Giving the rest of us reachable [endurance] goals

Endurancegranny Blog - Full Article

by Endurance Granny - Jacke Reynolds

Under the current awards system accomplishment is often equated in $ signs. How much expendable cash do you have? That determines your shot at a regional award, along with perseverance, time commitment, and a horse that can do the job, churning out mile...after mile...after mile. Granted, that is what endurance is, hanging in there for the long haul literally. But for riders who may be considered outsiders in that they can only commit to one, two, or three rides a year, membership and participation is different, other than just a personal goal there is little award involved, though still good deal of riding commitment, membership expense, and horse care. So how do we reward that type of rider which I don't know clearly how many of us there actually are out there as opposed to those who ride 6-10 rides or more annually who are clearly in the hunt for an organizational prize.

I propose that recognition of "firsts" (not first place, first successful attempts at) could be a huge motivator for the part-time endurance rider. It would give them attainable goals to reach for, a reason to pay for membership, and clearly reason to stay involved as they would be reaching for something instead of "just riding..."

Read more here:
http://endurancegranny.blogspot.com/2014/11/giving-rest-of-us-reachable-goals.html