American Endurance Ride Conference Loses Patience With USEF

[skydy]

After many years of patience with the FEI and USEF, American endurance riders have said "enough"!
I'm quite proud of them.

I understand, from conversations we have had here in the past, that many UK Endurance riders are equally frustrated with the FEI and the bastardization of endurance riding by (FEI) Region 7.

U.S. riders became tired of their National Federation's lack of action and have left the USEF.
http://www.chronofhorse.com/article/american-endurance-ride-conference-votes-to-leave-usef

 

[be positive]

I am not involved in endurance but have seen enough footage of what it has become since region 7 have turned it in to no more than a form of long distance flat racing with the dreadful equine casualties, the fiasco that was the World Games must have been the last straw for many who are involved at that level so I think the Americans are leading the way to what may be a change back to it being a sport where the welfare of the horse is put first, as it used to be when skillful riding was rewarded.

 

[ihatework]

Brave move by the Americans. I hope the British follow in their footsteps.

Abuse in horse sport is widespread, but there is, IMO, nothing more blatant than the Middle Eastern abuse in Endurance - effectively condoned by the FEI through lack of meaningful action.

I had the pleasure/displeasure to speak to a vet who had managed to remove themselves from the employ of one of the ME regions and to say they were left traumatised is an understatement.

 

[skydy]

I hope that other countries will follow suit and demand change.

I hope as well that Endurance riders will not have to separate from their national federations to change the sport back from the disaster it has become.

U.S. Endurance is comprised of riders that put the horse first. Thankfully the U.S. riders feel strongly about this and have thus taken the rather unusual and bold step of telling off their N.F. (USEF).

The American riders may be leading the way, but the USEF, which is supposed to lead the U.S. in these matters, has been as ineffectual as has been the FEI, and that is very disappointing and discouraging to all of us in the U.S.

 

[ycbm]

Brave move by the Americans. I hope the British follow in their footsteps.

Abuse in horse sport is widespread, but there is, IMO, nothing more blatant than the Middle Eastern abuse in Endurance - effectively condoned by the FEI through lack of meaningful action.

I had the pleasure/displeasure to speak to a vet who had managed to remove themselves from the employ of one of the ME regions and to say they were left traumatised is an understatement.

Spoiler: don't press this if you are sensitive

My understanding is that their culture says that only Allah has the right to end a horse's life and that they will not put sick or damaged horses down. Even worse, I believe they turn out horses which are terminally ill or damaged too much to survive to die a slow death in the desert.

I don't understand how competitors who won't guarantee to treat animals humanely were allowed to join in the first place and the result is predictable.


Well done US endurance riders, I wish the UK would follow you but shamefully we currently follow the money.

 

[skydy]

I hope that the Endurance riders in the U.K. don't actually "follow the money".

I would guess that if the money is being followed, the pursuer is your National Federation and not the riders that are required to belong to it in order to compete.

The AERC is a well established entity unto itself being supported by a tradition that pre-dates the USEF/ FEI involvement in the sport. As such, they are capable of sustaining their own competitions and seem to be happy not to participate in the farce that the FEI has allowed to be called "endurance".

It may be much more difficult for your Endurance enthusiasts to disengage from their NF. I don't know enough about it to know if you would be able to keep on with your national rides or not.

There is a breeder local to me that will not sell horses to buyers from region 7, no matter the vast amount of money that they offer.
Everyone knows the issues, yet our organizations cannot seem to put their feet down in favor of the horse when looking into the face of large bank accounts.