Re: running martingales & your record

[Abby Bloxsom <goneriding@snet.net>]

> navion wrote:
> 
> Hi Abby,
>   I see you area certified instructor of distance riding. I don't seem
> to be able to find you on the AERC web page as having done any AERC
> rides in the last 4 years. Could you elaborate??
> 
> Thanks
> Jim Mitchell
> Bakersfield, Ca.

I did my first ECTRA ride in 1973, at the age of 12. (quick math, that
makes me approaching my fortieth birthday) I then did, I believe, 1400
to 1500 miles of ECTRA rides over the next ten years.  I have ridden my
own horses and those belonging to others (including some very big name
AERC/FEI folks) on rides of up to 100 miles.

After graduating from college, I have continued to ride extensively at
home, but unfortunately not much competitively due to lack of time and
finances to put together a regular conditioning schedule.

I have been teaching riding off and on since my teens, but more or less
consistently since 1987.  Since 1997, I have been Head Instructor of a
summer camp riding program, for which I gave in excess of 800
student-hours of instruction *per year* for the first three summers. 
This year I supervised and assisted with the instruction, but devoted my
time primarily to the shoeing of the 33 horses we have in the program
during the summer.  I also teach adults and children during the school
year, but on a much smaller scale.  I continue to study and learn about
distance riding and stay up to date on the most current information in
the field, as my children are rapidly approaching the age where I'll be
able to return to it more consistently.

I have never completed an AERC ride, as they were not prevalent in New
England during my heavy competitive days (I did do half of one once, but
that's a Whole 'Nother Story <g>), and at the time somewhat poorly
thought-of in some circles.

I have been scribing for and judging ECTRA rides since I was in college,
at least, and serving on the management team of several rides (including
the NH 100) since I was 13.  I am ECTRA Certified Judge #3, since 1989. 
As such, I am deemed qualified to judge a 3-day 100-mile ECTRA ride.  

To achieve my ARICP Certification (I'm surprised you didn't surf to the
ARICP site while you were checking, tsk tsk - BTW it's
www.riding-instructor.com) I had to answer 20 essay questions of a page
each in length, as well as participate in 6 hours of multiple choice
exams on everything from teaching to horse management and health to
discipline-specific information on both recreational riding (largely
about safety) and distance riding.  To pass these exams I had to become
quite familiar with the AERC rules.  I also had to submit two videotapes
of my instruction, one for each discipline, which were evaluated by a
review panel.  I had to achieve scores of 90% on all of the written
exams at both Level II (Intermediate) and Level III (Advanced) to
receive a Level III Certification.

I would guess that's probably more information than you (or anybody)
wanted, and I know you did not send your question to the list, but since
most of y'all don't know me from Adam I wanted to be sure it was clear
that I do know my a** from my elbow.

If anyone would like to verify any of this information, I will gladly
give references that you would recognize in a moment.  Privately.

Thank you for bringing it up.
-Abby
-- 
* * *
Abby Bloxsom
ARICP Certified Instructor
Level III Recreational and Distance Riding
Colebrook, CT USA
dearab@horsecom.net
goneriding@snet.net