RE: Different milage buckets - end of topic

[Sue Brown <sbrown@wamedes.com>]

>I AM NOT DOING ENDURANCE RIDES WHEN I
>RIDE LD!  But I have just as much fun, train just as hard, drive as many
>miles to rides and do not bitch about not getting my miles recorded as
>endurance miles. I am afraid that egos are at the bottom of this entire
>question.
>

I can appreciate the distinction between endurance distances and LD
distances, and that miles ridden in LD do not count towards miles in
"Endurance", but what I'm gathering by the various posts is that, even tho
I am a member of AERC, the miles I may ride in LD won't count for any AERC
total mileage miles I may accumulate over the years.  Is this accurate?  In
other words, are all AERC LD miles and points awarded during the year just
zeroed out at the end of the year?  A person who spends a season riding a
few LD in preparation for further distances would then appear as if they
have done nothing that year...no AERC miles accumulating towards any
lifetime total at all.

If all of this is true, why even have LD as part of AERC?  The "E" in AERC
stands for Endurance, not puny little novice training distances (not my
feelings but the gist of what I'm getting from some others) and the LD
riders, while encouraged to belong to AERC, get nothing for their support
of the organization.  Why not treat (and label) this distance as a "Fun
Ride" similar to a poker ride or the 15 mile Fun Rides already around?
Just pay your $15-25 or whatever for the privilege of riding on marked
trails and be done with it.

Or maybe AERC should be considered A"D"RC (to acknowledge *distance* riding
and not *just* endurance miles) and have divisions within the organization
where you can accumulate miles and points in either endurance distances or
limited distances (and show that distinction within the organization) but
have the total number of miles ridden (and paid for) under the umbrella of
the organization be the total number of A"D"RC miles ridden.  The USDF
acknowledges the Training Level competitors as dressage riders but
differentiates the levels within the organization...not trying to encourage
new dressage advocates to join the organization or pay ride fees to ride in
a show and then tell them that their rides will not count for anything in
the USDF...that they are not really riding dressage until they are at least
First Level.  I feel you would see a major reduction in riders at Training
Level if this kind of attitude was prevalent.

My feeling here is that AERC could either drop LD as a sanctioned distance
and a part of AERC or change their name and their attitude to reflect
riders of DISTANCE not just "endurance" lengths, but keep the distinction
within the organization...have two columns of points tallied (LD and
Endurance distances) AND have a total sum of ALL lifetime miles ridden and
paid for in support of the organization (both LD and endurance distances.)
If they don't want to count LD miles or find it too labor intensive to keep
track of AERC member's miles at this distance, why award the points, miles,
and awards to begin with?

Or maybe I've just totally missed the boat on this one!  If someone joins
an organization, shouldn't their participation count for something?  Not
saying that LD miles should appear in the endurance distances column...but
why have them not count towards a total ridden *for the organization*?
Don't get me wrong...I'm not saying that LD should be labeled as
"endurance" (I'm not advocating the DUMBING DOWN of "endurance"...and I
really don't like that term used to reflect someone riding LD!) but why not
count the LD miles in the lifetime total...as Distance miles ridden? 

Sue (who hasn't made it out of LD yet (next year if all goes according to
plan)...and who may be starting several students in the future in LD (have
a few right now that plan to start next season) but will NOT encourage them
to join AERC until they are up to riding longer distances...they don't have
a lot of extra money to spend on something that doesn't do anything for them.)

sbrown@wamedes.com
Tyee Farm
Marysville, Wa.


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