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Re: [RC] rider education/public image - Kristene Smutsthe idea of running and kicking butt, kind of gave me shivers.>> We get that here at certain rides as well. If the ride is close to a farming community, then the farmers and their kids pitch up with their farm ponies and "kick butt" on the 30km leg. They'll never do a distance further than that, 'cos it means they actually have to be educated. On the public image thing also - no change here! I also describe endurance as a marathon on the back of a horse - especially to people who don't know anything about horses, let alone riding. The comments? "Oh, so the horse does all the work?" .... yeah, right! I think part of the "image" is what makes endurance so wonderful - anything goes (clothes, saddle, bridle, or lack thereof), so therefore it is viewed as an haphazard, no rules, kick butt kinda sport. So, unless we ride in white shirts and jods and have highly polished tack, oiled hooves, braided manes and tails .... ooops sorry, we do that already ;-)) .... then the sport will forever more have that image. No amount of rules will help the image any, unless it is to cut down on treated horses, but that is being discussed elsewhere at the moment. The only way to educate the "masses", is through the media (unfortunately), and I don't think the sport generally has enough money for that. The answer? Chip away at one person at a time and hopefully the ripple will spread. Kristene South Africa =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
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