Why contribute to RideCamp?

[Linda Cowles <lindac@gilroy.com>]

Srawdi@aol.com wrote:
> .... Someone who you don't know, who may or
> may not have a clue, who posts to this list?
> ... I do feel that
> many who rely on this list as a source of information are not well served by
> some of the misinformation that is served up by others who don't always seem
> especially well informed either

Most of us post here hoping to help others, to expand our own knowledge
base, spread a message and as a form of entertainment. None of us are
perfect! We all have areas where our logic, application or training
won't stand close scrutiny, so the posts can be misleading. This is an
informal forum, and we all know it has flaws. *Everything* has flaws!

If the information is way off, usually it gets corrected.

I don't make money posting here, and neither do other posters. It costs
me - A LOT - to take the time to write. My heart-rending stories always
get me lots of neat email, but anything controversial? Yeow!!! I've been
chewed on by many on this list for taking up for something I've believed
in (Linda vs Liz, circa `97)! Sometimes having the courage to defend
ones convictions lands us in unfavorable opposition to the uninformed
masses!!!

So... Why do we do it? 

A story...

I was at the AERC convention this year when the fellow I was sitting
next to overheard my name and asked me "Are you Linda Cowles?" "Yes" I
replied. "The same Linda Cowles that used to post to Rec.Eq years ago."
uhhh-oh... where is this going??? "uhhh, yes... probably the same Linda
Cowles."

"Well, I'm so glad to meet you! My name is John Parke. Do you remember
me?"

I didn't, until he started telling me his story.

Years ago, I forget when exactly, John posted to rec.eq that he had
gotten this Icelandic horse - a pony! - Remington, and didn't know what
he wanted to do with him. He liked trail riding, so he was wondering if
it was too crazy to consider distance riding - limited distance!

Truman Prevatt and I both wrote back to him, encouraged him, gave him
some tips to start out with. He says that because we were there for him,
because of our encouragement and warmth, he decided to try endurance,
and began to condition Remington in earnest. For easy LD miles
<heh!heh!heh!>

On March 27th, he proudly posted the following great news under the
subject "3K Renegade Pony":

> My Icelandic horse Remington passed the three thousand career mile mark at
> Randy Eiland's Renegade Ride in New Mexico a week or two ago.  This ride
> covers 285 miles over five days, from Texas accross southern New Mexico to
> near the Arizona border.  ... <snip>
> ...  Randy had humorous
> things to say about everybody and passed out lovely Tarahumara Indian pottery
> cooking bowls as ride awards to the twenty seven horse and rider teams,
> including us, who managed to complete all five days.  Randy's rides, like
> other multi-day rides, go to the core of what endurance riding is all about.
> I just didn't have the heart to tell him that his Renegade Ride was the site
> of the completion of the AERC's first 5 mile point to point Limited Distance
> Ride by Remington and me.
> 
> John Parke
> Solvang CA

My credentials at the time? I love to motivate people. And I knew enough
about endurance to know that a try wouldn't hurt him or Remington. I had
a string of failures at endurance because my perfect arabian couldn't do
it (we finished a few 50's and some LD, most as non-members of AERC). I
had friends who rode well, and I continued to learn, condition and crew.
In my heart I was an endurance rider... so, I tried to help him. I
wanted to share my obsession!

We may not always be right, those of us who post here, but our
intentions are usually good, and sometime... shoot, sometimes we do make
a big difference.

It's easy to be a critic. Try questioning the validity of the
information that gets posted when you disagree. But please do it in a
way that doesn't stifle peoples enthusiasm for contributing and helping
each other, entertaining each other. It all makes us think - even the
bad information and logic is good to get out, get discussed, because it
helps clear up misconceptions! When you question a post - in a
respectful way - it helps us all. 

Targeting any poster as ineffective, uninformed, wrong, stupid - or
whatever - is pretty lousy people skills, but questioning what's behind
a post is always okay, with me anyway. Sometimes I may be - in
retrospect - wrong! Sometimes we don't think these posts through
completely, and I doubt if anyone has their posts proof read before
hitting "Send".

The interaction here helps to encourage, educate, entertain and
enlighten lot of people. (A series of "E" words - ARGH!! Nooooo!!! I
sound like Parelli!!!)

Sometimes... sometimes we change each other lives for the better.

  Back to real work -- Linda

-- 


  Linda Cowles   
  Lion Oaks Ranch   
  Gilroy CA



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