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RE: [RC] Endurance rider - David LeBlanc

Bruce said:

Is someone actually objecting out  loud when you refer to 
yourself with those terms?  That would be silly.

It would be exceptionally silly in my case. I have 2650 miles of completions
at 50+ miles, and only 300 or so in LD.

I think one of the reasons people like to refer to 
themselves as an endurance rider is that they know there is inherent 
honor and respect contained in the term, and they want to be connected 
and identified with it. 

Well, see, I don't think I deserve any honor or respect for having done a
50. If anyone wants to grant me any respect, let it be on the basis of the
fact I've got a horse who also has 2650 miles, it's his 10th season, we
complete a lot of rides, and we're still going strong.

And that honor and respect was initially derived 
at a time when there was nothing but 100 mile finish lines to cross to 
become one. If we keep moving that finish line closer to obtain that 
title, where does it end? The 12 or 8 mile fun ride?   

This is what I've got a problem with. We're positioning this as something to
honor and respect when it isn't. The people I respect have lots of lots of
miles, and super completion rates. The rest of us are a bunch of riders. 

As I've had a really silly amount of school, I'll use that as an analogue -
we don't confer honor and respect for having completed one graduate level
class. We confer honor and respect for getting a Master's, Ph.D., DVM, or
MD. Lot more to it than one class.


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Replies
[RC] Endurance rider, Bruce Weary