Re: Policy on helmets

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> Why did the AERC Board of Directors recently adopt a policy stating that your
> photo will not be printed in AERC News unless you are wearing a helmet.

Though I am violently opposed to an AERC rule mandating the wearing of
helmets, I guess I don't really have a problem with the decision to not
publish photos of people riding horses without helmets.

To me, the first is allowing people to be damn fools if they want to be;
the second would be condoning it. Actually, i see it as a policy to
encourage people to wear helmets without actually requiring it. As long
as they encourage without requiring, it's okay with me. I cant imagine
anybody complaining if the AERC were to have a policy of not publishing
photos of people who were missing some other piece of clothing, such as
their trousers as many magazines have editorial policies against
publishing things they consider to be pornographic.

I certainly don't think that it is an issue that should be put to the
membership for vote (being far to trivial an issue for it). I also don't
think that mandatory helmet wearing should be put to a membership vote
(being far to serious an issue for it--and I don't want to be "required"
to wear a helmet, no matter what the majority think...putting things to
vote, just encourages a tyranny of the majority).

Quite frankly, I suspect that over time, the non-helmet wearing crowd
will disappear all on their own.

Does the new policy mean that many of the top riders will no longer be
appearing in the pages of the Endurance News?? Uh....yeah (either that,
or they will be appearing unmounted). Is the purpose of the _Endurance
News_ to publish pictures of model endurance riders? If so, is the model
endurance rider one that wears a helmet, or one that wins? The AERC
appears to be taking the policy that model endurance riders wear helmets
whether they are top riders or not.

And I guess I prefer this to the policy of publishing only photos of
"top" riders.

If you don't want to wear a helmet, and you have your heart set on
appearing in the EN, just get off your horse before you have your picture
taken.

What I wonder, is whether this policy of not publishing pictures of
helmetless riders extends to photos used in advertising?

kat
Orange County, Calif.

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