Committee Reports for July 29, 2003 BoD Conference call meeting
Research Grant Committee Report
Presented by Barney Fleming DVM
7/25/03
No activity to report from the Research Grant Committee since the May 6th conference call.
Past Presidents Committee Report
presented by Barney Fleming DVM
7/25/03
No activity to report from the Past Presidents Committee since the May 6th conference call.
Ride Managers Committee Report
presented by Connie Caudill
7/7/03
The ride
managers committee report for July:
1. We voted down the micro chip horse ID program. As of now, none of us felt we
had a problem with ringers. We also thought if at the National Championship
ride or at a later date in any ride, that we do decide we need positive ID,
there are other effective ways that are less expensive and more much easier to
have done. We felt the USAEq had a good way to ID horses, or even an ID Coggins
would be fine. But at this time we feel it is not a problem.
2. We have been working on a list of items we would like to see included in the
vet video. Tom Greer has agreed to help us on this project. He does video
productions.
We will present our thoughts to the educational and vet committee before hand.
3. On special sanctioning. Steph made a motion to change the procedure, we felt
the way we have it set up now works out better in protecting the local ride
manager and do not agree with Steph's motion. We do not want a special
sanctioning ride to pass on popularity, we want all the local ride managers to
be in the equation and feel they has their regional sanctioning director to
make their plea and will understand as to how a special event ride will affect
the local rides in their own region.
Limited Distance Committee Report
presented by Gail Williams
7/25/03
LD BC Form:
Bryan Gran is working on a LD BC form. He has sent out his proposal to the LD Committee for their comments. As soon as he has correlated the comments into a cohesive form, he will then forward it to the Vet Committee for their input on the vetting criteria. A few points regarding his proposal:
1. Racers will always race, but if the TIME factor is taken out of the LC BC, it may eliminate the incentive to race for the time advantage.
2. It would appear that a set amount of horses (top 10) will be used to determine the LD BC. However , again with TIME taken out, a 10th place horse will have just as much chance as a 1st place horse to win LC BC, if they have ridden “smart” and have a well conditioned horse.
3. Weight will still be a factor. However, it has not been determined whether it will be on a pound for pound basis, the same as for AERC BC (the difference is divided by 2), or reduced yet again.
4. One time factor that very well may be used is the time needed for a horse to reach criteria, not only at the finish, but at the vet checks as well. If a horse goes over a certain time (perhaps 5 minutes after crossing the line into a vet check or finish) to reach criteria, penalty points may apply against his score.
5. Jim Baldwin has suggested that a 15 minute and 1 hour CRI be used as part of any LD BC judging. We will leave the decision on this added criteria up to the Vet Committee.
LD Survey:
I have gotten very little feedback from the committee on the questions for this survey. Mike Maul sent me his comments and pointed out that many of the questions could be run through a TomCat search. There were a few questions on my list that might be useful to the committee in the development of the LD BC form. I am reworking to survey and will run it past the committee and Mike for review.
Media Committee Report
presented by Genie Stewart-Spears
7/28/03
Linda Sherrill
Justus Photography
www.arabiansites.com/equinephoto/justus.htm
sweau@msn.com
I had the webmaster at arabiansites.com put an article
up about AERC and the sport of endurance riding along with some of my photos
starting in November 2002 and it ran until last month. (Might still be
there at the bottom of the first page somewhere).
I'll be covering the AHAM IAHA Region 13 Championship
and Open Endurance Rides on July 4th weekend for Endurance News.
Also submitted photos from City Slickers Ride to EN
(Gene Dake dressed up as Elvis and led the 50 milers out). Those photos
were given to EN free of charge to use.
Stephanie Teeter
endurance.net
I hope to work with the AERC office and get all
these wonderful ride stories on the web. I also hope to be at the National
Championships in Reno and do internet coverage for Endurance Net - so can focus
on also making it an AERC media event.
Most recently, I have a few articles, including
Genie’s BLM/AERC Alliance, that Patti (Pizzo) sent me to put on the
webpage.
