Brazil's Bond Girl in the endurance

© FEI/Martin Dokoupil

By Equestrian Life

The board of the American Endurance Rider Conference (AERC) have made the decision to cut formal ties with the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) over the dangers of flat-tack racing within the discipline.

Flat-track racing is considered to be vastly different to endurance riding, as it focuses on finishing races at a much faster speeds and on terrain that is generally more groomed. The AERC has stated that there has been a divide in the past decade between the traditional endurance riders and those who race with a flat-track mentality. The AERC does not wish to support this type of riding, as it does not align with the values of the AERC and what endurance riding is fundamentally about.

The decision for AERC to cut ties with the US Equestrian Federation was made on January 14th, with the affiliation agreement to end on the 1st of December. There is still hope between both parties that reconciliation can be made over their differences.

The AERC and the US Equestrian Federation hope they can work toward an agreeable separation and continue to work together on other issues such as the AERC drug testing program.

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