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[RC] The cost to riders - rides2far@xxxxxxxxOK, here's a chance to make it endurance related. I'm curious. Nobody has mentioned changing their competition schedule due to the hurricane aftermath. Here at home I've got a truck that I believe I put $8 worth of gas in "just to get back home where it was cheaper" last Sat. That "high priced" gas was $2.51. Now at my "cheap" exit it's $3.17 and people are happy the pumps aren't empty. This Saturday I've declined to meet friends at a trail 1 hr. away. It would cost me too much to go. Time to do a bit of maintenance on the local trails and bring them back on line. My neighbor's Explorer wasn't empty, but she went to fill it up and it was $81. That makes you think twice about wasting trips to the store, much less hauling 300 miles to a ride. We're looking at things like...what will it cost the hay man to get his hay in? How much will he have to go up? Will fuel even be available when the hay is ready? Luckily, I filled my barn last Saturday but some of my friends were banking on the last cutting and the fuel costs have risen about 30%. I've already had friends talking about not going to rides they were going to go to. Hopefully the only problem will be the cost of gas, not the availability but we're not too sure how soon supply to the SE will normalize. Most corn & grain goes down the Mississippi to the port of New Orleans by barge. If they have to haul by truck feed will go up. I've had a ride manager ask me if I think people will come. Personally, I think fewer will. The managers need to know this. They may need fewer vets, awards, etc. It's possible to break even on small rides but you really need to know they're going to be small! Meanwhile in the middle of all these skyrocketing costs I hear rumors that AERC wants to raise our fees. The prevailing thought there seems to be that we're paying so much already that a little more won't hurt us. Ever heard of the straw that broke the camel's back? I think most of us probaby expect this situation to be somewhat termporary and so many will just sort of hunker down in survival mode for awhile. I'm not going to cut back on my horse's food, healthcare, or any of the necessities, but I can skip a ride. How many others plan to? If you were planning to go to rides up to 8 hrs away, will you drop it to 4? Am I the only one who is worried? I know this seems unimportant when people's lives are in danger, just trying to be endurance relaterd. Angie (glad we kept the 92 Toyota Corola that my daughter learned to drive on)
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