Home Current News News Archive Shop/Advertise Ridecamp Classified Events Learn/AERC
Endurance.Net Home Ridecamp Archives
ridecamp@endurance.net
[Archives Index]   [Date Index]   [Thread Index]   [Author Index]   [Subject Index]

Re: [RC] [RC] [RC] President's Cup - Nik Isahak Abdullah

Heidi,
Your points taken and accepted.Probably I should get someone sponsor a big FEI competition in "neutral Kuala Lumpur" sometime next year.But be prepared to be served barbecued horsemeat if the sheikhs go as fast as they did in the cold arid desert of Abu Dhabi in winter.Any takers UAE?

Nik


From: <heidi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <drnikisahak@xxxxxxxxxxx>
CC: <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [RC]   [RC] President's Cup
Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2004 08:32:54 -0700 (MST)

> Heidi,Truman,and all
 Right
> from  WEC 1998 onward up till now ,to be fair,and statistics do not
> lie,we all  have to credit to where it deservedly belong.The guys in UAE
> have got it  right as far as endurance at international level is
> concerned.You have to  accept that US of A and the rest have been
> comphrehensively beaten in all  major international meet except the WEC
> 1998 when Valerie Kanavy saved the day for the rest.

Nik, I do not argue that point, and I commend those who have accomplished
what they have.

All I am saying is that we also have something which they do not--a form
of competition and longevity in the sport that is missing in FEI.

At the international level, the win is everything.  In AERC, the win is
NOT everything.  There are many ways to "win" in AERC and in American
regional endurance groups, including being able to take the SAME horse
year after year to accumulate mileage, awards for consecutive completions,
etc.

This does not take away anything from FEI.  What bothers me is the
clamboring to try to make AERC like FEI, or visa versa, or even really
compare the two in small details.  It is not the same, we ride AERC rides
for different reasons, and the accomplishments are not comparable.  Many
of our USA riders simply are not willing to expend horses in the fashion
that they must be expended to race at maximum capacity, because we have
reason to still want to ride the SAME horses for 10 year long careers or
longer.  To us, that is a goal just as important as the UAE rider
excelling in one prestigious race.

Bravo to their efforts and success.  But to say they have "beaten" the USA
at endurance is not accurate.  They have beaten us at their sport.  They
have not yet tried ours.

Heidi


============================================================
They're athletes! This is a partnership between horse and rider - we don't
have any jockeys out there, just pals and partners. We'd allow a rider with
a broken foot, a sore back and a nasty cold to compete - but we would never
let a horse in a similiar condition hit the trail.
~ Dr. Barney Flemming DVM

ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/

============================================================ 

_________________________________________________________________
Are you in love? Find a date on MSN Personals http://match.msn.com.my/

============================================================
Riding alone is when you teach a horse all the "tools" and "cues" he needs
to handle the trail, to hold a speed, deal with hills, etc. It's also where
you develop the "bond" that causes him to "defer" to you before losing his
cool.
~ Jim Holland

ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/

============================================================