UAE/AERC -cultural diffs

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

Teresa Van Hove vanhove@ucar.edu
my .02 cents even though I'm not a competitor (even at the local level)

Seems to me that one cultural diff that hasn't been brought up is
that in the U.S when a person or company sponsors an event at a high
level they are doing it to get a tax write-off as well as support the
event, and for companies they are getting some advertising out of it.

I've got the impression that event prize money in the UAE is more along
the lines of "I think I've got the best horses in the world" and I'll
match all comers with $$ going to the winner.  Taken that way its a neat
money where your mouth is gesture.   I also think its great that the UAE
has re-introduced arabian horses there and are promoting endurance widely.
Don't most of us think horses, and the sport of endurance are the
best things to spend our money on?  

Having said that, I do not like the low completion rate.  Excuses such as strict
vetting, higher temps, sand, "every one was going for the win" are just that- excuses.  
Sure strict vetting is better than short endurance careers and FEI vetting is tight,
but we do not get high AERC completion rates by passing a bunch of
lame horses (even when vetting is a bit lax -and it does happen here sometimes-
its only 1 or 2 horses that get questionable completions)  
I dont know what the answer to the low completion rate is, but
I do think the issue should be addressed.  Maybe some higher
qualifications need to be set, or the ride needs to be held at a
different time, or contestants just need to be made aware that its
a sand course and train for that.  I think U.S. emphasis tends to be
on training to handle concussion for those granite mountain rides 
rather than training to handle sand.  Perhaps they should insist
on a sandy course qualifying ride.  But its not good for
the sport to have low completion rates.  Makes it all too easy for
the non-endurance public to think that the sport is bad for horses,
when less than 1/2 of the "best horses in the world" are completing.

Teresa