Bobbie Lieberman
Sometimes PR efforts pay off! About a month ago, I
contacted a regional editor at the San Diego Union-Tribune about covering the
Descanso ride. Terry Woolley Howe sent comprehensive background info, I called
to bug 'em a few times, and a reporter and a photographer showed up at ridecamp
on Friday afternoon. Saturday's Regional Edition, section B, front page,
featured a color photo of Hugh Hewitt vetting in a horse (nice shot) and the
headline, "Saddle Up! 150 hit the trail for endurance ride". The
lead:
"Imagine riding on horseback for 12 hours through rugged terrain, winding
trails and stifling heat. Now, imagine loving every minute of
it...." A second photo accompanied the runover on page 2.
Among those quoted were Fred Cluskey, Pat Fox, Tammy
Robinson, Jordan Finley and Terry, of course. The quotes were great, and
represented our sport well. They even included the AERC website. The
entire article is most likely on the paper's website.
Note: Bobbie also did an excellent job of reporting the highlights of the AERC
Convention in May 2003 issue.
Angie McGhee
Although Angie did not send in a report, she continues
to keep us all laughing with fairly regular articles written from her humorous
view of “the lighter side.” For example in the May 2003: The
Real Truth About Camp Cooking
Pamela Burton
I am going to cover the Owyhee (NW) High Country
mulit-day for EN (ride manager, Steph Teeter), and I did cover and send to EN
the Sunriver Ride coverage.
I will be at the Pan Am...for Endurance World...I can
get something together for EN...and photos if you wish.
Genie Stewart-Spears
July 2003: Pardners Award: Phyllis Bartholomew & Ahlschwede
Merab
Upcoming - August 2003: Hall of Fame Horse: Zayante & Hall of Fame
Person: Earle Baxter
Our goal, this year, is to cover two endurance events per region and to help
the educational committee produce articles to educate new and veteran riders.
Publications other than EN:
USA Equestrian; Dec/Jan 2003: Cover photo of Cameron Holzer
2003 The Sport of Endurance Riding & The AERC Calendar: (photographs)
Arabian Horse World, January 2003: AERC 50- and 100-Mile National
Championship Endurance Rides (article and photographs)
Arabian Horse World, March 2003: Carolina 30/50/100 Endurance (article
and photographs)
Arabian Horse World, June 2003: BLM/AERC Alliance at Fort Stanton (article and
photographs)
Arabian Horse World, July 2003: At The Watering Hole: Mike Tomlinson,
AERC President and Old Dominion Canceled.
USA Equestrian; July/August 2003: Winner’s Circle (photographs of Stagg Newman
and Lori Shifflet, 100- & 50-mile Biltmore winners)
Most recently I contracted with Progressive Farmer
magazine to use one of my photographs of Lynn Gilbert to help illustrate their
article about Lynne and endurance riding.
As for helping the education committee, I have had
only fleeting conversations with Stagg Newman, and we have yet to actually
discuss what the media committee can do to help this committee educate the new
and experienced riders. However, Stagg and the committee members are
doing a marvelous job on their own as viewed in the articles they have been
having published in EN. Nevertheless, the media committee is available to
work with them, when and if they need assistance.
Trails Committee Report
presented by Jerry Fruth
7/27/03
To the AERC Board of Directors:
Trails:
We have three outstanding proposals in for grants for our trails. All three are from
East of the Mississippi. In August I will be traveling to North Dakota to speak with a
rancher about a 4 mile easement across his ranch for the Long X Ride. We need the
easement to go around a part of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Park rules will
not let an event on the Maa Daa Hey Trail. This is a historic trial that goes from the North Unit
south for 100 miles to Medora. If we can secure the easement we will have a linear 100
mile ride.
The South East Trails Symposium was a smash hit this year. It was moved from Clemson
to Gainesville and some thought the move may hurt the symposium. The attendance was
the best ever. Thank you for your on going support of our symposiums.
I went to the Ft. Stanton 5 day ride. Our money was well spent on the water system, and
hopefully Roger will some time in the future come up with a request for power to some
of the sites. The trail layout was done well. In some places we will have to go back and
re do some of the trials to make them environmentally sustainable. We try to make
our trails with a grade of no more than 10%. Back east where we have heavy rains, a
5% rule is more acceptable.
