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[RC] Survey: What is "the Sport"? (was: Pony Club Endurance...) - k s swigart


Steph said:


from a 'sport' perspective, and a 'marketing' perspective,
?there is a great deal to be gained by being inclusive.
?Bringing everybody into the sport equals members, revenue,
?sustainability,etc. And -then- people can sort themselves
?into the 'challenging' vs. 'not challenging' categories
?once they're doing The Sport.

?
If "The Sport" of endurance riding wants to be "inclusive" as Steph suggests 
and doesn't want to define endurance as riding a x number of miles in x amount 
of time (fill in your favorite number "x"),? then how DO people suggest that 
"the sport" of endurance riding be defined?
?
Unless it is defined as "anything anybody does" (which includes sleeping, 
watching TB, or eating dinner), then it is going to have to exclude SOME things 
and therefore cannot be all "inclusive."? After understanding this concept, it 
becomes apparent that "we have to be 'inclusive'" is nothing more than PC 
twaddle.? Unless, of course, Steph IS suggesting that, in order to gain 
"members, revenue, sustainability, etc." that it DOES include anybody who wants 
to call themselves an endurance rider for watching TV...just so long as they 
pony up.
?
The sport HAS to define itself somehow, at which point some people, who are not 
interested in it or are incapable of it (for whatever reasons), are going to be 
excluded.
?
So, let's have a survey:
?
How DO people think the sport of endurance riding should be defined...if at all?
?
Me?? I think it should be defined as 100 miles on a horse, and anything less 
than that is a training ride.
?
Most people here, I suspect, probably think that it ought to include a horse in 
some way, and possibly getting outside of an enclosed environment (although I 
suspect that some rides are held in the "enclosed environment" of a fenced 
ranch, so _I_ don't consider this to be a strict requirement, and some people 
have talked about the idea of holding a 50+ mile sanctioned ride on a race 
track, which also would come closer to my definition than a 12 mile trail hack).
?
But, if we acknowledge that we don't want to include watching TV in the sport, 
it has to be defined to exclude some things.? Let's hear from everybody, what 
EXACTLY should endurance riding include and what shouldn't it.? Because if you 
don't define exactly what it includes and what it doesn't, then it includes 
watching TV.
?
I am HOPING that Steph is not suggesting that it should be defined as anybody 
who is willing to pay to be a member and thus generate revenue and 
sustainability.? But if she is, then it won't include ME, because I would not 
be willing to pay for that kind of a membership.
?
kat
Orange County, Calif.
:)


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