To those of you who are "discussing"
whether Limited Distance riders should be considered to be Endurance
Riders;
I have been reading on Ride
Camp the opinions of many of you - both pro and con. I would ask you
to check your current August issue of Endurance News. On page 55, EN lists
the "National Limited Distance Mileage Championship" In the Junior
Division, Jordan Israelson is in second place. She is nine years old and
has been doing Endurance Rides for three years now. This is her second
year to be nationally ranked in the EN. Also, in June of ' 05, she was on
the cover of the magazine. Every time we start out on a ride,
the first thing she wants to know is if we are in the top 10. She is
planning on doing her first 50 mile ride next month. I have kept
her in the Limited Distance rides up until now because, as her
sponsor, I want to be sure that she was REALLY ready to move up to
50's. Jordan considers herself to be an Endurance Rider and she rides an
Endurance Horse. The welfare of her horse, riding the trails, encouraging
other new riders, and making friends are her priorities. Many of the
riders and vets here in the Central Division know who this little girl and her
one-eyed horse are. She is the future of our sport, as are all the other
new riders who are starting out in the Limited Distance category. Which
one of you legalists would like to tell her that she's not a "real" Endurance
Rider yet?
