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Re: [RC] LD/Endurance/BC - heidiBut it wouldn't take a by-laws change to say roll the LD miles into lifetime miles for either horse and/or rider. Uh, yes it would. There are lifetime endurance miles and lifetime LD miles. If you want to combine your own total for your own purposes, that is certainly your perogative. But endurance lifetime miles are still just that. The AERC is growing and I suspect the demographics of the membership is changing. The only constant in the universe is change. How many people say, "I'm going to the Bo Diddly Memorial ride and doing the LD," I'm going to the Bo Diddly Memorial ride and doing the 25." I've heard the latter - don't remember hearing the former unless it was a scarastic response to a comment. Huh. I'd say I hear it about 50-50 here, and can't recall ever having heard the "LD" term used sarcastically. I personally say "I rode the LD" rather than "I rode the 25." And I know a lot of others who do, too. How many people "just do 50's or 100's?" - vs. "how many might ride a 25 one weekend and a 50 the next? All tells me that for the average rank and file member that does only a ride or two a year - which is the majority - the 25 is considered an "endurance" ride. I've ridden both. And may well ride both in the future. I can't for the life of me imagine wanting to have my LD miles lumped in with my endurance miles. And while I do see a few folks who consider the LDs to be "endurance" in their own minds, most seem to think of them exactly as AERC intended--as fun, or training, or a way to get experience, or whatever, and an opportunity to come out to the endurance ride and participate without having to actually RIDE the endurance ride. Yes, we have a few career LDers here--and as near as I can tell, they don't need to be relabeled in order to enjoy what they do. Most of the others either aspire to endurance and consider the LDs to be training rides for either themselves or their horses, or freely admit that they are riding the LD because they haven't had time to prepare for the endurance ride and just want to come out and have fun. Not a thing wrong with ANY of those reasons. Been there done that myself. There are subtle signs out there - for example number of starters in LD is growing fast and the number of starters in 100 mile rides is declining just as fast - to indicate the every present forces of change are having their impact. There has been a tremendious change in the sport over the past 10 years and I expect there will be just as much over the next 10. Someday there most likely won't be enough LD bashers around - so this subject won't rear its head on a periodic basis. I don't think the numbers necessarily support the conclusion that the current policy with respect to rides less than 50 miles needs to alter. The growing numbers of LD riders indicate a) new people coming into the sport, and b) people who are comfortable being LD riders. The declining number of 100s represents a) fewer people with time to make the effort, b) fewer opportunities to ride 100 miles, and c) fewer horses being bred that are capable at that distance. If anything, the numbers suggest that we need to make it even MORE enticing to strive for the 100-mile distance, instead of diluting the sport further, IMO. Furthermore, I don't see where very much of this discussion can be construed as "bashing" LD. Calling a spade a spade is not an insult to the spade. Calling it a club or a heart or a diamond is evading the issue. Heidi ============================================================ The whole ride experience can be very hard, and at times you question why you put yourself through such abuse. But then you remember all those moments when you pop up over a hill and are suddenly surrounded by the most stunning views. It's just you and your horse and for a moment time stops and you can hear the angels sing. Therein lies the addiction, at least for me. ~ Leslie Beyers ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/ ============================================================
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