TO AERC MEMBERS - COMMENTS WANTED:
(I sent a similar message to the AERC BOD for comments)

The following post from Kim Fuess (found below) was one of several that
are making the rounds after TEVIS.. Kim Fuess is very articulate and
represents what may be the general opinion surrounding the TEVIS
Sponsorship by the International Emirates Endurance Village. |These
comments bring up the question(s) asked below.

In some ways the current controversy mirrors some opinions voiced when
the AERC Sponsorship Committee first came into existence in 1998/99 - at
that time some AERC members were concerned about the attachment of
corporate names to AERC national categories because "it would be a sell
out to the corporate world"...the 1998/99 AERC BOD took their concerns
into consideration but decided to allow our Sponsors to be associated
with the specific national category they selected to sponsor - it has
proved to be a successful action with no negative repercussions. The
success of the AERC Sponsorship Program may be related to the fact AERC
Sponsors are businesses or entities that support AERC Members and in turn
are supported by AERC Members. I think our Sponsors are perceived by
AERC Members as "part of the family" - perhaps a side question to be
considered is whether the TEVIS Sponsorship controversy is related to
corporate or political perception.

QUESTION FOR DISCUSSION:

I suspect the AERC Sponsorship Committee might be able to strike a very
financially rewarding Sponsorship relation with the International
Emirates Endurance Village or another similar organization. Purely from a
business perspective, I think this could be very beneficial to both
organizations - but, "how would it be accepted by the AERC Membership?"
So, "Do you think the AERC should explore the possibility of this or a
similar Sponsorship? If so, what guidelines would you like to see
followed?


Randy Eiland
SW Region Director
AERC Sponsorship Chair


- in asking Kim's permission to reprint her letter on AERC-Members, she
asked the following be added: . "I am not against the sponsorship
itself. This is not about the Emirates endurance village, the UAE or
International riding. I would have written the exact same letter if Fort
Dodge, Purina, or any other corporate sponsor had been given the same
treatment by the WSTF board because of a large monetary donation."

From: KimFue@...
Subject: [RC] Tevis Sponsorship

I am glad to see that others were bothered by sponsorship displays at the

Tevis this year. I thought about it for a couple days and finally
decided to
write a letter to the board of governors. It probably won't change any
minds or
do any good but it certainly made me feel better. Here is a copy of the
letter I sent if anyone is interested.

Dear Western States Board of Governors,
I have taken a few days to decide if I should write this letter and

give my opinion on the International Emirates Endurance Village
sponsorship. The
way this sponsorship was displayed at the 50th anniversary running of the

Tevis Cup bothered me so much that I decided to be honest with myself and
that I
should write this letter.
I have not been involved in the Tevis ride as long as many of you
and do
not have as many buckles as most on the board. The first Tevis I
attended
was as a spectator was in 1989 and since that time my goal every year is
to have
a horse ready to take to this ride. I don't think I would still be
involved
with endurance riding if the Western States Trail Ride ceased to exist.
I had the ride of a lifetime this year but the dark cloud over my
Tevis
experience was the gaudy display of International Endurance Village
banners, T
shirts, hats, pins, bags, dried fruit, etc., at the staging area at Robie

Park and at the awards ceremony. It was not the class act that I would
expect
from an organization like yours. It really looked like your "crown
jewel"
sponsor had taken over the entire ride. There were some friends that
were
attending the Tevis for the first time and they thought the International
Emirates
Endurance Village was actually managing the ride! I was disgusted that a
belt
buckle was presented at the awards ceremony to a "sponsor". A belt
buckle (even
similar to the Tevis buckle) should be reserved for those who actually
complete the ride not those that help underwrite the ride! Wouldn't a
plaque or
other memorabilia be much more appropriate? Did the runners who
completed the
course along side our horses receive buckles? If not, they should
certainly be
getting a buckle before any sponsor!
I am sure that this crown jewel sponsor gave thousands of dollars
($35,000 was the figure floating around)....whatever the amount of the
"donation"
it was certainly not enough to have their name plastered next to "Tevis"
on
every official banner, volunteer T shirt, official program, etc. Hasn't
your
organization worked hard to earn the reputation of putting on the
ultimate
endurance event in the world? Are you willing to sell or even share that
reputation
with ANYONE who comes up with a lump sum of cash? There must be other
ways
to honor a high dollar sponsor other then having their name plastered on
everything. I really equate this to allowing sponsorships of national
treasures
and then adding the name of the sponsor to that monument or park. Can
you
imagine "Citibank's Yosemite National Park" or " Coca Cola's Grand Teton
National
Park". It may seem outrageous but that is how this year's Tevis Cup ride

looked to many of us that attended. Perhaps next year the Crown Jewel
Sponsor can
give "bobble heads" of the 2004 Tevis and Haggin Cup winners to all that
enter. I know I would appreciate that more then the name of some
organization
never affilitated with the ride embroidered on EVERY ride item given to
me.
There have been many changes in endurance riding over the last 10
years.
Endurance horses selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars, 100 mile
races with support vehicles on the trail following the horses through out
the
entire ride, 25 mile rides receiving national awards. I guess change is
inevitable in all things BUT I never would have dreamed the Tevis Cup
ride would be the
first big ride to "sell out" to the highest bidder. The PR director for
the
International Emirates Endurance Village should get a big bonus for
landing
the marketing contract they received from your board. Really
unbelievable!
Well, thank you for allowing me to express my opinion. I will
continue
to support the ride regardless of the cheesy marketing and PR tactics
allowed
to any crown jewel sponsor. The challenge of the trail is too important
for
me to deter me from entering.

Sincerely,
Kim Fuess
Rider #89


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