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[RC] Completion Awards - Beth Bennett

I must say that I am with Angie on this one. I think that awards should be just that. . . awards for something special accomplished. Now, having the vehicles that we have, sometimes just arriving safely at the endurance ride is an accomplishment, but you get the idea. I have only completed 375 miles and I can tell you that the most memorable of those few miles were the ones where my name got called out (allbeit usually in the last half of the pack) and I got to proudly go up and get my award. It could have been a sticker and I would have still had the same pride in having EARNED it. At the ride that we used to have here locally (Longstreet's Charge) we had a great t-shirt that read on the back: "Ride 'em like you stole 'em." I just treasure that t-shirt, partly because my first attmept at the 50 there my mare pulled due to a lameness. Because the trail is my training trail I KNEW how hard a 50 would be there and I was honestly intimidated as heck of that ride. I was disappointed to have to pull. Two years later after having my son I went back and tried again. Not only did I complete, I got that darn t-shirt and wear it around proudly. Needless to say, when I saw one of my non-horsey friends wearing one just because they KNEW somebody affiliated with our Arabian Horse Association, it flew all over me. I told her outright that she didn't have any right to be wearing that shirt because she had not earned it. That is honestly how I feel.

It is just my opinion that the mentality of giving a ride shirt (bag, sponge, mug, etc. . .) to anyone who shows up only adds to the ever-growing mentality of some riders that the ride owes you something other than a place to come and enjoy the sport.

Beth Bennett
Chickamauga, GA
(Wishing desparately that Longstreet's Charge would be held again)

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