ridecamp@endurance.net: WEG 1998

WEG 1998

BENNETT Debbie (debbie.bennett@syseca.co.uk)
Thu, 11 Sep 1997 9:43:00

You no doubt have heard that WEG is to be held in Rome next year you also have probably read that the Endurance World Championships are to held in the UAE next year. This means that there will be no endurance discipline at WEG.

I believe that this is wrong !

I am told that the FEI have accepted the bit from the UAE to host the Endurance World Championship purely because of financial reasons.

My objections are :-

1. If we are going to have a World Equestian Games then all disciplines should take place in the the same county. Part of the fun of taking part either as a competitor, crew or even as a spectator is being able to see some
of the other disiplines along with your own.
2. and more importantly, the FEI code of conduct states "In all equestrian sports the horse be considered paramount". I do not believe this ideal has been considered in this case - asking horses to do 100 miles in the UEA would be foolhardy, there are already problems experienced at the desert marathon, this is only about 25 percent of the distance.
3. The UAE are relatively new to the sport of endurance, having hugh amounts of cash at ones disposal is no substitute for the experience required to organise an event of this size and importance under such extreme conditions.

The above are my personal thoughts, they have no connection with any official body, but I know that there are many more people in the world of endurance that have the same thoughts.We must object in some way, for the sake of the horses and for our sport.

Deborah Bennett

debbie.bennett@syseca.co.uk

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