The American Horse Council will have its annual meeting in September and I will have a
report from several day in Washington. Invasive species in the hot topic now. Some
federal legislation is now being worked on to control weeds. It will be important that we
stay on top of this issue.
Shawnee is beginning to settle down. There is a new land manager and a new director of
recreation that seem to want to work with the horsemen. The staff is still as green as the
jolly green giant, so our work is still cut out for us. The staff now knows they will be challenged
at every turn if their decisions are made on bogus biology or fuzzy science. We are making
a difference. There are some closures that will be challenged, so we will have to wait and
see just how much they want to cooperate. I asked the new manager if they would be open
to us having an endurance ride in the Shawnee and he thought that would be no problem.
What a change!
Technical Committee Report
presented by Mike Maul
7/27/03
The navigation system with drop down menus and enhanced
features as mentioned in the proposal were the important parts.
Plus encouraging members to login to the their members area
only thru the home page will get more visibility for AERC.
At present - access to the members page is available w/o
ever looking at anything involving AERC.
Features like the menu system, members page access, and
enhanced links could be added to the present AERC home page
as well.
Even if the features were added to the present page - it's
my understanding that the effort would be significant and
require funds.
It's the technical Committees view that one way or another -
the present page should be upgraded.
Sponsorship Committee Report
presented by Randy Eiland
7/16/03
The BLM Sponsorship Proposal has been finalized and sent to
Washington
for final analysis - it looks very positive and I hope to have an
executed copy of the agreement by the end of the month - hopefully by the
conference call.
The Western States Horse Expo has expressed interest in becoming a
$3,000.00 National Category Sponsor (100 Mile or National Mileage) in
addition to other promotional perks they will provide. This is one of
those strange situations because my old friend, Miki Cohen, makes the
decisions for the WSHE and she and I spoke for about an hour yesterday
about this. She is excited but, for obvious reasons, has some concerns
on how she will be accepted by AERC. I have no problems working with
her.
I have had several calls from the AERC NC Sponsors asking what perks,
benefits, etc they can expect from AERC - I have explained to each one
that they have committed to sponsor the AERC NC in a direct sponsorship
and not as an official AERC Sponsor. This is an area of sponsorship
that needs to be corrected in the future. In the future I would like to
see all Sponsorships go thru AERC to avoid misunderstandings of
expectation. If a company wishes to target their Sponsorship to a
specific AERC function, such as the NC, I have no problem. If a Sponsor
wishes to become a $3,000.00 Platinum Sponsor with a targeted donation,
then the money is paid to AERC and AERC writes a check or checks to the
targeted function, be it trails, NC, grants, etc. In fact, I think
it
would solve many problems in "servicing accounts" and in
understanding if
AERC were the entity held responsible for all Sponsorships.
I would like the Arabian Horse World Sponsorship (6 full page color ads
per year for AERC) used as often as possible, preferably in coordination
with endurance related articles - AERC needs to use those pages to
advertise the benefits of being a member of AERC and to notify potential
new members they can join under the Sundowner Discount - we can also use
those pages to promote our Sponsors and then show the pages to future
Sponsorship prospects.
National Championship Committee Report
presented by Robert Ribley
7/14/03
The pre-ride was held July 5, 2003. There was a low completion rate on the 100 mile ride (4 out of 18). This was determined to be because of heat, lack of water and level of difficulty of trail. These problems will be corrected for the NC ride. Otherwise, the ride went well with a good attendance. For the October 10 and 12 ride there are not many pre-entries yet with only 15 entered on the 50. However, management reports many ride entry requests within the past week. There are 10 various saddle companies as sponsors donating saddles (11 saddles so far) and 3 bronze sponsors (donating 500.00).
Trails Grants Committee Report
presented by Roger Taylor
7/26/03
The group has three firm trails funding proposals and one 80/20 grant match pending. The proposals will be reviewed and committee recommendations will be available for BOD discussion well before the mid-year meeting at the championship ride. We could make our recommendations earlier, if needed, for budget input or an earlier BOD phone call meeting.
