Re: Getting to the people with the power

["Nancy Mitts" <mitts_n@hotmail.com>]

>Actually, it's the other way around.  There were rides before the AERC
>ever existed; if the AERC closed shop tomorrow there would still be
>rides.  But there would be no rides without ride managers.  And it is
>the ride managers (at least of the smaller rides) who are most hurt by
>this new fee structure.

Joe,
Of course there would still be rides, but each one could make up it's 
own rules, or change them halfway through the ride with no recourse.
How much would people pay & how far would they travel to ride a "pig in 
a poke"? As much as most of us abhor too many rules, I doubt we'd like 
"anything goes" either. 
And then of course there's the lurking animal abuse issue. A law 
recently passed in Missouri to outlaw cock-fighting and "animal baiting" 
specifically exempts PRCA Rodeo events from coming under juridiction of 
the law. It is unclear if non-sanctioned "ranch rodeos" would come under 
scrutiny under this law. Should endurance racing come under scrutiny it 
would be nice to have an established, national (international), 
organization with set standards and veterinary control to point to. The 
larger the membership the stronger the voice.
The same holds true for trail useage issues.
These are all things non-members benefit from that the $3 AERC rider fee 
doesn't cover. This is part of where our membership money goes, not just 
awards & recordkeeping.
Nancy Mitts 

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