I've been reading with interest the comments re cash prizes for
endurance rides, so of course I have to throw in my two cents. A long
time ago, before endurance, I showed Saddlebreds and Arabians in
both halter and performance. I left showing because it made me ill that
I could not be competitive with my horses because either I didn't have
the money to hire a top politically-connected trainer to simply appear
in the ring with my horse, could not advertise pretty photos of my
horse in national breed magazines, didn'nt get around the showgrounds in
a "Rolls Royce" golfcart and most importantly, I wasn't willing to do
the abusive things it took for my gaited and/or halter horses to be
"brilliant" in the ring. My horses are my friends, not the means by
which I collect stuff.
I started riding endurance because the most important thing was how well
I took care of my horse during and between rides, and where
overzealousness was punished instead of rewarded. I only have 505
career miles (due to a busy study schedule) and I've never top tenned or
won anything other than a T-shirt, a bucket or a belt buckle. Maybe I'd
feel different if I was competitive enough to compete at top levels.
This is just my own opinion, but it sends a cold chill down my back to
think that endurance riding could become "profitable" enough to attract
the same attitudes as those in the showring who abuse their horses for
the sake of winning. I agree that our vets and ride managers can be
trusted to control over-competitive (read abusive) riders, but all
of us have heard/know of ways to "trick" the vets and get away with
something. Drug testing will have to become much more strigent and
inevitably, we'll all have to pay more to protect against the
abusive few. Also, we've all seen riders with poor attitudes shrieking
at ride vets and ride managers because for one reason or another, the
day didn't go well for them---and THAT's when there's nothing more at
stake than a few more points and the glory of having finished top ten
instead of top twenty. I think the ride managers and vets already have
to tolerate more Bad Attitude than they should have to. I can't see it
getting any better by upping the ante.
Again, this is IMHO, but I think bringing in big money is going to
attract more of the kind of people we don't want and will drive away the
kind of people we do want---that is, the truly amateur rider who wants
to be able to just finish in good shape with a frisky horse and feel
like they've really accomplished something worthwhile---and most,
important, doesn't feel that they are LESS of an endurance rider just
because they're not racing at the upper levels.
One last thought---we've all heard about endurance horses being bought
in this country and shipped to the Middle East for their "endurance"
races, where big money is at stake and where the horses are literally
run to death. I've kept horses that I should have sold because I was
afraid of such a thing happening to them, unlikely as that is.
Personally, I can think of nothing worse than finding out one of my
horses had been abused at a big money ride in this country for the sake
of "winning". It happens now, without the big money. To me, that's not
winning. I realize these are broad generalizations, but I like
endurance being kept as an amateur sport and keeping the competition
relatively friendly.
If anyone's in doubt, go visit a regional Arabian show, take a walk down
the barn row and tell me if the majority of those horses look as happy
as your fuzzy old goofball mooching around in the pasture and begging to
go riding with you.
Susan Evans