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Re: [RC] re: 100 milers...speed vs. tradition - Maryanne Stroud Gabbani

The only thing that I could add to this is that people need to realise that the folks who introduced the flast rides (I love that new word, Steph! It's a keeper) are coming at the sport from a totally different angle from the average American rider. The stables in the Gulf have hundreds of "made" horses and a horse is chosen for a particular race, much as is the case in regular Thoroughbred racing. Most of the riders in the US, or anywhere else for that matter, do not have the luxury of choosing their horse even if they have 4 or 5 of them. The stakes in this case are totally different.

I kept warning our local riders not to compete too intensely with the visitors because it was rather hopeless. Their horses didn't have the base and competition wasn't likely to give it. Experience has, sadly, proved me right. No one has had a horse last long enough to attain base work to even complete soundly. This is not the fault of the sport, but the fault of the riders who got caught up in the glamour, glory and cash involved.

I believe that the flast races offer a wonderful chance for riders to travel and learn but they need to remember that the racing culture that they are visiting is not the same as their own just as the society and part of the world are different. There is a tradition to the flast races, but it is a racing tradition. Lots of room for traditions as long as you know what they are.

Maryanne
(self-appointed endurance philosopher in residence in Egypt)




On Monday, Nov 29, 2004, at 08:19 Africa/Cairo, StephTeeter wrote:

My point in piping up is that I do feel that there are some that would like
to see FEI separated from AERC, and it worries me. We are a small sport, a
small community of riders with more similarities than differences. And at
the 100 mile level, the differences are even fewer. I honestly haven't seen
any data or stats to back up the claims that the faster rides are harder on
horses. Foolish riders are hard on horses, and one can be just as foolish on
a tough mountain course as on a flat desert course. And regardless of the
course, or the venue, every rider can choose their speed. We had almost as
many riders do the AN 100 in the 12-16 hour range, as in the 8-10 hour
range. And a high completion rate with no metabolic pulls. And the scenery
isn't all that bad either. (do I sound defensive :)


Just please don't try to drive away, or separate, the riders that are
following International trends, or just trying to be the best in their sport
by one standard - some of you might have been doing the same thing 10 or 20
years ago. We change - but the sport really isn't changing that much. It's
always been a 'finish sport' for some, and a 'race' for others. Even
traditionally. It's a bit of an odd sport we have, where even though it is a
timed event, and we are rewarded with top tens, first to finish prizes,
extra points for going faster than others - it is a stigma to call it a
race, and stating 'to win is to win' would be near heresy... It's as if the
collective conscience of the sport is afraid that if we call it a race
people will get stupid and feel that they 'have to' race.


Just ride, do what you like, protect our horses, and be tolerant of others
with different goals.


Steph

(I'll ride any horse, at any speed, on any trail, and enjoy it just as much
either way. But those few times where the horse, the trail, the day, the
luck, all converged with a 'first to finish' have been very very special.)





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Maryanne Stroud Gabbani
Cairo, Egypt
www.alsorat.com
miloflamingo.blogspot.com

"The trail is the thing, not the end of the trail. Travel too fast and you miss all you are traveling for" Louis L'Amour


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Replies
RE: [RC] re: 100 milers...speed vs. tradition, StephTeeter