Distance

[mari...@aol.com]

I seem to be in the camp of those who feel that not every effort deserves an award. Nor do I feel offering more awards is going to increase AERC membership.  Achieving a goal can be its own reward. It does not  have to be tangible.

Before we became so award and recognition focused, ponder this. The non-sanctioned Tevis Cup rides had waiting lists, but no AERC  points or mileage.  You had to qualify for the non-sanctioned Race of Champions, and again, no AERC Points or mileage. It  did not hurt the attendance one iota.  The awards were the the privilege of viewing new trails, of  having brought a horse to the level the ride demanded and being that wonderful tired, dirty, stiff, sleep deprived rider who proved he was wiling to absorb some discomfort by accepting the challenge.  Someone said it is better to try and fail than not to have tried.  Failure is not the end of the world, but rather a learning experience.

When you are going to your first few endurance rides, you tell all your friends, all your neighbors, all your family about this great thing you are going to do as they nod in sheer amazement as to why anyone could be so fired up over riding a horse a certain distance. Completing the ride  with the accompanying  bragging rights becomes very important.  You just can't face those friends, neighbors and family if you don't make the finish line. That is when your thinking can become clouded and the horse becomes the loser, the ultimate sufferer.

My second soap box utterances concern training.  I agree with Angie and the others who realize you do not have to ride a zillion miles
to keep a horse in shape.  I would prefer to come to a ride with a horse that had not peaked than one that came tired from too much work. Once a horse is in shape, he maintains his fitness even during periods  of idleness.  Each horse is a unique individual and some can hold up under enormous work loads that others cannot possibly sustain. The trick with each horse is to find the sweet spot, "a place where a combination of factors results in a maximum response for a given amount of effort."    It is not only your successes that make you a better horseman. It is more frequently your failures.                         Julie Suhr

[Lif Strand]

Thank you Julie for putting this so well. I'm in the same camp as you.

At 05:15 PM 5/24/2013, mari...@aol.com wrote:
>I seem to be in the camp of those who feel that not every effort
>deserves an award.

_____________________________________

Lif C. Strand
Technical Writing
Non-technical Writing, too
The Thrivalist book series

[Buddy]

I like the " sweet spot" Then the horse can continue and be successful
for many miles.. the rider has to find their "sweet spot" and many do
not. Too bad... for the horse.....

[Cora]

This should be re-printed in the EN...very boldly typed !!!! ...and mantra for all...Cora

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[heidi larson]

And not finishing is not necessarily considered a failure in my book - especially if the rider has learned something from not finishing.  I haven't been around in endurance for a super long time and I'm a relatively new ride manager.  I appreciate new riders and new members, the excitement of finding this sport is rather addictive.  I do think we have to be careful however, of dumbing down the sport to accommodate people's feelings - like the rules need to be changed in order to not chase off the potential new membership.  I was pressured and told last year that because I didn't give completions to OT riders (a few were newbies) that I'd scare them away, they wouldn't be back, we need them, etc. etc.  Welcoming new people and mentoring them is one thing......... pandering is another. heidi larson

--- On Sat, 5/25/13, mari...@aol.com <mari...@aol.com> wrote:

Someone said it is better to try and fail than not to have tried.  Failure is not the end of the world, but rather a learning experience. When you are going to your first few endurance rides, you tell all your friends, all your neighbors, all your family about this great thing you are going to do as they nod in sheer amazement as to why anyone could be so fired up over riding a horse a certain distance. Completing the ride  with the accompanying  bragging rights becomes very important.  You just can't face those friends, neighbors and family if you don't make the finish line. That is when your thinking can become clouded and the horse becomes the loser, the ultimate sufferer. My second soap box utterances concern training.  I agree with Angie and the others who realize you do not have to ride a zillion miles to keep a horse in shape.  I would prefer to come to a ride with a horse that had not peaked than one that came tired from too much work. Once a horse is in shape, he maintains his fitness even during periods  of idleness.  Each horse is a unique individual and some can hold up under enormous work loads that others cannot possibly sustain. The trick with each horse is to find the sweet spot, "a place where a combination of factors results in a maximum response for a given amount of effort."    It is not only your successes that make you a better horseman. It is more frequently your failures.                         Julie Suhr

--

[Ruth Anne Heilgeist]

I'm a failure . . . according to the definition of some endurance riders because I haven't been able to complete a ride out of three attempts.  However, I consider my lack of completions a reason to keep trying for, as Julie Suhr stated, I've learned something from each attempt.

 

And I heartily agree with Heidi: people new to endurance come to the sport knowing (or they should know) the rules and requirements.  I believe that people who expect to have the rules bent (example: completions to overtime riders) don't belong in endurance.  In my limited experience over the past six years, endurance riders are self-reliant and "can do" people who are devoted to caring for their horses.  I enjoy being around those kinds of people.  I once knew a fellow boarder that galloped his stoic Arabian gelding every day, trailered to an endurance ride only to return seething a few hours later demanding to know "WHAT'S A COGGINS!?  I'm sincerely glad he was stopped by the rules and hopefully has learned from his mistake.

 

Ruth Heilgeist

 

Happiness comes of the capacity to feel deeply,

to enjoy simply, to think freely, to risk life, to be needed.