Proposals currently being reviewed:
1) War Eagle Trail Association - $5,700
Maintenance and improvements of 14 miles of trails
700 man-hours volunteer match
Area has hosted endurance rides since 1987
2) Wolf Creek Trailhead - $25,000
Opening a trailhead not on private property
Forest Service match to open new trail area
Historic old mail route
Partial funding will help other matching grants
3) Harrison-Crawford and Clark State Forest - $27,700
Maintenance and re-route of trails
24,000 acres with 100 miles of existing trails
This requests purchase of a large piece of equipment and trailer to be used as a trails maintenance machine for the region.
Many volunteers are available – they just need the right equipment.
4) Doddridge Riding Club - 80/20 Grant Pending
New 25 mile trail in West Virginia
$80,000 grant – Need $20,000 – have about $7,000 (AERC $13,000 max)
Details have not yet been received.
Education Committee Report
Submitted from the 2003 Education Committee, 7/29/03
Maggie Price - co-chair mmsprice@ptd.net, 1-570-992-4900
Stagg Newman - co-chair staggandchery@charter.net, 1-828-665-1531
Jan Jeffers – sleeeker@garlic.com, 1-408-779-4722
Connie Caudill – enduroride@aol.com, 1-812-967-5973
Steph Teeter – steph@endurance.net, 1-208-875-1206
Barbara McCrary – bigcreekranch@cruzio.com, 1-831-423-4572
Susan Garlinghouse – suendavid@worldnet.att.net , 1-970-568-9124
Stan Eichelberger, DVM – bergertvet@aol.com, 1-540-343-0194
Ann Cofield, ANNCOFIELD@aol.com,
I. Actions since May Report
The following summarizes Education Committee actions since the last BOD Conference call..
1. The Education Committee continues to supply a monthly column for Endurance News.
2. The Education Committee continues to work with the AERC office to review educational articles before publication in EN. Jan Jeffers leads this effort.
3. The Education Committee will develop a business plan for presentation at the mid-year meeting held in conjunction with the National Convention.
4. The EC has reviewed the AERC Rider’s handbook and will submit the revisions to the AERC office in the week of July 28.
5. Dr. Susan Garlinghouse is working on the proposal for the nutrition seminar to be held conjunction with the annual convention. The proposal for this will be sent separately to the BOD. Input from the BOD on several issues is requested.
6. As our next major effort, the EC proposes to develop clinic materials that could be presented at rides and other venues; to develop a list of speakers who would be willing to present the material; and to develop and facilitate the offering of a series of clinics. Where local organizations exist (e.g. SERA, PNER, ECTRA), we would with those organizations. Potential topics include:
Ÿ New Riders Clinic (to be given at ride sites before the ride similar to what SERA does at SE rides to educate new riders about the sport)
Ÿ Yes, You Can Do a 100 (intended to get more people to start and complete 100s)
Ÿ This Is Endurance Riding (intended for presentations at horse fairs, etc. to attract more people to the sport)
Ÿ From Riding to Racing (intended to give the people who wish to race the knowledge to do so safely and well)
Ÿ Preventing Treatment in Endurance Horses. (based on material in the “one pager” we developed earlier this year).
The first part of the plan would be to get a small group for each topic to develop the material with a member of the education committee on each group. We will start by soliciting already available material from the membership thru the AERC list serve, etc.
7. The Education Committee will liaison with the vet committee, the media committee, the ride management committee, and the Ad Hoc Committee on the Welfare of the horse to implement the above
8. Continued the dissemination of the information developed in the Program to Prevent Treatment Program of horses.
Veterinary Committee Report
presented by Jim Baldwin
7/24/03
Report on the equine death associated with the Foxcatcher Ride on April 5, 2003, prepared by Jim Baldwin, was forwarded to the Board of Directors and members of the Vet Committee via memo on June 24, 2003, and is appended to this report.
