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[RC] Sunland Ride, and rides on public land - Jonni JewellI am posting this for Roxanne. Jonni **************************** Why the Sunland Ride is Cancelled: The simple explanation for canceling the Sunland Ride, which has existed every year for 30 years, is the current closure of the Angeles National Forest. It was the consensus of everyone involved that riders would probably not enjoy riding around the parking lot a few hundred times to make the mileage. In the past, we have received last-minute approval for the ride because of small amounts of rain. This year the fire danger is so serious from so many dry years in a row that even Rangers and lessees who live within the Forest are being evacuated now. Forestry is not equipped to get them all out safely in the event of a serious fire. So without a rainstorm large enough to cause flooding, the chance of being able to hold the ride is very small. There are other more serious factors at work which are of importance to all endurance riders. It's virtually impossible in most areas to hold rides without the use of public lands. Using them has become more and more difficult, with restrictions on events which involve competition, environmental concerns, and regulations requiring a percentage of gross proceeds to be handed over to the public entity controlling the land over which the ride is conducted. As an organization, AERC needs to do more in order to make it possible to have rides at all in the future. We likely need better relations with other equestrian groups using public lands, and the assistance of the American Horse Council to guarantee our concerns are considered. Ride managers cannot be blamed for giving up in the face of severe regulation. In the long run, it will necessary to characterize an endurance ride honestly. Doing so almost guarantees the event will run afoul of the law, and permits will not be forthcoming. In populated ride areas such as Southern California, ride managers are hard-pressed to conduct a ride without incurring huge expenses which cannot be covered unless a large number of riders participate. This can be an insurmountable problem for a ride in challenging terrain, when in the weeks before or after, a ride in an easier area can be attended instead. New pending AERC regulations regarding veterinarians and their responsibilities will have additional impact. Several veterinarians I have talked to already realize they will incur an intolerable burden of ongoing liability if they service rides under the proposed rules. These days, veterinarians suffer the same problems with malpractice suits as medical doctors. If AERC continues to add more ongoing responsibility for horses a veterinarian has seen, perhaps only once during a ride, most veterinarians are likely to question the advisability of exposing their businesses to the whims of people who are not even their regular clients. Riders and managers need to look at these proposed rules and object to them before they are passed. Just because they are promoted by some of the veterinarians on the AERC committee does not mean they are good for our sport. AERC has a lot of projects and activities. If we don't adjust our priorities, we may not have rides in the future. It's hard for me to imagine very many people going to the lengths I have in order to keep endurance rides in my area. It isn't easy to influence AERC, but if ride managers are unable to develop sufficient power within the organization to address the urgent problems, the future of local rides may be pretty bleak. Roxanne Greene =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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