Re: cash prizes

Jeff Forbes (forbes@vail.net)
Fri, 06 Dec 1996 09:55:47 -0700

I've resisted taking up some space, and I'll try to keep it brief but I=20
see a few interesting things going on here.

I'm not an AERC member but have ridden and worked with horses all my=20
life. I rode in one CTR and think that I'm more interested in endurance=20
(my cousin from Wisconsin has "Endured" for more than 20 years and my=20
intrigue has put her and her sport on a big pedestal!) Thus my signing=20
on to this fascinating list.

1. It seems to me that there are 440 people who are on this list who=20
are not AERC members, and who are as intrigued by Endurance as I am. I=20
wonder where they all heard about this sport and why they want to get=20
into it. I get the feeling it's not for the money...... I'll bet more=20
than a few of us with our "cash prize" opinions will be members some day=20
soon if the sport doesn't change into something else.

2. In my post about human athletes, I guess I meant that *endurance=20
riders* should do human endurance, maybe with a sponsor carrying the=20
whip, to see if they'd run in pain for money.

3. It's interesting that even people who have their horse's best=20
interest in mind can still inadvertently hurt their horse. How will=20
bigger prizes blind riders to their horse's signals?

4. Rodeo horses are usually owned by a pro company and work for 8=20
seconds a day if they are sound. Local rodeo paticipants pay $50 for an=20
8 to 20 second event to win $50 x # of participants. I've never seen a=20
barrel racer win BC. Not much correlation to endurance.

5. Some people have talked about publicity. Could someone tell me why=20
a specialty, non-spectator friendly sport wants or needs publicity? I=20
am reminded of another specialty, non-spectator friendly sport which=20
took place in Beaver Creek, CO for 10 years.

Winter triathalon. 15 mi cross country skate skiing, plus 9 mi=20
snowshoeing, plus 12 mi speed skating. Total elevation change approx.=20
3,000 ft up and 5,000 ft down. Grueling. Intrigueing. Beautiful=20
athleticism. High emotion and excitement. "Who the heck would do this=20
type of thing?" Lots of awesome volunteers. Very difficult to=20
spectate. Competitors went for miles without seeing anyone (competitor=20
nor spectator). **Sound familar???**

The first few years there were no cash prizes, just "stuff". Each year,=20
managenent got more and better sponsors (BUSCH beer, for one), prizes=20
and cash prizes got bigger and bigger, and finally ****TV COVERAGE***=20
for the 10th aniversary race!!!! ESPN would film the race! Oh boy! All=20
these great endurance athletes and their sport would be famous!!!

The race was in January and aired in May (when winter sports enthusiasm=20
has waned). ESPN showed the top 3 **men** on various parts of the=20
course. (Of course women raced, but TV sports are mostly for wanna-be=20
males. Please don't shoot me for that observation!) The play-by-play(?)=20
guy spoke fast, supposedly in excitement but the 4 hr. to 9 hr. race was=20
all over in about 7 minutes so I guess he had to hurry.

That was the last year. The race was not run again due to lack of=20
**sponsorship.**

Something to think about. I know I may be comparing apples to oranges=20
here but there ARE similarities. Growth in an awesome sport like this=20
may be inevitable, but competitors and management need to define what=20
kind and how much, and then think about sponsors and $$$$$. Maybe a few=20
different factions will spring out of all this. COULD I PLEASE SIGN UP=20
FOR THE ORIGINAL? Unfortunately my endurance prospect is muscle=20
deficient from a laceration and vet says no endurance, so it'll be a=20
while before I have a horse that can do it....I guess at that point I=20
can see what the sport has become and decide whether to participate=20
or not...... In the mean time I plan to attend some events as a=20
volunteer....see ya then.
BTW how much is the anual AERC membership fee?

Bambi Forbes

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