RIDE MANAGERS

Why Put On An FEI 100?-Holly Ulyate, Endurance News October 2004 

Why on earth would a ride manager want to put on an FEI 100?  Well there are many reasons to think about adding an FEI division to your ride! 

Just as the Race of Champions generated a lot of enthusiasm for riding 100 milers, so does FEI competition.  Having an FEI division can increase the number of riders that you draw to your event.  Here are some examples showing the number of starters on 100 mile rides big and small before and after they added an FEI division (notated by *): 

 You can see the dramatic effect that FEI sanctioning has had on two previously small rides as well as the extra riders that showed up for an established 100.  FEI riders must qualify themselves and their horses-they have to do these rides if they want to play the game.  Ride managers know that it’s the short ride that pays for the long ride so what joy it is when the entry on the 100 doubles or triples. 

An FEI ride comes with built-in help in the form of a technical delegate, a chief steward and a president of the ground jury-three people who are there to help you put on the best ride possible.  They will attend to setting up the vet checks, helping you with the rules and regulations; putting together good workflow, and assist with all of the other nuances that an FEI ride requires.  They only require transportation to and from your ride, food and lodging.   

Two other players in your court are your zone representatives.  They are also there to hold your hand and walk you through the paperwork, rules, sanctioning forms, and to make sense of the alphabet soup of FEI, USEF, COC, PAC and NAC?  U C? 

Putting on an FEI ride is not an inexpensive proposition.  In order to soften the blow and help cultivate new rides, a load program is being established to provide seed money to help defray the upfront costs of sanctioning, calendar fees, etc.  The sum of $8000 has been budgeted for up to ten $800 grants per year.  An application and interview process is being developed in order to facilitate the dispersal of funds. 

So there you have it.  There are riders who want to ride, people who want to help, and money to get it off the ground.  Although it’s not the easiest or quickest undertaking, it just might be the thing to revive an old ride or start a new tradition of your own.  Just as there are die-hard multi-dayers and limited distance riders, FEI is another flavor of endurance riding that we may choose to indulge ourselves in.  If you’re ready to take the plunge, start by contacting your zone representative.