i had a few thoughts on this subject to share, although it has mostly
been covered from both sides.
it was my first tevis experience, and i can
truly say that the recognition of the sponsorship did not bother me in the
least, nor did it diminish the accomplishments that we made as a team, rider,
horse, and crew. that accomplishment is ours to keep and cherish for as
long as we are able. becky has her buckle and i am very proud for her,
and i doubt seriously that she is concerned that a sponsor received a
commemorative buckle.
i wondered how the dispensation of buckles is
handled by some, like those who hire a rider to ride their horse,
lease horses to riders, those who ride their own horse, or in our case, lend a
horse to a friend in order to help fulfill a dream. i am sure that
in all of these scenarios, there are people out there who are in possession of
tevis belt buckles who have never ridden the ride. there may even be
someone out there who has a tevis buckle, who has never been on a
horse. i thought about all the people who have 10+ belt
buckles. i know they arent wearing all of them. maybe they are on
display in their homes or some other place. but i am sure that some
tevis buckles have been given as cherished gifts to family and friends, by
riders who wanted to share something special. a gift, pure and simple,
given from the heart. you must then think of the buckle given to the
sponsor in the same way, a gift, from the heart, in sincere appreciation of,
and in reciprocation of, their gift to all of us. down here where
i live, it is considered impolite to refuse a gift, in fact, it borders on an
insult. i have no doubts of the sincerity of the emmirates international
endurance village. endurance is their passion. many of us share
that passion. they are our comrades in a sport that we all love and
enjoy. let's not diminish ourselves, our horses, or the sport the we
love by being ungrateful.
ed
