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Re: [RC] LD What's the real issue? - Ridecamp GuestPlease Reply to: Bruce Weary D.C. bweary@xxxxxxxxxxxx or ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Regarding the issues brought up by "Jason" and his unhappiness over
how LD participation is recognized, I thought I would try to reply
constructively. In over 20 years and 6000 miles in this sport, these
are some things I have come to know: 1) Every ride manager I know welcomes as
many LD riders as they can get, not only because they contribute significantly
to the financial success of a ride, but that they largely represent the future
of the sport. Among LD riders, we find juniors, adult newbies, and those who
are bringing along a new horse, rehabilitating an injured horse back into the
sport, or spending time on a favorite old mount who can't or shouldn't do the
long miles anymore. 2) I honestly cannot remember
ever hearing a disparaging word spoken about a rider simply because they were
riding the LD ride, either on that day, or habitually. Critical comments are
usually reserved for those who,through ignorance or hubris, injure a horse or
cause illness
from going too fast or making other unwitting errors regarding the welfare of
the horse. This is not to say that the LD ranks are the only place where these
things happen. But we have the documented history to prove that it is at least
the most fertile environment for it. But that is another issue. 3) I have yet
to hear or read an argument regarding the LD "issue" that didn't, after some
examination, prove to have as a main motivating factor, the recognition (or
perceived lack thereof) brought to the rider. I would suggest that the
enthusiasm of "Jason's" comments imply that his ego is bruised and throbbing
due to the fact that the present system doesn't seem to be providing
recognition in a manner and
measure that would satisfy him. Ironic, as it is the very ego of
those who ride greater distances that he sees as the blockade to him garnering
the recognition he so very badly needs to feel an integral part of this sport.
4) I still feel that the sport of running and endurance riding are very
similar, and that a lot of the disgruntlement over this issue begins quite
innocently in the terms used in the sport, which have evolved into labels,
which in turn have produced dissatisfaction among those who use or are assigned
those labels. Allow me to explain. In the sport of running, all runners are
called runners. Some sprint, some jog, some lope for marathon distances. And
everything in between. While there may be some elitism among runners (or in any
human endeavor for that matter), no runner ever says that another runner isn't
a runner. In endurance riding, and for the sake of this discussion a better
term would be distance riding, everyone involved rides a distance. ("Distance"
here meaning farther than your average pleasure trail rider) Some ride 25
miles, some 50, some even more. No distance rider tells another rider that they
aren't a rider. Clearly we all are. The rub here seems to be the delineation
between what we call the LD ride, and the minimum requirement for a ride to be
50 miles or longer to be called an "endurance ride." Here's where the label
thing comes in again. If, as a rider, I don't ride 50 miles, then I am not
riding an endurance ride, as it is currently defined. Therefore, I feel that I
can't legitimately lay claim to the title "endurance rider," a title I very
much covet as a member of this sport. Since I have no plans or desire to ride
50 miles or more (for whatever legitimate reason I might have) and since I
still want that title, my only option is to express anger at those who have set
the rules and campaign for a change in how I am recognized as a distance rider.
In rebuttal, some would argue that the sport, while it has some very fine and
well deserved awards programs, isn't really designed with personal recognition
as it's main agenda. To rail against this seems a sad waste of energy that
could be used looking for those sunsets, starlit nights, moonlit trails, and
yes, rattlesnakes.
In closing, I have to say that my horses often have the last say. Yesterday,
I was having a brief discussion with my gelding, who may have carried me to an
regional award of some sort this year, and I asked him how he felt about that.
He cocked his head sideways and curled his upper lip--his way of asking for a
treat. It clearly didn't matter to him at all. Bruce Weary, D.C., often
wrong, but never in doubt.
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