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Re: [RC] AERC NC & FEI - heidiHeidi wrote:Funny, I was disappointed that Ft. Howes was both the NC and an FEI ride because of the unfairness to those who would like to get an FEI qualification but who either choose not to support the NC or whose horses are not qualified to do the 100 at the NC. At least we can agree that the AERC NC should not be an FEI ride.I had some thoughts on this. First, the AERC NC is *supposed* to be the best of the best of our sport... kind of like another version of the old ROC format (as an aside I'd like to see the qualifications for our NC be a lot stiffer... make it mean something ... something to earn, like qualifying for the ROC). Thus, you would think that the FEI type horse are exactly those who would also be at the NC anyways. ie, there wouldn't be any "FEI hopefulls who couldn't qualify for the NC". Perhaps some who didn't qualify *this* year, but that's why there is a next year. Well, that also presumes that the "FEI hopefuls" have riders who even give a hang about the AERC NC. FWIW, I do have a horse that might be an "FEI hopeful" for the NAEC--depending on whether he finishes his qualifications here shortly. But I have also vowed NEVER to ride the AERC NC, no matter how qualified the horse. I suspect this horse is "qualified" to do the AERC NC 50, but I really don't give a hang. AERC is SUPPOSED to be about horses with long careers that can do long mileage, and as such the NC does not represent a championship, IMO. I have not a thing against events such as ROC, and I agree that ROC helped stimulate the interest for many people to ride further--but that said, it was NOT billed as an AERC championship, nor is FEI billed as an AERC championship. FEI is a different thing, and modeling our own championship into a one-race event where all the marbles are in one basket really makes us very much like the FEI. I have nothing against FEI, but it is a "ride to win" proposition, and AERC is NOT supposed to be like that. But that is exactly what the AERC NC promotes. Second, I have private feed back from FEI riders that if the NC is not an FEI qualification ride and there is an FEI qualification ride on or around the same time, they would need to go ride the FEI qualification ride. Anyone in this position is certainly welcome to chime in publically. So what? Life is full of choices. My husband called from Denmark last winter, wondering about getting his flight schedules arranged, and wondering about coming home to do Ft. Howes. When he heard it was the AERC NC, he agreed--he will fly home a week later in hopes that we can go to Rainbow, and if my little guy does make it to the application stage for the NAEC, I will haul down to Californios the week before Ft. Howes and give the NC a miss. So, the big thing here would be do we force our FEI level riders to chose between international and home? No matter what my feeling on AERC-I is that this point, I would hate to see our AERC riders put in a position to be split. We just don't have that many 100 mile riders... and less of that quality. You "force" riders to make choices either way. Fortunately, we also have FEI choices that do not "force" us to do the NC. And just doing endurance "forces" me to make other choices such as doing without new shoes and new clothes so that I can pay for diesel and entry fees. Life is full of choices, and "protecting people from choice" is IMO not a justification for much of anything. HOWEVER, as I've said many times before, I really want to see all of the AERC rides here at home to be competed fairly... that means drug testing, following ... not bending... rules, etc. Integrity is what makes all of this mean anything. On that we agree. Heidi =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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