Because I know that it is not always easy to come up with just the right
words in a situation such as this, I am including bellow the letter which I
am sending to AERC. Please feel free to paraphrase whatever you need from
this missive. The important point is to make your voice heard, now, not
later when it will surely be too late.
your address
AERC Administrative Office
701 High Street, Suite 203
Auburn, CA 95603
Dear Sir or Madam:
It has come to my attentiton that the NE sanctioned ride entitled
Mouse Mountain 25/50/100 to be held May 25, 1997 in Fort Valley, Virgina
will be applying for special sanctioning to allow for substantial cash
awards donated by Nutramax, Inc. This event would then be renamed The
Cosequin Challenge.
I must strenuously protest the infusion of large cash awards into
the sport of endurance riding. Although the intention of the organizers is
to limit entrants to those meeting certain qualifications, and to impose
strict veterinary and other controls, I feel that a large purse will
seriously compromise the spirit, the essence, of this sport. "One horse,
one rider, one distance" and "To Finish is to Win" are creeds by which those
participants in this amateur sport have established a level of excellence in
horsemanship unmatched by any other equine endeavor.
When evaluating the request for sanctioning of this event, please
evaluate very carefully the implications for the future of this sport.
Other equine sports have suffered from the rampant professionalism and
commercialization of their respective venues, resulting in the alienation of
no small numbers of participants.
We come to this sport to experience a personal best for a
horse/rider team, to participate in a unique camaraderie, to grow as
horsemen and women. We flee for the most part from the crass commercialism
that pervades every aspect of our American culture. Please do not allow
that same commercialism to creep into this, one of the last remaining,
amateur sports.
Please distribute this letter to the sanctioning directors,
directors-at-large and the other officers of the AERC governing body.
Please vote "No" to large monetary awards.
Yours truly,
Your name
CC: regional sanctioning directors