The motion presented by Jim Baldwin and passed by the BOD in Salt Lake City, “All entrants in any distance of a ride know and agree that their entry into the ride is with the stipulation that all activities that relate to the ride are subject to use by AERC for analysis of ways to improve and educate all concerned be they riders, ride managers, veterinarians, etc.” was remanded to the Vet Committee to coordinate with Legal, Ride Manager, and Rules Committees during the May 6, 2003 conference call. The Vet Committee recommends the statement be placed in the Rules preamble, appearing as the second paragraph.
Work has been started on an audiotape regarding veterinary procedures and a prototype will be available soon for review and comments of the committee members.
The Committee appreciates the job currently being handled by the Ad Hoc Committee relative to drug testing. It is the hope of the Committee that even more rides can be tested in future ride years and we are working on a different strategy for testing and will present our findings to the Board for consideration.
Subject: Horse Death at Foxcatcher Ride
On April 5, 2003 Jennifer Sapira’s horse Boomerang coliced during the last few miles of a 50 mile ride and subsequently was euthanized during a second surgery about four days post ride.
Your veterinary committee examined and discussed reports from the owner/rider, head vet, treatment vet, fellow riders and vet reports from the referral surgical hospital. Basically, the horse “Boomer” (Boomerang) coliced during the last 4 miles of the ride, was treated at the ride site for approximately 6 hours, referred to New Bolton Center (Pennsylvania College of Vet Medicine), operated on that night and re-operated on a few days later and was euthanized on the surgery table.
After review of all available information and in hindsight not foresight there were several items that could have contributed to this tragic situation. This was the second ride of the year for this horse and it was only two weeks since the first ride of 55 miles which was completed at a speed of 7.59 miles/hour. Even though the weather was cool and misting rain the horse still had a winter hair coat which would keep it from cooling as rapidly as possibly it should have. Had the horse finished this ride with the rider she was with when the horse coliced, she would have had an overall speed of 8 miles/hour.
The ride had loops of 16, 20 and 14 miles each. At the first vet check the horse was presented with a pulse of 80, sent back out and came back with an acceptable pulse and CRI. We felt like this indicated the rider was trying to push as fast as possible. The control parameters at the second vet check, although acceptable (c plus gut with all other factors B except wounds A), were down from the first vet check. The horse left the hold in eleventh position and passed “2 or 3” horses before it got in trouble. When the horse was presented for treatment it was severely dehydrated and it was necessary to do a cut-down to place a catheter in the vein. Once fluids were administered it took 45 liters before the horse urinated. Most will urinate with 15 to 25 liters.
Monday morning quarterbacking makes one wonder if the horse was already dehydrated and with a gut starting to slow dramatically and the vet just did not place enough emphasis on the condition, then follow that with a push for a top ten or better (past 2 or 3 horses) placing and a horse that is game and does not show the rider anything until it is too late, and you have the situation. These two factors seem to be the hardest for both the vet and the rider – when or does a game horse show any signs that they are in trouble. At the time we feel that both rider and vet thought their actions were prudent and responsible.
The last factor was the treatment at New Bolton Center. The horse was in trouble when it was presented to them and they took appropriate action and did early surgery on “Boomer”. They determined that, even though the horse had a compromised gut, it did not need to have a resection done. Whether that was a correct decision will probably haunt the surgeons for a long time. These were experienced, highly respected surgeons that made their decision on what was presented to them that night and no one is suspect of their actions. Be that as it may the horse responded well initially but then regressed and was re-operated on and euthanized on the surgery table.
The veterinary committee sincerely hopes that our investigation into this situation is adequate. We will say again, sometimes it is not possible for the vets involved or the rider to pick up on the subtle signs that can enable us to stop a disaster.
Sincerely,
Dr. Jim Baldwin
Chair Veterinary Committee
International
Committee Report
presented by Russell Broussard
7/28/03
July 8, 2003 – 9:00 pm EST
In attendance: TeresaCross, PS; Dublin Hart, PS; Russell Brousard Chair; Carol Giles, PN; Mark Dial, Central; Art Priesz CDE; Mary Lutz, USET; Julie Bullock, East; Linda Voigt, Mountain; Dane Frazier, FEI End. Comm.; Grace Ramsey, Central; Amanda Taylor, East; Lori Stewart, Secretary.
