Re: Re: volunteering

[Rides 2 Far <rides2far@juno.com>]

> I've been to several rides in the past couple of years where all>
pulse-takers have this nifty pulse-taking device..

Hey, those fib too! >g< Honestly, I've had as many doubts about the
accuracy of those as I have of volunteers, then I heard why...if I've got
this right, you should never wear a wristwatch on the same arm that holds
the nifty pulse taking thingy, but nobody tells people this. My guess is
that a heart monitor on the horse could interfere too.

And as for the problems with waiting for an inexperience person to find
the pulse, we don't have that problem in the Southeast. The second you
enter the pulse taking area is your official P&R time, right when you
pass through the gate they write it on a clipboard. When the person gets
the pulse they ask what time you came in and put it on your card, so
having to wait in line isn't a handicap either. With that in mind, an
inexperienced person fumbling for the pulse is just a little more time
your horse has to let his pulse drop from the walk in. I can't think of a
time when I've been messed up by a pulse taker. The only problem I've
seen is when we have one who doesn't understand that if the horse is NOT
down he needs to get a new time when does come down. I've seen them let a
horse stand inside the P&R area when it wasn't crowded, wait till it came
down, then call out for the P&R time which was actually supposed to be
void when he wasn't down the first try. Fortunately, Nancy usually
catches it, but I've had to point it out a couple of times when they were
getting ready to give me a break in that situation.

I wonder what the requirements are to be a pulse taker at an
international event? I too was put on the spot taking pulses at the ROC
before I was terribly experienced. I remember the front runners coming in
and I got Amy Wallace-Whelan. I took TP's pulse and he wasn't down. I was
afraid to tell her but I said, "I'm sorry, he's not down" (and yes I was
sure it wasn't my own pulse I was taking by then)  She just said, "That's
O.K. I probably need to slow down" and graciously exited. >whew< That was
10 years ago. I'd argue with *anybody* these days that said I couldn't
take one. 

Angie