regional differences

["Louise D Burton" <FIREDANCEFARMS@prodigy.net>]

We charge (without AERC fee) $40 for 25 milers and $50 for 50.  I try to
work out the fees to break even.  I try to keep expenses to a bare minimum.
 I try to make them affordable for all, especially newcomers to endurance.
Every region is different.  We don't have FS fees or such.  

I would like to give you an example of one of the riders
who rode Sat and maybe you can see our point in why we let junior ride free
or discounted half....
One of our juniors  had been riding two years.  Her mother managed a new
ride last year.  Because of family problems, they suddenly found themselves
penniless.  One of our members paid their AERC membership fee Sat and
another let her ride one of her horses.  I can't charge this person
anything...I just can't do it.  Another lady used to bring foster kids to
rides.  They do it out of the goodness of their hearts and I feel compelled
to do the same...
We, in this region, have a great "family" mentality.  Our endurance riders
ARE our family, and most of us manage rides.  We don't have a lot of money.
 Many  of us scrimp and save and eat beans all month just to go to rides. 
I have known riders who have quit early in the season because they
literally ran out of money.  We consider ourselves one big family in this
region and not only "support the sport" but "support each other".  Maybe it
is this comraderie that makes us let juniors ride "free" and try to keep
fees reasonable...it's kinda the golden rule thing....

Around here, where horses are king, you just can't compare endurance riding
to shows and
fees.  People here think TRAIL RIDE and they think FREE.  They have a hard
time understanding why you charge them anything!  We have very few shows
and even fewer people who show (Regional IAHA champions in the shows often
have 1 or 2 entrants!) but everyone has a stock trailer and rides!

I'd also venture to guess most of our riders live on major acreage and have
an average of four or five horses.

I think it is hard sometimes for us to understand why rides do things the
way they do in other regions, so I thought I would try explain to you a
little about the Central Region...
Thank you all for coming to Cougar Prowl.  I am proud to call you my
friends and "family"!
Louise Burton
Firedance Farms Arabians
Oklahoma
http://pages.prodigy.com/arabians


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