Motion: AERC International donate $1000.00 to the 2003 Pan American Organizing Committee. Teresa Cross moves, Grace Ramsey seconds. Unanimous approval
Motion: AERC International purchase a full page in the PAC Program at a cost of $250.00. Linda Voigt moves, Tinker Hart seconds. Unanimous approval
PAC Site 2005
Teresa Cross suggested a letter be sent to previous bidders. Mark Dial will contact the Denver Group.
Other FEI ride managers will be contacted by various Zone Reps. Lori Stewart will contact Art King to see if a Canadian group plans to bid.
Sites discussed were: Ft. Howe (Stevens Ranch), Fair Hill (Lana Wright), Indian Springs (New Mexico, Cindy Binns Mendoza), Biltmore (Ann Ayala).
Lori will ask USA-E if they will accept bids after this PAC to give prospective bidders a chance to attend this event before making their final decision. Will request a deadline of October 31st.
FEI Ride Volunteers
Robin Oscar, USA-E committee member, wants to develop a pool of volunteers in addition to the FEI pool of officials who are willing to attend FEI rides in their region to assist FEI officials and ride managers. The purpose is to have as many experienced people on the ground as possible to help the ride run smoother. AERC I will assist him with this effort.
AERC Championship 2005
AERC I will ask the AERC board if they have any proposed ride sites and or dates for the 2005 AERC Championship. The intent is to avoid date conflicts between these two big 100-mile rides.
European Junior Championship
Interested parties contact Mary Lutz ASAP. The event date is Sept 27th. Location: Italy
Int Newsgroup will send a reminder that August 10th is the deadline to nominate. Contact Mary Lutz. Right away.
Art Priesz pointed out that the Certificate of capability for this event is different from the PAC. A rider qualifies at a similar distance to the championship (50 miles). The ride can be a nationally sanctioned ride. USET can provide a few contacts but a rider must lease a horse on his own. Cost to lease a horse $2500 - $5000. Art Priesz said if more than 6 apply then the joint credentials committee meets and performs a paper review to select the 6 most qualified riders..
Substitute horses for PAC 2003
There will be a joint conference call meeting of the USET, USA-E, and AERC I committees on or about July 17th to discuss and vote on the proposed tighter FEI rules for horse substitution at an FEI Championship.
Update on the new National Governing Body (from Art Priesz and Dane Frazier)
The new National Governing Body plans to begin operations on or about Dec. 1st.
Four divisions make up the new NGB. Accounting and finance – Valerie Kanavy is the endurance member in that division. Mike Tomlinson is on the national affiliate committee.Art Priesz is on the International High Performance committee of new NGB. Val is also on the executive committee of the new NGB. First time a non-Olympic athlete has been on the executive committee of the NGB.
The endurance discipline had 100% attendance by the members of the endurance community invited. All were well received.
Motion: AERC International recommends that the AERC board at its March 2004 meeting review and consider reaffiliation with the National Governing Body. Teresa Cross moves. Art Priesz seconds. Vote is unanimous.
Dane Frazier: The FEI Endurance committee meets Sept 1st -5th. in Switzerland in part to discuss and vote on the proposed changes to the rules for endurance. We need to have our recommendations to Dane soon so that he may represent the United States point of view at this meeting..
Mary Lutz: USET Funding for the PAC - $3350 per zone plus entry fees to the event.
Meeting Adjourned: 10:20 pm. Respectfully submitted by Lori Stewart, Secretary
Welfare of the Horse Committee Report
presented by John H. Parke
7/22/03
An article describing the formation of this committee will
appear in the August Endurance News. Aside from background information on
what led up to the formation of the committee, the article also sets out a
brief biography of each member and describes the committees mission and
purposes.
