like being married to the trainer or a good 
friend of the owner or giving a "superb" horse the "benefit of the 
doubt" when it's having a bad hair day.  They like participating in a 
competition that doesn't rely on someone else's idea of what is best. 
Best is simple.  First Place goes to the horse that crosses the finish 
line first.

Therefore, I find it ironic - there's that word again, John :) - that 
AERC is trying to distance itself from the *concept* of racing. 
Longevity and lifetime mileage are worthy goals but both can easily be 
achieved in other organizations where absolute placing is not the 
criterion for an award.  The only thing left once we set aside mileage 
and years is BC and/or other subjective "Horse Excellence" awards.  And 
what's BC?  It is NOT an award to the horse that finishes in the best 
shape.  It is not even an award to the Top Ten horse who finishes the 
ride in the best condition.  It is an award to the Top Ten horse who, IN 
THE OPINION OF THE VETS (often just one vet), is in the best condition. 
 That's "judging".

I think that if any faction in AERC succeeds in eliminating "racing" 
from our "rides", they will also succeed in the dismantling of the 
organization.


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