Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

I'm trying to make a very pragmatic point: if some independent  
organization (perhaps with lawyers) were to go after Endurance riding  
in general, I don't think it would care about the soul of the  
organization as much as it would about the definition of the sport  
that the organization is formed to govern.  More simplistically - I  
don't think AERC would be protected from scrutiny simply because it  
abolished it's International committee and said 'but we are  
different'.  But hey, what do I know ? :)

Steph


On Feb 14, 2008, at 12:19 PM, Maryanne Gabbani wrote:

> Steph, the realities of any organisation will include rules,  
> leaders and sanctions. But that is not ALL an organisation is,  
> those are simply the bones from which you build something. Just as  
> the bones and skin of a person define the person as a human, the  
> structure of an organisation will define it as an organisation. But  
> the structure of an organisation does not define what KIND of  
> organisation you have before you anymore than the bones and skin of  
> a person will define what KIND of a person you have before you.   
> Forgive me for getting all metaphysical on you all, but it is the  
> soul of the organisation just as it is the soul of the person that  
> determines what kind of organisation  you have. And just as you can  
> have a person with a cancer that is part of the structure, so you  
> can have an organisation that has fatal flaws in its  
> structure...and these fatal flaws will have a determining effect on  
> the actual soul (please forgive me any hardline religion types but  
> I'm using the term a bit metaphorically) of the organisation just  
> as they will affect a person. The flaws can be overcome or they can  
> overpower.
>
> Don't confuse the structure of anything with its actual being and  
> reality. I'm talking about the actual reality of a sport not the  
> bones. Those are just technicalities and can be changed at whim.  
> Look at what the FEI has done to the rules of endurance racing.
>
> I'm not saying that anyone who follows the FEI is evil. Absolutely  
> not. I know some very nice FEI people...in fact getting a chance to  
> say hi to them is the high point of any international competition  
> here as far as I'm concerned. The FEI as a structure is just a  
> structure...with a couple of flaws in its design as far as I can  
> see. And people can deal with the structure while keeping a firm  
> eye on the flaws too. When you dance with the devil, you can have a  
> great time, but you do have to watch where you put your feet. LOL
>
> I'm saying stop getting so hung up on structures. That's not the  
> reality. It's just a framework.
>
> Maryanne
>
>
> On Thu, Feb 14, 2008 at 10:00 AM, Steph Teeter  
> <stephteeter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Maryanne - you speak so purely and from the heart. It's hard not to
> be moved.
>
> But your example : "Any group of riding fools can get together on a
> Saturday morning for a weekly horse race followed by a pancake
> breakfast seasoned with laughs and boasting. Does that make them
> involved in the same sport as Thoroughbred racing, Arab racing or
> Quarterhorse racing? I don't think so. "  does not address the
> realities of organized Endurance riding.
>
> AERC/AERA/etc etc are not just a group of riding fools (well maybe we
> are, but that's another subject :) - AERC is a corporation with a
> board of directors and published rules for the conduct of the sport.
> The fact remains that AERC's rules are almost identical to FEI's
> rules when it comes to the sport.
>
> Steph
>
> and for the sake of accuracy, there are many cultural versions of FEI
> Endurance - Leonard's comment that FEI in Europe is different from
> FEI in UAE is true, just as FEI in United States is different from
> FEI in UAE. I think this should be factored into the discussion. In
> most of the rest of the world people ride their own horses in FEI
> rides, and in most of the rest of the world there are no large cash
> purses in FEI rides, and in most of the rest of the world people in
> FEI rides DO care where the horse is tomorrow.
>
>
> On Feb 14, 2008, at 10:53 AM, Maryanne Gabbani wrote:
>
> > I find this really funny. If you all decide that endurance riding
> > with its emphasis on the team participation of a horse and rider,
> > the rewarding of lifetime achievements of distance and time, the
> > cooperative nature of participation by riders...including the
> > aspect of the ridecamp itself... is the same as FEI endurance
> > racing where the riders are jockeys who usually don't own their
> > horses and may only have ridden them a few times before the race,
> > where participants are staying in hotels rather than near their
> > horses, where the contestants are fighting over large cash purses,
> > where the only thing that matters is your win that day and no one
> > cares where the horse is tomorrow....are the same thing, well, I
> > suppose that you can.
>
>
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> --
> Maryanne Stroud Gabbani
> msgabbani@xxxxxxxxx
>
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