Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Interesting observation. Up until about 2000 (or was it 2001?)  the FEI allowed
US riders to use AERC miles for their qualifications. For the average AERC
rider, the FEI was below the radar screen. Yes most knew about it but it
didn't impact them in any way shape or form. The after the magic data, US
riders had to qualify riding under FEI rules for championship ride, Pan Am,
WEC, etc. 

This required FEI sanctioned rides. These rides were AERC rides that were
co-sanctioned with the USAE and FEI, e.g. the Biltmore, Ft. Howes, etc. The
FEI was no longer below the radar screen and there are some riders who feel
that the FEI rules not only impact the riders that want (and need) the rides
but every rider in the event to the determent of the the enjoyment of the
event. There are a lot of small things, vet check layout and flow, crew area
flow, parking and camping arrangement, etc. I won't comment on the merits
of the complaints - except to point out that some people do not care for
the intrusion of these FEI requirements on AERC rides. 

As measured by the membership of AERC Int. the number that actually care
about international riding is arguably small. The number that actually need
these rides is even smaller ( many AERC Int members don't pursue international
riding - just support it). My last recollection the number of AERC Int members
less than 400 whereas the AERC membership is about 6000. Given these small
numbers and the impact some feel, the Fruth proposal does seem to hold some
merit. 

However fiat, before this happens I would prefer to see the AERC establish
a committee survey the membership that have ridden these rides and determine
what the impact is and if it is significant, and if it is significant to
work out procedures on how cosanctioned rides work in this country. After
all it is first an AERC sanctioned ride and should riders with no interest
in FEI should not be adversely impacted by the inclusion of FEI sanctioning?
AERC Int ( of which I have been a member for about 10 years) primary focus
is to support the involvement of US riders in international endurance and
I feel that a) their plate is pretty full and b) there is an inherent conflict
with their charter and this function. 

At the end of the day it may turn out that the culture of endurance riding
in the US, being an amateur sport based on the Teddy Roosevelt tradition
of seeing the land on the back of a horse, may not be compatible what seems
to be the current rush by the FEI to distance racing ( minimal speed that
preclude most of anything but flat tracks, etc. ) supported by UAE money. 
FEI style endurance may very well bifurcate far enough away from AERC style
endurance that it shows little resemblence to endurance as practiced in this
country and becomes a separate sport. But I for one would prefer to see that
decision made based on study, understanding and and maybe a little compromise
on both sides rather than it "just happening" by fiat. 

I'm going riding now 
Truman

Steph Teeter wrote:

Truman is right, Ridecamp has been a bit morose these past days. Here's a post from Denny Emerson who is a fairly new participant in Endurance (I belive Denny was a previous 3-Day Eventing Olympian? please correct me if I'm wrong).

 

I asked Denny if he would share his observations with Ridecamp after we exchanged a few private posts on the state of Endurance around the world. I find his perspective as a top performer in a different International Equestrian sport enlightening.

 

Steph

-----Original Message-----
From: Denny Emerson [mailto:e3horse@xxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Thursday, February 27, 2003 6:03 AM
To: steph@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: FEI,etc.

Hi Steph,

 Sure, use any of this as you see fit.

 There`s an interesting parallel going on currently at the FEI level between endurance and eventing. In eventing, the big European warmblood horse breeding nations, Germany, Holland,Belgium, etc.are pushing to turn eventing into a sport that no longer will have speed and endurance as the heart of the test at the top levels. Already the roads and tracks have been eliminated for next time  at the Olympics.I would say that the English speaking nations, USA, Canada, England, Ireland, N..Z., and Australia mostly favor the "old" endurance format, but the FEI seems to be controlled not by these countries.

 If the "Arabian" countries get control, through the influence of oil money,of the endurance component of the FEI, then we can see that real, quite literal cross country endurance, as we Americans think of it, with our enormous cowboy, Indian, pioneer, and US cavalry heritage, will be replaced by flat track desert racing.

 We can either do what people like Jerry Fruth advocate, and simply say to hell with the FEI, or we can try to ally ourselves with like-thinking countries, and fight for a more balanced international sport.

 So it will be interesting to see what these two quite "honorable" sports will look like, internationally, some years down the road. Will "old fashioned" horses, horses which are sound,  tough, and possessed of enormous stamina and endurance, still have a place in modern sport, or will they have been driven into irrelevancy by changing fashion?

 Denny Emerson

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