Michael Stone

[Thiessej@aol.com]

Michael 
We used to brag that money was not allowed in this sport as to take away the 
carrot of greed and leave riders concerned only with the welfare of their 
horses and the struggle to control their ego. As we have seen regardless of 
the lip service the FEI shows regarding the horses safety, when we allow 
riders to run for greater glory and money they become jockeys with winning 
becoming the primary concern. It is fundamentally wrong to put such large 
short term goals in front of a long distance horse and career. Everything in 
this sport has to keep the focus long term and that includes looking years 
down the road for the horse not just 9 hours ahead.

There are riders who want to run for money and glory, hell I love to win, but 
if the reward is large the risks taken and the willingness to ride near the 
edge of the horses ability are too great and too damaging to the horses.

I realise that I am saying that this sport should remain at a grass roots 
level and that this does not help you as then it would not fall under your 
jurisdiction. But if you lack the vision of the sport at its best level then 
you should not be put in a position of decision making. 

It is one thing to put a money reward for show jumping, but they do not run 
their horse at the edge of their limits for extended periods like we do in 
wilderness conditions. We must insist that the rich play the game with the 
interests of the horse in mind and not for their personal glorification. Long 
after the rich have prostituted our sport and have found other things to 
occupy their time some of us will still be competing on horses that we have 
ridden for years saying things like TO FINISH IS TOO WIN.

As for having amateur and professional divisions, how do we determine which 
is which. Amateur if your first concern is the horse and pro if your first 
concern is money???

 Jerald Thiessen
Sandhaven Saddlebreds