The members of the committee are Beverly Gray, Laura Hayes, Mike Jaffe, Jim
Mitchell, and John Parke, Chairperson. The mission of the committee is to
foster peer pressure and a culture of protection of horses through non-coercive
means. The purposes of the committee are to:
· Act as a sounding board for informal complaints by members about horse abuse
and contact overzealous riders to warn and educate them of potential problems.
· Provide non-coercive review of horse fatalities and other incidents.
· Provide an alternate resource other than the Veterinary Committee for
processing horse fatality information.
· Promote education and research based on horse welfare.
· Gather and disseminate information about horse management practices which
enhance the welfare of endurance horses.
Board members are referred to the article in Endurance News for more complete
information.
After several preliminary exchanges by email, the Horse Welfare Committee met
via telephone conference call on Thursday, July 17th. Committee members
reviewed and suggested revisions for a case study prepared by committee member
Laura Hayes about the circumstances of a particular equine fatality at an
endurance ride. The case study provides different information from what
is contained in the Veterinary Committee report of the same incident and
discussed factors which might reduce the probability of the same thing
happening over again. The case study should be seen as a companion piece
to the veterinary report and not a replacement for it.
The horse fatality case study is likely to run in Endurance News in the
September issue. The committee also discussed what other articles should
be submitted by other members to Endurance News. The committee expects to
publish at least one horse death case study per quarter. Committee
members are also working up additional articles on horse death reporting procedures
and on a comparison of horse fatalities and methods for their prevention
between the AERC, endurance riding organizations in other countries and other
equestrian disciplines.
Committee members also discussed what policy recommendations they would like to
explore for possible presentation to the Board of Directors at its October
mid-year meeting. Policy recommendations in general would advise the
Board on education programs, rule changes, reporting procedures or any other
actions the Board might take to enhance the welfare of endurance horses.
The committee narrowed the potential policy recommendations for the committee
to consider to the following five items:
1. Horse death reporting procedures.
2. 30-minute maximum recovery time at the end of endurance rides.
3. CRI usage.
4. Teaching and encouraging riders the skills to vet check their own
horses.
5. Establishing a waiting period for beginning riders before they can
race as opposed to ride to complete.
The committee will explore all of these topics more fully to determine whether
policy recommendations on any of them should be made to the Board.
Finally, the committee discussed an informal complaint and counseling procedure
concerning riders who may be perceived as abusing their horses. Committee
members would make available individual phone numbers or email addresses which
would collectively serve as a "hotline" for members to register
complaints or seek information. The committee would then select a
particular member to provide a response. If a complaint is received about a
rider, for example, the committee member assigned to that complaint would
contact that rider and counsel the rider about the impression he or she is
creating and the potential consequences if horse abuse does occur. This informal
procedure is intended to allow intervention with problem riders before death or
serious injury to a horse occurs and before the problem progresses to a
protest. The committee will publicize the availability of this informal
complaint and counseling procedure in Endurance News, the AERC website and the
various endurance related email lists.
The committee anticipates further telephone conference meetings once a month or
more frequently if necessary in addition to communication by email. The
Board should adopt an appropriate budget for the reimbursement of conference
calling and other administrative expenses for the committee.
Rules Committee Report
presented by Patti Pizzo
7/28/03
The final draft of the corrected rules will soon be
available for the BOD to review.
Junior Committee Report
presented by Maryben Stover
7/23/03
Junior 100 Mile Award Proposal
Given that Junior riders are currently discriminated against in the
National 100 Mile Award we are proposing to make the award more fair to all
divisions of riders who ride 100 Mile AERC rides. Many Junior riders are
as experienced, if not more so, as many of the adult 100 mile riders and they
deserve to be recognized for the same accomplishments as the adults do.
Current Award Description:
National 100 Mile Award: Honoring the Top Ten Senior
horse/rider teams with the most points accumulated on one day rides of 100
miles or more.
Proposal:
Change the National 100 Mile Award so that Endurance News lists Top Ten
in all divisions, and awards are given to Top Five in each division, making it
fair to every division.
Details: By awarding the divisions separately this will allow
each division of rider to compete on a more equal basis, including juniors.
