LD fee--Check the math!

[Petdoc6@aol.com]

I have been listening to the debates about the LD fee increase.  No doubt it
will cause ride managers to do more paperwork.  I ride LD and have a current
AERC membership.  If I didn't, I would expect to pay a fee for having my rides
sanctioned by the organization.  I don't expect services for free!

Look at the money side.  An average horse owner has these baseline expenses
before attending a ride:

	Truck				$25000
	Trailer				    $700-40000	
	Horse				$1500-5000
	Saddle			$.200-2100
	Gas				?
	Work Time Lost		variable but it adds up!	
	Horse maintenance per year--vets, shoeing, food,  supplements, magazine 
										subscriptions, riding clothes, and tack that we
										"must have."  
	Farm Fees		Cost of a 10 acre  place to keep a horse vs a house in town
						with a small yard and no barn or fencing to keep up!

My point is that if  a rider has spent all this money to have a horse  and
move it along the road, then the additional fee of $10 per ride shouldn't
really make a difference.

Carol Wingate