Thank
you for the opportunity to comment further on education. Being the type of
person that cares to define the goals of what ever organization I participate in
I can do no better than adhere to the AERC By-laws (as currently published) and
refer to Article VI PURPOSES. This article defines in reasonable
detail just what the AERC should be doing in the realm of
education.
The
AERC has gathered "data" for many years now. This data is the basis for our
education process. the foundation that supports most everything that we do
in endurance riding from laying out the trail to the completion criteria for the
horses and yes, a bit towards the awards given.
Where
we, the members have have allowed this EDUCATION PROCESS to falter is that all
so many of us, myself included, believe that since we found out the hard way
then just let the new riders do the same. This is wrong and each of us know that
it is wrong. But how to correct this?
The
comments offered by Steve are very pertinent. Articles in the Endurance News are
fine but the concept of "MENTORING" new riders goes a bit further. There are
those of us , getting a bit less competitive with the years, that should be
available for such a program. It would take only a few riders in each region to
start a mentoring program that would cover the entire AERC nation
wide.
Another part of this education process is just what
Barney and Susan are doing in their research. It is time that the AERC and by
this I mean the AERC members, recognize the tremendous strides that research at
endurance rides has provided to the riders at little on in most cases absolutely
no cost. This research MUST be supported!
Then
there is the Internet education. I am sorry to say there is much
dis-information as there is good information available. Well meaning persons
often stretch their experience and thus cause less-than-correct situation. We
need to look at this medium of education and create a filtration process to
assist those with a quest for additional knowledge.
Last,
while I have mentioned education on a national basis, it is very important to
consider education on a regional one as well. What works in the SW can cause
problems in the SE. How well this has been illustrated in these pages discussing
the problems of heat and humidity.
To
summarize, Education is considered the primary purpose of the existence of the
AERC per the By-laws. All other aspects of the sport follow education if we are
to believe in the tenets of the founding members.
Bob
Morris
Below is a response I received from Steve Rutter,
which I'm forwarding with his permission. His DAL statement specifically
mentioned rider education, and my question to him was how did he specifically
hope to implement that. I've edited it slightly---just removed a few
personal chitchats, none of the relevant material.
Several other nominees have also mentioned rider
education, perhaps they would care to comment on their own views as well
(obviously, rider education is near and dear to my
heart)<g>.
Susan G
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, October 31, 2000 7:43 AM
Subject: Rider Education
Hi Susan,
<snip, snip>
One of the primary functions of AERC is education.
It has to be to justify our being a nonprofit, tax exempt organization
and more importantly, we need AERC's educational efforts for the higher
purpose of the safety and welfare of the horse.
Yes, I do have some specific ideas on accomplishing better
education:
I feel the
Education Committee needs to be charged by the Board with advancing an active,
written program of rider education, both to accomplish it and to emphasize
education's importance within
AERC.
Endurance News
could carry many more articles on myriad topics of interest to the
riders which would benefit the members' use of and caring for the
horse. For example, we
subscribe to The
Horse and enjoy and benefit from the excellent articles found there. Why
not have abbreviated articles on such
topics in our magazine? Too many riders follow the approach of
mimicking what they have seen done by others with no knowledge of whether or
not it is
appropriate for their horse or
situation.
Another ripe area for
rider education is the Ride itself. I would like to see the culture develop at
Rides where the ride
managers and veterinarians are comfortable counseling riders that are
pushing the limits of their horse on any given day. I know that the Veterinary
Committee is making efforts to improve
the uniformity of vetting and I feel charging the ride vets with this
educational function
as well would be beneficial to all. Some vets do this now quite well so I know
it helps.
In summary, I guess you could say my heart lies with
preserving this sport by nudging AERC in the direction of better knowledge of
and care for the horse in long distance riding.I interpret "TO FINISH IS TO
WIN" means the horse-rider team that completes the course the "best for
them" that day rather than who can complete the distance in the fastest time.
Our horses are our friends and pets, not among our tools, to be used and
discarded.
Again, I applaud your efforts in this education
process.
Steve Rutter