We could not simply add a set # of placements for juniors because that would
make the award unfair for the senior riders. By awarding a set number of
placings for each division that makes it fair to everyone. By listing Top
Ten in Endurance News and giving awards to the Top Five in each division it
would be following a similar format to the Pioneer Award, the difference being
that awards are given to the Top Three in each division for that award.
Cost of programming: estimated by Mike Maul to be $300.00. The
cost of the awards will increase by 15 additional awards to a total of 25.
We feel that 25 awards (and Top Ten listing in EN for each weight division) for
all 7 AERC regions for all 100 Mile Riders will make those that ride 100's feel
that they are getting the recognition that they deserve, including Junior
riders who currently cannot place in this category due to how their points are
calculated.
Effective Date: Start of the 2004 ride season (December 1, 2003)
The Media Committee has requested the following be added to
their report under the Pamela Burton heading:
Sunriver Ride report for EN..
TrailBlazer...spotlight on Alyx Luck...
Endurance World....US Editor and representative
USET...various event photos
USA EQ....various event photos
Competitions
Committee Report
presented by Terry Woolley Howe
7/28/03
The only issue that was brought before the Competition Committee was the recommendation by the Junior Committee that the 100-mile award category be changed so that junior’s would be eligible for awards.
All of the members of the committee who responded were in favor of the proposal to some degree. We all agreed that changes should be made so that juniors were eligible for awards. Members of the committee felt that the number of places in the different weight categories should either be 3 or 5; or that it should be a percentage of active juniors participating in 100 mile rides in that region.
National Office Committee Report
presented by Terry Woolley Howe
7/28/03
The National Office, under Kathleen’s capable hands, is running smoothly. Membership is almost to 6,000 (an all-time high). This last year has seen some changes in the personnel with the departure of Candi and Amy.
There are currently only two full-time employees. Kathleen, of course, who captains the ship, and is responsible for answering the email to the office. Judy Hall is the other full time employee. Both Kathleen and Judy answer point/standings questions from the membership. Judy and Kathleen are always on the lookout for awards which they run by Dean Jackson, Award Chairman, for his approval. Judy does the ordering of the awards and coordinates the embroidery and engraving with the outside contractors. Judy handles the ride result input and is the one responsible for the mailing of mileage plateau awards.
Troy Smith is part time and is the one responsible for the Endurance News (Kathleen and Judy help with the proofreading). Troy also handles some of the signage needed for the convention and also prepares the certificates needed in many of the award categories. Troy assists with answering the daily questions from the membership and has a good understanding of points and standings. Troy also assists with ride result input when needed.
There are also two very part-time people—Caroline Smith and Jennifer Parino, also assist in the office. Caroline comes in a couple of hours 3 or 4 times a week. Caroline assists with mass mailings and monitors the AERC forum emails, etc. Jennifer is on an on-call basis—she sends out ride packets and also assists with mass mailings. Both Caroline and Jennifer are trained in the entering of ride result. These two employees, whose hours flow and ebb with the need, give Kathleen the flexibility of running an efficient office without incurring the expense of extra full-time employees, and the added costs which go along with full-time employees.
With the departure of Candi who handled the accounting side of the office, Liz Bryson, a CPA has come on board part time. She is currently working about 12 hours a week ($14 an hour), but that will probably increase to 20 hours per week as the workload in the office increases. Renewal time is fast approaching and accounting/bookkeeping duties expand with them. Liz, Kathleen and myself will also be preparing the budget. The convention revenue from vendors and attendees will begin arriving within the next couple of months—all requiring accounting time.
From my perspective, it appears the office has never been better. Membership is at an all time high and I only hear positive remarks from the riders that I talk to.
Sanction Committee Report
presented by Vonita Bowers
7/28/03
The committee is considering an updated version of the sanction form, a copy of which is attached as page 2 of this report. For the purposes of the conference call meeting, the proposed form has been forwarded as an attachment to the Board members.
Rides presented for special sanctioning since the last conference call:
Color Country
Chicken Chase
Gambler’s Special
Silver State Point to Point
El Paso/Las Cruces
Oregon Outback