WEC team selections

[Lari Shea <larishea@horse-vacation.com>]

Whoa, fellas.....now I understand how wars are started!   Perhaps because I
personally know Tony Bennedetti and Rick Stewart are gentlemen of the finest
caliber, selflessly hardworking and dedicated to assisting  U.S.
international endurance competition to be the best it can be, I did not read
the tone of their letters to be at all insulting.  Defensive, perhaps....but
then, they have been "attacked".  However, they did explain in detail, and
in a manner that should convince most folks, that the selection process is
well thought out and thorough, as unbiased as possible, and takes into
account both past accomplishments and current fitness to compete at the
highest level.  The fact that everyone does not agree in advance which
horse(s) have the best chance of winning any given race is exactly what
makes a horse race, folks.  No one would bet if everyone knew.

Tony, I'll bet people would find it interesting to read the detailed
lifelong statistics for both riders and horses chosen for the team and as
alternates.  Tell the ridecamp readers exactly how terrific these folks are.
For instance, I remember when Darla Westlake was competing on RC
Muffin,....they WON about 95 races, winning Best Condition more than 50
times.  (Correct me on these figures....)  Muffy still competes successfully
with others in the Westlake family, and Darla is well on her way towards
equaling his accomplishments with RamZ.  

I also remember being tied with Pam American Gold Medall winner Shirley
Delsart and Dusty in 2nd/3rd place about 64 miles out on ROC one year.  I
had a camera, and snapped some great ones of Shirley and Dusty as we trotted
along on top of a mountain.  Shirley told me to pass the camera to her so
she could get my picture also. Having difficulty focusing as we trotted
along, she shouted to me to pull up so she could get the shot.  There we
stood on top of the world, passing the camera back and forth, posing for all
we were worth, when riders # 4-7 came around the bend.  They all were sure
something must be wrong when they saw us stopped, but Shirley smiled and
said "Hey, we're only here because we enjoy it, and if we can't take some
time to make the memories, there's something wrong."  (She ended up neck &
neck with Valerie and Cash right up until the finish!)

Even at the level at which these top riders compete, they are still out
there doing it only because they love it.   Let's brag on the these great
horses and their riders, so that we get the national pep team warmed up
before December 10th.   Our riders and their horses deserve our united good
will and best wishes.  Disparaging remarks about the pairs selected and the
process that did so are ingracious at best, and disheartening for the riders
who have worked so hard and sacrificed so much to reach this pinnacle of
competition.  

Let's us endurance riders yell out a hearty CONGRATULATIONS! to the six
riders and horses who have been selected to represent the United States at
the World Equestrian Championships 100 Mile Endurance Race in Dubai.

Cheers!

Lari


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