I've ridden 2 LDs, both starting new horses. No
one ever made me feel "second class". I'll take Karen's last sentence and
revise it to say, "If you are think you are being treated second class, it's
probably in your own mind." I agree with Julie, I've NEVER been treated
second class anywhere, not even when I finish dead last (and I've done that a
few times...once on Tevis, once on Fireworks 50.) Which reminds me, the
award for last place on Fireworks was a piece of limestone from the 100+ year
old lime kilns that we rode past. It was interesting to see the kilns, and
to have a piece of limestone from that historical site was special to me.
I wrote the date and my horse's name on the bottom and it sits
proudly on the window sill of our
home office.
I'm sorry, but I don't get the
reasoning that you are automatically "second class" if you ride LD's.
I've only been in this sport for 5 years and I don't ride an Arab (well, I did
at one ride) ... even worse, I ride a gaited horse (Paso Fino). I
have NEVER felt "second class" when doing an LD or a 50. Or maybe I have
been treated "second class" but wasn't observant enough to notice. I've
also worked rides and have never seen anyone treat the LD riders any
differently than the other distance riders, except for those crazy Ride &
Tie people who get to go to the front of the vet line.
:-)
If you are being treated "second
class", its probably because you are acting "second class".
"Can't we all ... just ... get along?"
Rodney King
On Thu, Jul 3, 2008 at 3:11 PM, Elizabeth Walker
<bwalker2@xxxxxxx> wrote:
Personally, I would not want to go to a ride where I was planning on
riding LD, and would not get any recognition other than mileage.
Some folks may consider that distance as "just training", but for a
(growing) portion of the AERC membership - people are getting older, and
some folks just aren't up to riding 50 miles, but still want to be part of
the AERC community. I see no reason to attend a ride where I would
automatically be classified as "second class".
