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[RC] 100s - Ridecamp Guest

Please Reply to: kim kimfue@xxxxxxxxxxxx or ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Maybe it would help to think of it as two separate rides being held 
simultaneously--sort of like the Man Against Horse, but instead of people doing 
their own thing with their own set of rules, it's the Elite Horses and their 
riders doing it....


The problem is that for whatever reason AERC horses end up being subject to 
many of the same protocols/rules as the FEI horses whether it is for ease of 
management, mistakes by FEI/AERC officials or volunteers, etc.  So really it 
isn't two different competitions being held at the same event.  I guess when 
the runners at "Man Against Horse" are subject to the same "criteria, stops, 
holds, etc. as the AERC horses there will be a comparison of AERC to FEI.  
There probably wouldn't even be this discussion if AERC and FEI riders didn't 
share the same vets, volunteers, out timers, and P&R people. Yes, I know it 
isn't realistic to have two sets of officials but that does seem to be where 
most of the complaints are coming from.   What FEI does at a local ride is just 
to going to a dance club that for years has allowed blue jeans and now all of a 
sudden you are dancing to the same music but can't get in without a  suit and 
tie and you have to drink your beer from a glass not the bottle.
     My experience at the FEI 20 Mule Team 100 was very similar to Karens 
although I didn't have the junior sponsorship problem.  Regardless of how you 
feel about the FEI/AERC co sanctioning there really can't be any arguement that 
the FEI co sanctioning can (does) make a LOCAL low key rides more formal.  It 
sounds like some of us like a more formal ride and some of us don't.  If I want 
something more formal I will go to a high profile ride like the Tevis Cup or 
the AERC Championship.  I like to have the option to attend low key, low 
profile rides also and those used to be my local rides.  So where do I get to 
attend a low key 100 without all the protocol if my local rides are now FEI 
sanctioned?
    If I want to attend any local 100s this year I will have to attend an FEI 
co sanctioned ride.  One of these rides uses my place as a vet check and there 
is already an issue (6 months before the ride) of whether there will there be 
enough "space" for the P&R box.  Funny thing is for the past two years there 
was never a space issue at this vet check and everything seemed to run smoothly 
without the "box".  But now because of FEI all of a sudden this may not be 
suitable as a vet check.  I wonder if they will change the trail/vet check 
because there is not room for a P&R box??  Maybe it will be more important to 
have the P&R box and limit crew accessability and areas for the horses to eat.  
I will keep you posted on this one as I can't wait to see how this will be 
worked out... in favor of the riders and their horses or for FEI protocol/ease 
of management.
  I will still attend these two co sanctioned rides as I have horses that are 
ready for 100s.  It would be really nice for those that are really involved 
with FEI to give their "FEI officials" a heads up and have make an effort to be 
extra curteous and perhaps a little more understanding when preciding at CO 
SANCTIONED event with just "regular" AERC riders. I mean does it really matter 
if one hoof is over the white at the P&R box?????  It seems to me that most of 
these local 100s would be around without the FEI sanctioning. It is FEI/ AERC I 
that is courting AERC ride managers to co sanction rides not the general AERC 
membership.  FEI officials/volunteers should be bending over backwards to 
engraciate themselves to the AERC entrant so the average AERC rider will have a 
positive FEI co sanctioned experience.  Many of these FEI officials/volunteers 
are AERC members themselves so there should be no reason that they "can't" 
understand where the AERC rider is coming from.


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