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Re: [RC] LD catagory....? - heidiExcellent post, Angie. I know a lot of the LD riders come to be a part of the endurance ride, even though they don't ride that far themselves. They are interested in what the endurance riders are doing, and many aspire to ride farther someday, or have memories of riding farther when they were able. And that is how it should be. After all, we ARE about endurance riding, and we need to keep the perspective that LD is a healthy adjunct to the sport of endurance riding, complete with its own set of folks who may NOT aspire to go farther. Part of the LD experience for new riders is being able to watch the endurance riders coming and going after they themselves have finished, to see what they feed, how they crew, how they handle vet checks, to be able to make friends with them, find mentors among them, pick their brains, etc. This has proven over time to be a GOOD SYSTEM. It never hurts to constantly evaluate the system and make changes where changes need to be made--but one need not scrap the very valuable concept in order to make minor repairs. Heidi if AERC doesn't start recognizing it as such there willcome a day when they organize and start rides all on their own,without anysanctioning. > If we don't, they will eventually go elsewhere.I doubt it. The association with longer distances adds legitimacy and status. Long before I ever did a 100 I used to design t-shirts for rides and I always listed all the distances...25, 50 & 100 mile Endurance Ride because I wanted to be associated with a sport where people went 100 miles even though I didn't yet. I wonder, if you had a choice of t-shirts at a ride and could either get one that said, "Million Pines 25 mile Ride" or "Million Pines 25 and 50 mile Endurance Ride" ? Which the average 25 mile completer would choose? A stand alone 25 mile ride would be over by lunch. I think that would be a lot more like going to a horse show...a day activity where you're home for supper...no reason to set up a camp. Really no reason not to haul the horse in that morning or leave that evening. Nothing to watch after it's over. The "winners" would ask for their award and leave by 10:30 AM. No goal of going farther, just faster and getting done by what....9:30? I find it bizarre that an organization called the American Endurance Ride Conference gives out a whole separate set of awards for people who are literally done by 10 AM and no separate awards for people who choose to try 100's. The bonus point advantage is easily cancelled out by the higher attrition rate. The financial gamble is higher, we don't have incentives for them to do it, if anything we offer every incentive for them to stay in the lower distances and it's showing up in the numbers. People who do 100's do it for personal reasons...period. I don't have a horse to ride in 100's right now so I'm not speaking for myself but if any group gets shortchanged that's where I see it happening, funny how you never hear them complaining. Angie ============================================================ Personally, I shouldn't give a s--- where the other people on the course are, and if I find myself starting to concern myself over this, I remind myself that this is the first step on the road to overriding my horse and tell myself to "knock it off!" :) ~ Kat Swigart ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/ ============================================================
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