Ed, I could not express myself better than you have
done. Some have arguments in favor of maintaining our involvement in
international riding, but none of them make any impression on me.
Originally, I thought international events would be
fun, especially giving opportunity to meet like-minded folks from other
countries. The first North American Championship here at our place in 1986
seemed to be just that. From then on, it was a steady trend away from that
sense of camaraderie with competition into politics
and suspicion and some bitterness on my part. I was soundly
chastised by someone I had considered a friend for not agreeing that AERC should
run all its rides under FEI rules, like they do in Europe. Perhaps
gradually, things moved away from the suspicion, but the politics are still
there. I had vowed, when I was on the AERC board, to fight any attempt of
FEI taking over AERC and imposing its rules on us. This appears not to
have happened, but it certainly has had some influence on us.
Nevertheless, what appears to appeal to most of our riders is the pleasure of
discovering new adventures on our favorite mounts, otherwise would the multi-day
rides have risen to such great popularity?
While I think it is doable for a few horses to achieve
the new proposed 10:40 qualifying riding time on a 100-miler, I don't see this
as desirable. Just how far do we want to push our horses to achieve
notoriety. It appears to me that some countries are just interested in the
prestige and/or prizes and not so interested in the horse as a companion and
treasured friend. The philosophy of throw-away horses in some
countries seems apparent. In other countries, nothing could be
farther from their actual philosophy.
There have been occasions in this country
where riders have pushed their horses too far, but I have noticed this
becoming more rare. I think this has to be due in great measure to the
"fit to continue" standard and ongoing education.
I used to adopt the philosophy that "if some riders
want to compete internationally, let them make that choice," but now I think
the rules have been pushed too far and I fear that we may be judged too
harshly for supporting and competing under those rules. There are groups
in this country that believe more in protecting our animals than our
people. Yet Americans generally are very conscious of the care we
give our animals. We either need to influence FEI away from these rules or
just stay home and ride our own way. I feel
very deeply about this.
With todays post I sent the following via USPS first
class mail to each member of the AERC BOD:
"Dear (name of member)::
I have been considering writing this letter for
some time. The recent action by the FEI in increasing the qualifying speed for
the next WEC is the straw that broke the camel's back.
I believe that the AERC BOD should withdraw all
association of the AERC with international competition. This includes
dissolving of AERC International. There are a number of reasons why I believe
this to be a wise action. I will list them in no particular order of
priority.
