FEI Endurance

["guest@endurance.net" <guest@endurance.net>]

Michael Stone, FEI Assistant Secretary General m.stone@hoprsesport.org

Dear Friends of Endurance,

I was interested to read that I should be drawn and quatered especially by someone 
who I have never met or spoken too and who obviously finds it difficult 
to understand the written word.

The FEI are simply enforcing a qualification rule that has been 
applied to Europe and the Middle East for the past two years and 
will not come into effect for the USA until the 2002 WEC.

To make it easier for US riders to achieve this qualification,
we have made the organisation of FEI rides much easier, and less expensive
and the sponsorship by the UAE has made it possible to 
recognise the achievements of Endurance riders both in financial and
prestige terms. Is this such a terrible thing, and surely not drawing and quatering 
affair! 

 Endurance is now the fastest growing Equestrian Sport.
This is bringing many challanges.We cannot afford the luxury of 
putting our head in the sand and wishing for the "old days". Those are gone,
we now have a sport where people are professional, horses have become valuable
and prizemeney is becoming significant. This cannot be reversed.
The FEI want a strong USA participation in International Endurance, we want
your help in continuing to grow and develop the sport. But FEI Endurance is
just that "FEI Endurance" and we have rules that cover the whole world, if you want to 
participate with us you are more than welcome, if not we will be sorry but the development 
will continue with or without you.

Finally to Mary Gabbiani, I wish you would put "your money where your mouth is" and to everyone else
I will be in Reno for your convention and you will have the opportunity to "hang" me 
before our friend does the drawing and quatering!!

Thank you 


Michael Stone.