There's been discussion on the e-mail lists recently about whether we should call our competitions races or rides. The statement in one post was that "AERC is trying to distance itself from the concept of racing and focus more on longevity and lifetime miles." There's something to be said for each of these concepts in our sport.

A race is a contest of speed with placings while a ride can be for long distances, emphasizing care of the horse and enjoyment of the trail over speed. I'm speaking for myself here and not as a board of directors member in saying that while I strongly support the concept of longevity and lifetime miles, I think racing is a fundamental part of our organization and should remain so.

Longevity and lifetime mileage are worthy goals but both can be achieved in other organizations where absolute placing is not the criteria for an award.

Many of us are goal oriented, myself included. Racing is a goal for some. Longevity and lifetime miles are goals for othersÑ10,000 miles and the Decade Team list are examples.

Racing for some riders can mean finishing in the top ten. For others, it may mean placing in their weight division, which can be many places back from the top ten finishers.

Even a person like myself, who places in the bottom third of the finishers, may still be competitive in their weight division. I'm still "racing" to achieve my goals. I pay attention to others in my division and use my horse's ability to pulse down quickly to gain time in vet checks. I ride a slow but very reliable horse and we complete a lot of miles together each season to place in the weight division standings.

Here's a quote from Angie McGhee on another view of racing from the middle or back of the pack: "I race at every single ride. Lots of times I'm in a knock-down, drag-out race between 31st and 32nd place, or even 62nd and 63rd, and the other person has absolutely no idea I'm racing them, but in my mind I'm trying to figure out how to get out of the next vet check ahead of them and get out of sight! I might want to beat them while stopping at every single puddle to offer water, and every attractive clump of grass to graze, but I'm still trying to figure out how to stay ahead while doing that."

The point here is that you don't have to be riding at a high rate of speed to still be "racing." You don't have to endanger your horse to race. Competition adds interest to what we do in our sport and doesn't detract from the issues of safety and enjoyment of our horses and the trail. Take away "racing" and our sport would lose some of its interest for me and I believe for a number of others. In many cases, removing measurements in what's done causes a drop in performance. Introducing competition adds interest and improves us. But if we race, it's important that we do it with safety and the best interests of our horses in mind. (For more on this topic, see the education article on page 9.)

It's certain that the goals of longevity and lifetime miles add interest to our sport. There are a lot of others who simply like to ride new trails, see the countryside, and socialize with their friends. The answer to the title question is that some race, some ride, and some of us do both. There's room for all of us in AERC.