Re: [RC] [RC] How to get the attention of the FEI - Mike Lewis
Pardon me, as I am uninitiated...
Who appointed the FEI as God? Is FEI the only
option we have for international endurance racing? I have not paid ANY
attention to international affairs with regard to Endurance until this year, now
that I'm HOPING to one day compete internationally, so I will confess that I do
not understand how international Endurance competition is done. Just want
to learn something.
Subject: Re: [RC] [RC] How to get the
attention of the FEI
I definitely would encourage everyone to try this, however, I
remain highly skeptical as to how effective this will be against the call of
the wild Dirham or even better the unencumbered Euro. Having spoken on the
telephone at length (like an hour long distance to Ireland on Michael Stone's
dime), certainly long enough for all the people at the graduation luncheon I
was attending at the time to wonder who was ticking me off so much, only
to get a supreme runaround on the phone, I bet it goes in one inbox and out
the next.
I will even write to them in an effort to make a dent in
this expensive armour of theirs. However, as long as the UAE is paying the FEI
bills...which it is with loot to spare...you will have a "yes sir" mentality
where the watchdog should be standing. The fact of the matter is that
the only man from whom you are completely free is the one from whom you need
nothing...or you want nothing. Anyone who wants anything from the UAE, whether
it is a paycheck, a trainer's fee, the chance to sell a horse, a saddle, or a
tshirt, the chance for a grandstand win, or a sponsorship in a magazine or
newspaper...any of those is in the position to have their wants or needs
threatened and as such can be (and probably will be) coerced. The bigger the
thing this person wants or needs or thinks they need or want...the more
susceptible to coercion they are. I discovered this eight years ago when the
FEI and the UAE tried everything that they could think of to make me stop
talking about the rider with the spurs who could win an FEI ride despite a
complaint from the ride manager to the chief steward. I had calls from
people here in Egypt who needed the federation or the Emirates for something
and they were desperate to have me be quiet. There isn't a damn thing on this
earth that the UAE/FEI has that I might want, which makes me one of the most
annoying people on this planet in their book. Maybe if we all decided that the
FEI/UAE had nothing that we need.......
Shortly after I read Steph's original post about
the fiasco that was the President's Cup for Juniors and Young Riders, I sent
a blast to the FEI. You can too! I specifically asked how the
FEI can sanction such horse and rider abuse, and how these rides can
continue to run under the banner of the FEI without any controls. My
wording was strong, yet polite. I requested a personal answer from the
appropriate person, and I suggested that the reputation of the FEI was being
greatly damaged by continual reports of similar situations happening in many
rides in the UAE.
If you are interested in making a complaint
to the FEI, just do this:
Go to: www.fei.org At top right
hand side of page, in very faint type, is "Contact". Click
here. When prompted for "Department", click on "Endurance, Driving &
Para-Equestrian" Scroll down, and where it asks for "Area of Activities",
click on "Administrative Matters" or "FEI officials, courses,
results"
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