Sandy's response to The Way We Win

[CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com]

Well, I tried to reply to Sandy's email about The Way We Win, and somehow my response got lost in cyberspace, along with her original post...  <sigh>

Sandy stated that there was a problem with how we are perceived, that there are people with nice horses who don't want to sell to endurance riders, and that she knew of 4 people to whom she would NOT sell horses, nor let them handle her horses.

Gosh, I wonder if there is a regional difference here.  In the NW, I've seen abusive people come into this sport--but they either change or they leave.  Either they learn by the example set by others, or the peer pressure up here just flat makes it unpleasant for them and they go elsewhere.

As to people with nice horses hesitant to sell them to endurance riders--up here, my experience has been just the opposite.  Most of the breeders with really good horses are THRILLED to sell them to endurance riders in general.  My own big fear is that a horse of mine might end up in an abusive show home.  In fact, I recently sold a mare and colt to a lady who shows, and you'd better believe I spent a LOT of time checking HER out.  (She happens to be a very nice lady and my babies have a wonderful home, but IMO, the odds were MUCH worse of finding a good show home than a good endurance home!)  

As for coming up with 4 people to whom you wouldn't sell horses--heck, the last ride I attended in your region, Sandy, there were something like 150 riders.  If you can only come up with 4 to whom you wouldn't sell, that is pretty darn good odds.  So maybe this isn't really a regional difference after all.  

I can come up with a lot more people than that to whom I wouldn't sell horses, but most of them are NOT endurance people.  By and large, endurance folks are one of the most caring groups of people I've ever known, and tend to be willing to do what is right for their horses, sometimes almost to the extreme.  I personally cannot think of a branch of the equine industry where I'd rather sell horses than to endurance folks, where I care about them having a good home after they leave here.  And I'm damned proud to be a part of a group that values education and caring as much as the endurance community does.

Heidi