Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

I am amazed at the arrogance of some of these posts, particularly Melissa's last 
one.  You who condemn the race because of the potential for abuse of the horses 
are hypocrites.  There is POTENTIAL for abuse of every horse entered in an AERC 
event but you're not screaming that every one of those horses are going to be 
ridden into the ground and that AERC Endurance races ought to be banned.  In 
fact quite the opposite.  When some of the really experienced older Endurance 
people suggest that it is dangerous to encourage racing in Limited Distance by 
awarding prizes for it, boy do we hear how OHHH NO it's not dangerous, despite 
the much higher number of inexperienced riders in the LD ranks compared to 
Endurance.  Double standard much?  Some of you are castigating the riders as 
race-brained yahoos when you have absolutely no clue about who they are or what 
their level of HORSEMANSHIP is.  You write as though the only REAL horsemen 
belong to AERC or FEI.  What bullshit!  And demanding that only "world class 
riders" be allowed to participate?  "Best-of-the-best", only allow "those who 
have _PROVEN_ they can take care of their horses", AERC's best riders.  More 
arrogance.  As Kat intimated, it's a good thing you weren't around when Wendell 
Robie made his bet.  If you had been and succeeded in stopping him the way you 
want to stop this race, WE wouldn't be here discussing any of this because there 
wouldn't BE any Endurance.

As Kat has so correctly pointed out, the dangers being ballyhooed by the race 
promoters are to the riders, not the horses.  The horses will be in their own 
element and travel only 40 klicks while the riders will have to do just under 50 
miles almost every day for two weeks in a strange land with unknown hazards.

As for Melissa's challenge to Kat, that is so childish that I can't believe she 
is an adult.  Only an idiot (or a child) would suggest that someone GUARANTEE 
something not under that person's control.  Besides, if any horses die on this 
"adventure", it won't prove that the race was a bad idea any more than no horses 
dying will prove it was a good one.

The only comments against this race that I respect are from Maryanne.  She has 
seen first hand how bored, rich, tourists can abuse horses and then fly off 
home.  The rants from those who don't really know crap about how this race will 
be run or the people who will be riding it are worthless.


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