 |
Re: [RC] Endurance - FEI, UAE - Truman PrevattStephTeeter wrote:Truman - this sport is moving along - with or without us (AERC) - and there are many things about the direction of FEI/International Endurance that I personally don't like. -BUT - I still feel that it is best to stay involved. For the long term interest of the sport, and in the interest of the horses in the sport. We still have a voice. At some point you are judged by the friends you keep. As far as voice - where is it? They are going head long on thier own agenda independent of what the AERC has to say. I suspect in another year or two the FEI championship races will end when the first 10 finish. Why support a sport that can't be sustained? The cost of this evolution in FEI is going to result in high risk to the horses. Why get our sport in the AERC painted with that same brush - high risk to the equines. We do have our organization and sport to protect. Sometimes the only way to kill a cancer is to cut it out. Maybe we can't compete with this, maybe we shouldn't try for the moment.We had this talk if you remember in 2000 riding in Croom while you were getting ready for the Biltmore. We can't compete at this level. If we try we will kill our horses. The only way we will be able to compete is to adapt the UAE model. Train many horses and cull out the ones that can't gallop 20 mile breezes every other day. Pick the one that is peaked for race day and run the snot of of him - hoping that he will make it. I am not convinced that this model will die out. I suspect that this will become the norm and the winning times in the WEC will be in the 6:30 to 7:30 range. I suspect the FEI will have to go to a rating system and a real COC criteria to keep the "also runs" off the course. I also suspect that if we keep going we will not have any better luck in the future than we have had at the last 3 WEC's. I also expect the center will become the UAE and they will drive the bus in the future. I would rather see us 'sit out' for a while then try to whiz/bang find theI don't see the AERC having much impact on International. It's evolved to a sport on its own and it is well funded and it has an agenda that is not compatible with the AERC. The AERC has supported International in this country since people expressed a desire to pursue international but didn't have a path to do so. The AERC has done it's job, the USEF now has an endurance program. The AERC has little impact on the direction. Its time for the AERC to focus on its members - the 6000 of them. It's time for the AERC to look out for the best interest of its members and sport. Its time for the AERC to establish boundaries so we don't get painted with the same brush when the "flat track endurance racing" meets resistance from people concerned about the welfare of the horse. How can the AERC in good consience claim to be concerned with equine welfare - when we support the current trend in FEI championships. How many horse's have to die at a Pan Am or NAC - until someone notices and that impacts the AERC? Has nothing to do with being stupid or running out of the room, it has to do with standing up to our principles. It has to do with being serious about the welfare of the horse. To support the current trends in International and still claim that the welfare of the equine is paramont is sheer hypocrisy. The structure is now in place in this country that the AERC is not needed to support international. The people that want to pursue it will be able to do so without the AERC. The AERC has done it's job - now time to move on and let the USEF run the International endurance show. Face it - if the current trends in International endurance succeeds (and I suspect it will) then they don't need us and will pay little heed to us. If they fail there is a good chance that they could take us down with them. No thinks - time to cut em loose and let them live or die on their own merits. You are judged by the friends you keep and by the actions you support. We in the AERC can't have it both ways. We either believe that the welfare of the equine come first or we don't. We can't have it both ways. I've been an International member since about 1992 - but I suspect this is the last year for me. Truman -- “It doesn't matter how beautiful your theory is, it doesn't matter how smart you are. If it doesn't agree with experiment, it's wrong” Richard Feynman =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|