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Bette
I completely discard your assumption that I did not read the whole 
letter.  Forgive me for being terse in my reply, and not addressing the 
point by point items with which I disagree.

Please do not beat me over the head with the story of Bunny.   Please 
do not assume that my experience with Arabians has been the crazy ones. 
 Nothing could be further from the truth.

Claiming that there is a "boycott" of your letter does you a 
disservice.  As if something has been organized.  People are just 
making CHOICES.  You made a choice to post the letter and invite people 
to sign.  Don't get yourself all worked up because people don't agree 
with you!

There has already been revision recently as regards distance riding 
awards within AHA.  They are making progress.  Now they need to address 
the sane breeding of classic Arabian horses.

>>The breeders themselves have to learn what constitutes a good riding
horse, and select breeding stock accordingly.  It does us no good to put
the image of the classic sane and athletic Arabian horse on the marquee 
if
the product behind the advertising is still a flighty, spooky critter 
that
a doting dad would not consider buying for his horse-crazy daughter to
ride.<<

That's what Heidi said.  That's what I stand behind.

And >>The good news is that riders ARE becoming more educated to the 
fact that
just being a purebred Arab isn't enough--the horse also has to actually
POSSESS the qualities that made the Arab desirable as a riding and
distance horse in the first place.  And they ARE learning to shop for
those qualities.  Furthermore, those same riders are also not apt to 
sign
a petition that suggests that the only problem is the marketing 
arm--they
know better, because they've experienced the difference.  But I am not 
at
all surprised that those from outside the endurance community are happy 
to
endorse such a petition--they have likely not yet found themselves in 
the
position to realize that we can't achieve the public support through
advertising until we have the products we claim to have.<<

That, too.

And now back to the regular Distance Riding discussions on this 
wonderful forum we are so lucky to have,
Lynne


On Jul 13, 2004, at 2:38 PM, Bette Lamore wrote:

> I would suggest you read the whole Letter, Lynn. It includes a 
> recommendation that more funds be spent on promotions of distance and 
> trail riding and elimination of the politics in the show ring. Lastly, 
> if one's premise is that there are no or very few Arabians of nice 
> family oriented temperament, then his/her position of not wishing to 
> have AHA promote the Arabian as a family horse would make sense. I am 
> saddened by the view that this is the case, hence the boycott of the 
> Letter to AHA. A great many of us still have contact with, own, breed 
> and see an incredible number of calm and loving Arabians who would be 
> an asset to any family, more so than the "flighty crazy" ones, most of 
> whom I believe to have become that way through human error and not 
> genetics. People's right to breed a particular line of Arabians 
> (flighty or not) is not legislated by the AHA or any other 
> organization that I am aware of  for that matter. I don't know of 
> anyone or any agency in the US who has a say in who should breed and 
> who should not and what types of horses should be bred.
> This whole issue started with people being unhappy over the portrayal 
> of the Arabian by AHA and the politics in the show ring and the lack 
> of support for distance and trail riding. This petition deals with 
> those issues. EVEN IF one is unhappy over the quality of Arabians 
> being bred, I see no conflict with attempting to address some issues 
> in which the AHA can implement change while continuing to breed the 
> very best you can-- that is certainly what I and many others are 
> doing. And if the majority of your contacts with Arabians is only with 
> the crazy ones-- than I would suggest you re-read the story of Bunny 
> who I believe is the rule of the Arabian heart, and NOT the exception!
> Bette
>
> Lynne Glazer wrote:
>
> > I'm in agreement with Heidi on this one.  It ain't just marketing, 
> > hence I won't sign the petition.
> >
> > Lynne
> > two ridecamp posts in one day <ding!>  limit reached
> >
> > On Jul 13, 2004, at 12:01 PM, <heidi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> >
> > > > There were only 47 people from ridecamp who signed it--- ironic as 
> > > > the
> > > > majority of the signatures has come from non-endurance riders (even
> > > > though the most of the issues that went into the letter addressed
> > > > concerns of endurance folk).
> > > > Interesting....... if you have feedback re: this you can email me
> > > > privately so as not to clutter up ridecamp with peripheral matters,
> > > > although this letter started out as a means to make the wishes of 
> > > > many
> > > > ridecampers known.
> >
> > <snip>
> >
> > > > And thanks to the knowledge and support of an increasingly educated 
> > > > riding
> > >
> > > public, those breeders who ARE producing such a product are once 
> > > again
> > > gaining ground, from what I have observed.  I recently received a 
> > > post
> > > from another breeder of good,solid athletic horses who does not
> > > particularly happen to market to endurance, but she had made a 
> > > statement
> > > to AHA to the effect that she was seeing a MUCH higher education 
> > > level
> > > among buyers looking for sport horses in general, who have finally
> > > realized that they CANNOT find what they want in the show barns.  
> > > THAT is
> > > the message that AHA needs to hear--the fact that the people who 
> > > want to
> > > actually ride Arabian horses have to struggle to FIND horses worth 
> > > riding,
> > > in the aftermath of the breeding practices of the past few decades.
> > >
> > > So, that is why MY signature is not on the petition.  Bette's
> > > protestations notwithstanding, it has nothing to do with 
> > > personalities,
> > > bloodlines, or any such thing.  The letter simply does not say what 
> > > I feel
> > > needs to be said--both from the perspective as a rider and from the
> > > perspective of a breeder trying to breed horses that possess the 
> > > qualities
> > > necessary to be safely and pleasantly ridden, as well as those 
> > > qualities
> > > that will enable them to get around an endurance course with ease.
> > >
> > > Heidi


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