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[RC] Why I Ride - bechack


I ride for my own satisfaction.  To see new trail. Trail that is
otherwise inaccessable or unknown to me.  To test myself and my horse
against the trail and our own previous time or level of fitness.  To
always end with a happy horse.  My horses seem to enjoy getting out,
to see new trails too.  Some are trail wise and competitive on their
own.  I reserve the right to still be the brains of the outfit, no
matter how good they are feeling or argue with me that they know
better.  That is my part in the team.  

Any time I am in the standings is purely by accident.  All it means
to me is that I have been doing my homework and getting an "A".

Prizes or gifts...surely you jest!   I could buy any of the year-end
awards for far less than ONE truck payment.   If it wasn't fun, I
wouldn't be there at all! 


---- Original Message ----
From: trails@xxxxxxxxx
To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, nvrider@xxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [RC]   Angie's 100 Mile comments & New Junior 100 Mile
Award
Date: Sat, 15 May 2004 11:31:42 -0700


Hi Folks: I have a question for all:
Are you riding for the Sport which includes all of the wonderful
parts that
come with horse ownership and riding?.Or are you riding for Points &
or
other Awards or Gifts?

I think this is a question that all must answer for themselves.

Awards and gifts are a part of the sport but I wouldn't exchange the
pleasures that I have received from horse ownership and the bond that
is
usually a part of this Sport.

Nothing in Life is guaranteed to be fair.

Just my thoughts
Steven Proe


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "DreamWeaver" <nvrider@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, May 15, 2004 10:39 AM
Subject: [RC] Angie's 100 Mile comments & New Junior 100 Mile Award



At 08:20 AM 5/15/2004, you wrote:

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.


wow, Angie --- you got that right!  It is really disheartening to

see how

much the #'s have dropped on 100 mile entries.  As a member of

AERC, I

personally feel that very little (if anything) is done to encourage

100

mile participation.  Perhaps they do expect us to figure out on our

own if

that is what we want to do, and we'll either do 100's or we won't

do them.


Since my post on the lists a couple of weeks ago about Junior 100

mile

riders, we have come up with an unofficial 100 Mile Junior
Award.  Hopefully we will eventually get the AERC to offer an

official 100

Mile Junior Award.

NEW 100 MILE JUNIOR AWARD:  PLEASE READ AND PASS THIS ALONG TO ANY

JUNIORS

OR FAMILY MEMBERS/SPONSORS OF JUNIORS THAT YOU KNOW!!

Any Junior rider who completes two one day 100's on the same horse

within
a

one year time frame, starting with the 2004 ride season will

receive an

embroidered blanket.  The sponsor for this award is FX Arabian

Sporthorses.


We already have at least one junior rider who is planning on

getting this

award!  I hope that we can get the word out (ideas appreciated) so

that we

can maybe encourage more participation in the one day 100 mile

rides.
When

the juniors ride, they need to take a sponsor along with them :-).

In case anybody would like to see what has happened with the 100

mile

distance and junior riders:

http://aerc.org/Education_Max_Junior.asp

Or, to summarize:

2003 Ride Year:

Ride Starts on one day 100's for juniors in 2003 was:
27 Junior 100 Mile Ride Starts/19 Completions
Completion rate: 69%
Junior Members Year 2003: 387

2000 Ride Year:

Ride Starts on one day 100's for juniors in 2000 was:
74 Junior 100 Mile Ride Starts/49 Completions
Completion rate: 66%
Junior Members Year 2003: 273

It's easy to see that while membership of junior riders increased,

the #
of

juniors entering 100's decreased considerably.

Except for the Tevis and Virginia City 100's, I've never done a 100

that

gave me an award that was just for the 100.  It has always been the

same

award that the 25s/50's got, and often it is what was leftover

after the

other distances got to choose theirs first since they had their

awards

ceremonies before the 100's were even finished.  One time a few

years ago

there was a letter in EN from a 25 mile rider who complained about

the

cheap completion award that they had got.  Well, I had got that

same award

for completing the 100 and thought it was great.

Karen
in NV




============================================================
Just because someone tells you that your horse isn't "fit" for
endurance...doesn't mean it isn't, it just means your horse isn't

fit to
be

"their" endurance horse! Go for it, you never know what you'll

accomplish

with that "saddle horse" or "trail horse" of YOURS!
~  Darlene Anderson - DPD Endurance

ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/

============================================================




============================================================
One of the great joys of being a pompous idiot is that you can do and
think
whatever you want. 
~  Homer Safferwiffle

ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/

============================================================


Becky and the gang

===========================================================Common sense should 
also be a part of the decision making process. If you
see someone who doesn't have any, hand them your tool box.
~ Lisa Salas - The Odd Farm

ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/

===========================================================