Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

I have long been opposed to this kind of competition, even though FEI riding 
started in this country on our trail in 1986.  If I had known then what 
international competition was to become, I wouldn't have been so agreeable 
to have Swanton Pacific be the first FEI ride in the western hemisphere.  In 
1986, the pace was much like it still is in the USA, and it was fun having 
all the foreign riders here.  The game rapidly changed and I became more and 
more disappointed with the changes.  Now, to see a sub seven-hour race on 
flat ground just bothers me.  As long as we AERC riders continue to feel so 
protective of our horses, we will not "win" that kind of race because we 
will be too afraid of hurting the horses we consider our friends. I guess it 
is up to the individual riders, but it's not something I would ever try, 
even if I had the best horse in the country.  It would kill me to hurt my 
horse by trying to win a race like that.  To me, and a great many others, 
horses are NOT expendable.

Barbara

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Truman Prevatt" <tprevatt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Cindy Collins" <c_collins@xxxxxxx>
Cc: "Ridecamp" <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, February 17, 2007 2:28 PM
Subject: Re: [RC] re: PC


> I suspect if they ever want to be competitive again they need to 
> reorganize under the USEF independent of the AERC and work toward the goal 
> of being competitive. It was not so long ago when the WEC was won in about 
> 12 hours, then 10 hourse - now it is 6:40. Gone I think are the days when 
> a good rider with a good horse can rise to win the WEC. Today it's about 
> endurance racing barns, exercise riders, peaking multiple horses for one 
> race and racing the one that is the most ready. I'm not sure that model 
> belongs in the AERC nor am I sure a US rider under the current 
> organization can compete with that model.
>
> Truman
>
> Cindy Collins wrote:
> > If "our" goal is to compete with that crowd, we need two totally separate 
> > organizations with completely different goals, financing, etc.



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