-Storm Jameson

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[Sandra Adams]

not only are you correct in considering a failure to finish as a "failure" - if one learns how to do better (after all, is this not part of life and human nature?) but you were also correct in NOT awarding those who DID NOT FINISH IN TIME. A ball player doesn't get credit for scoring if he only gets to third base! If people are scared away because they don't get a prize when they don't complete the task, they need to go find a new and more serene task. We DON"T need more people who think that they get a prize just for showing up. Dumbing down just about everything in life to accommodate those who either are too lazy, or possibly just too busy DEMEANS the efforts and work of those who DID put the time into it. While I wish I had both the time and inclination to do the hardest of work - to do 100 milers - I just don't - and do not EVER expect to get credit for it. Otherwise, why don't we just all stay home and have the RM send us a tee shirt?

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Sandy Adams

Deep Sands Arabians

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"The Gentleman Stallion"

[ride...@juno.com]

>>>>>>I'm a failure . . . according to the definition of some endurance riders because I haven't been able to complete a ride out of three attempts.  However, I consider my lack of completions a reason to keep trying for, as Julie Suhr stated, I've learned something from each attempt.

 

I haven't read every post in the thread, but I sure haven't seen ANYONE say people who don't finish are failures. Actually, three of the local newer riders who I have been most impressed with in the last few years were gals who really challenged themselves and were undeterred by failure. They aimed high, learned from mistakes and have really turned out to be good competitors. They arr more "successful" in my eyes than someone who aims below their potential and has a "perfect record".

Angie McGhee

 

 

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[ride...@juno.com]

 

.  I was pressured and told last year that because I didn't give completions to OT riders (a few were newbies) that I'd scare them away, they wouldn't be back, we need them, etc. etc.  Welcoming new people and mentoring them is one thing......... pandering is another.

 

When I manage a ride I do not give T-shirts to everyone who pays for an entry since I feel that cheapens the award and it's no longer a "completion award" at all. However, if I had someone go over time *and* their horse passed the post ride exam I gave them a T-shirt for COMPLETING THE COURSE". I explained that this was not an AERC completion, and did differentiate at the awards but not in a big way.  The shirt was proof that they finished the course and that seemed to make them happy. I did try to have a "consolation gift" for non-finishers, but if anyone out there has a Longstreet's Charge T-shirt you know they finished the course.

[Becky/Sue Burkheart]

On Sat, May 25, 2013 at 9:57 AM, ride...@juno.com <ride...@juno.com> wrote:

When I manage a ride I do not give T-shirts to everyone who pays for an entry since I feel that cheapens the award and it's no longer a "completion award" at all. However, if I had someone go over time *and* their horse passed the post ride exam I gave them a T-shirt for COMPLETING THE COURSE". I explained that this was not an AERC completion, and did differentiate at the awards but not in a big way.  The shirt was proof that they finished the course and that seemed to make them happy. I did try to have a "consolation gift" for non-finishers, but if anyone out there has a Longstreet's Charge T-shirt you know they finished the course.

I used to allow riders to set a "personal" goal and if they met that mileage goal with a happy horse, they'd get their shirt, (but NOT an AERC completion of course). .. .this was usually people who were interested but didn't think they could do 25 miles (during the time intro distances weren't allowed).  most of the people who signed up for a 25 intending to stop after 15 ended up finishing the 25.

I also gave out 'thank you' shirts and 'hard luck' shirts on occasion so people would have a memento of their "experience" and hopefully come back, depending on the situation.

Becky Burkheart
BeckyBurkheart.com ~ Gritty, sensual mythology, dark fantasy & science fiction ~ (Stay updated!)

[k s swigart]

Becky said:

 

> I used to allow riders to set a "personal" goal and if they met that mileage

> goal with a happy horse, they'd get their shirt, (but NOT an AERC completion

> of course). .. .this was usually people who were interested but didn't think they

> could do 25 miles (during the time intro distances weren't allowed). 

 

> most of the people who signed up for a 25 intending to stop after 15

> ended up finishing the 25 [emphasis mine]

 

This is a good indication that allowing people to enter the longer distance while telling them that you will still give them some kind of recognition for not doing the whole thing as long as their horse is happy DOES get people to try...and often even complete...the longer distance.

 

kat

Orange County, Calif.

 

[endurancehorsemt]

I've received the "hard luck" award a couple of times, announced with
fanfare at the meeting. One was the coolest funkadelic bandana.
Another was a ride photo. I loved both of them, it was fun, people
clapped and cheered good-naturedly. Also got a jar of monkey butt
powder for turtle!

As much as I loved these little "hard luck" prizes, I'm still trying
not to get any more :)

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[David Lewis]

I could see cause for dropping down if the rider didn't want to go on for whatever reason. I don't see this as "quitting when the going gets tough". For example, I took a horse on a 50. I wasn't sure she could do the 50, but I decided to take the risk. She passed the vet check, and was cleared to go on, but I just didn't like the way she looked. I almost went on, but I opted for the RO pull for the sake of my horse. Deciding to pull can be a tough decision and I have seen people who should have pulled didn't, but went on. What if they were given the option of taking credit for the lesser distance (completion only) and taking a rider option there?

-- David

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[Don and Pam Bowen]

Still a cop out.  Credit for what?  Not meeting expectations?  Bad day?  What about calling a spade a spade?  Why not just pull, learn from it, smile, and move on.  You got X amount of training miles, hopefully good neighbors in RC and a happy horse.  What's so wrong with being smart and pulling, save it for another day?  I don't get all these "options" to not complete what one started but still win something……………….

 

I stopped at 75 miles into a 100, vet said I was fine to go on, I didn't think something was quite right, so I pulled anyway, I thought horse was lame, period, I "think" I got a RO-L for it, don't care.  My reward was a 75 mile marked trail training ride and a horse that was ok.  I have no regrets with no completion for the lesser distance.  Is it just me?  I doubt it.  At least I tried……………

 

Pam Bowen

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