Its funny...

["Reeves, Brian" <breeves@genus.com>]

Sitting back lurking as usual, I think this whole LD/Non-member thing is
funny!! It started out to be a question of non-member fees and escalated
into another LD discussion/flame throwing. If I may, lets put this whole
thing in perspective. I am both a rider (25's, 50's 100's & Multidays)
and a ride manager (25's & 50's).
25's are rides, so are 50's and 100's. There are NO races in AERC, races
exist in one's mind and in the heat of a ride. When putting on a ride,
the same considerations are used for any distance....vet checks,
parking, fees, and so on. The awards that I presented were different for
the different mileage, but the same in quality.We give the order of
finishing on the 25's just like the 50's and announce BC. But, we place
the riders in the 25's based upon ( the now AERC rule) first to reach
criteria of 60bpm after crossing the finish line, and pick the BC horse
out of the entire field of 25's, not the top ten. I and my friends who
compete encourage all who ride, regardless of mileage, but in all
honesty, we cheer maybe a little more for the 100's and 5 day horses.
The whole point is that as long as everyone has fun, who cares what
distance. Thats what its about......when it no longer is fun, I will no
longer compete. But never say never about changing distances either. I
started endurance riding a 50. Did'nt want to do a 25. Got a new horse,
did a few 25's. Graduated up to 50's and multi-days. Did a 25 ( on my
first endurance horse's 25 birthday) for fun. Never wanted to do 100's.
Been doing 100's for 2 years now. Never wanted to compete
Internationally. Now on the Long List for Pacific South for the '99 Pan
Am. Never wanted to compete as a lightweight ( that's a joke folks, I'm
6'3 and 235 w/tack)
My point is, getting out and riding is the important thing here. 
Personally, I would take 1 BC over 10 wins any day. 
As for non-member fees (which only apply to distances 50 miles or
greater) you can look at it a couple of ways. You can adjust the entry
and give a discount to AERC members, or figure its not that big of a
deal (it's only $10) Typically, I only have a very few that are
non-members in my area, plus I give discounts to juniors and current
ride managers. I rode as a non-member for a couple of years myself.
Get involved!! Work on trails, ride rides, work at rides, even put on
rides. 

Well, I'll get of my soapbox now, and go back to lurking
Brian Reeves
West Region


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