Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Well there in lies the rub.  Angie and Maryanne hit on
a very important topic - Fun vs Competition.  So,
should there be two separate entities in endurance. 
And, in fact, don't we already have that with NATRAC? 
I always thought of AERC as being a 'race' based
competitive sport.  Now trying to change the name and
the nucleus that it was based on for what?  To woo
more people that just want to do competitive trail
over to the AERC.  

I am sorry...I am just failing to see why the wheel is
being reinvented.  We have two organizations, in this
country, that are able to facilitate racing vs
competitive trail.  Why are we diluting one for the
other?  Do I want to have fun you damn right.  Do I
want to be competitive...you bet!  At the risk or cost
of my horse hell no!  However, I don't see Fun vs
Competition being at the cost of one or the other.  

I understand that the numbers of competitors are
declining.  However, if anyone has paid attention to
the recent surveys conducted by many different 'horse'
magazines...you will find that the beginning of the
'baby boomers' are going to hit the retirement skids
in 2008.  Many of them...'anti-establishment' type
personalities.  Will not want to conform into the
'condo' crowd. 

In fact many of the surveys, Horse and Rider, March
and July, have suggested that those people are looking
for 5 acre plus homes.  So that they can have little
mini farms...along with a horse or two!  Guess
what...they are looking also to do trail rides,
endurance, and other 'freedom' type of activities with
their livestock.  

So, if I was on a governing body of any one of a
number of horse organizations...I'd start addressing
the needs that those fluctuations are going to be
demanding.  Stop trying to reinvent the wheel.  Fix
the one that is already in place!!!!  And that my
friends is something of a carry over from my Air Force
days!



D'Arcy L. Demianoff-Thompson   
liberty4640@xxxxxxxxx




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