Sunday, December 08, 2013

A Personal Rant About What’s Become of FEI Endurance - Patti Stedman

Enduranceintrospection.com

by Patti Stedman
December 7 2013

[The first thing I have to do is officially divorce my personal opinions, comments and this entire rant from what is my official role on the AERC Board of Directors. I have certainly expressed my thoughts and feelings and ideas to that group of twenty-six, and am open to discussing that if anyone has questions on what is going with regard to doing BoD business, but not here, and not today.]

Here, this morning, I am going to have a temper tantrum of massive proportion to express my disgust and frustration.

I am furious that international competition, which left me cheering and proud in the late 1990s when I was just starting the sport, has become a shamefully divisive topic of discussion.

I am disgusted that a sport that I think of as “one horse, one rider and 100 miles” and “to finish is to win” with a full 24 hours to complete a challenging course has become, for some, a massive stable of disposable equines and a 100 mile flat track race complete with hazing vehicles and VIP tents and faster and faster ride times and a mentality that is not only “to win is to win” but “win at all costs” with money a massive motivating factor, up, down and across the organization. Openly as well as pervasively and deeply ingrained in every facet of its existence.

I am saddened, deeply, that riders in my country have been so tempted by life-altering money, that they have sold their partners in that “one horse, one rider” scenario to be assimilated into one of those stables of disposable equines. It reminds me, once again, that in this sport as in all horse sports, big money and big egos rarely means much of anything good for the horses involved.

I am horrified and sickened by stories of fractures and exhausted horses and injections and hazing and drugging of disposable horses and positive drug tests resulting in a slap on the wrist and no discernible change in the conduct of certain riders’ and owners’ and trainers’ behavior.

I am ashamed that the sport of endurance, as I see it, is and will continue to be tarnished by its association with what is going on, and that that ship has already sailed on a course that I am convinced is unalterable.

I am dismayed that I will be called upon to defend a sport which for me is, at its very heart, a test of horsemanship and preparation and athleticism DRIVEN by concern for the well-being of the horse.

I am angry that riders in my country and in Canada and in dozens of other countries, many duct-taping their dream together on a shoestring budget, compete against others on such a wildly un-level playing field, attempting to be honest and rule-abiding, while their competition is anything but.

I am stymied as to why they would want to continue to do so.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I used to consider myself a long distance rider. My distances were competitive trail rides, when they were still called that, with the thought that some day, with a willing horse , I might try endurance. As that became a more unreachable dream due my own life, I could see the dream had become a nightmare for horses. I read about people who made their fortune on the fate of a single horse, someone who had been their partner going to what I call the desert of despair. I watched video of races across flat sands at a sustained gallop, riders sitting back with legs forward offering no assistance to the horse, while the vehicles pursued in a cloud of machismo dust.
I was hopeful when I heard about the young girl from Australia who was having problems funding her trip to the world championship in UK, had turned down large sums for the horse. I hope they are still together.
I started in distance riding largely because I saw a different and level field of participants, people who cared about the horses, other people and the sport. I don't have much interest any more.
Rose Bahr

Anonymous said...

Patti, thank you for the rant! All of who enjoy this sport of endurance because it is here in the US still a great sport with truly universal concern for the welfare of horse, we all need to take every step that we can to shine a light on the problems in FEI. If we do not put a stop to this now it will eventually migrate here to the detriment of our sport. The use of PED and the resulting injuries and deaths of endurance horse will continue to garner more and more negative media attention. Even if AERC continues to run clean rides we will get tainted by our association. This will ultimately turn people away from the sport and when PETA or some other like organization takes up an interest in this issue they will not point out the values of AERC to attack the sport, they will simply use the latest horse fatality from any FEI RIDE! Then all they have to do is point out all the direct asociations between AERC and FEI. DAMAGE DONE. So Patti, thank you again, we all need to rant about this or endurance will go through a lost decade or two like pro-cycling or baseball, and I do not know if AERC could survive that. IMO AERC BoD needs to demand specific changes within the next 12 months and if these changes cannot be achieved then AERC needs to abandon any affiliation with FEI. That will take leadership and guts. I think the membership will support this and if the BoD cannot do this on their own the put up to a vote by the entire membership.
Troy Eckard

Anonymous said...

Patti, thank you for the rant! All of who enjoy this sport of endurance because it is here in the US still a great sport with truly universal concern for the welfare of horse, we all need to take every step that we can to shine a light on the problems in FEI. If we do not put a stop to this now it will eventually migrate here to the detriment of our sport. The use of PED and the resulting injuries and deaths of endurance horse will continue to garner more and more negative media attention. Even if AERC continues to run clean rides we will get tainted by our association. This will ultimately turn people away from the sport and when PETA or some other like organization takes up an interest in this issue they will not point out the values of AERC to attack the sport, they will simply use the latest horse fatality from any FEI RIDE! Then all they have to do is point out all the direct asociations between AERC and FEI. DAMAGE DONE. So Patti, thank you again, we all need to rant about this or endurance will go through a lost decade or two like pro-cycling or baseball, and I do not know if AERC could survive that. IMO AERC BoD needs to demand specific changes within the next 12 months and if these changes cannot be achieved then AERC needs to abandon any affiliation with FEI. That will take leadership and guts. I think the membership will support this and if the BoD cannot do this on their own the put up to a vote by the entire membership.
Troy Eckard