ROC Sanctioning

[Randy H Eiland <renegade12@juno.com>]

The reason the ROC is not sanctioned by AERC is because, to the best of my knowledge, there has been no request to sanction the ride with AERC.  The ROC is a Special Event ride as defined in AERC Rule 11.2 and further defined in AERC Rule 11.2.1.  Since the last time the ROC was sanctioned (and actually held) was in 1997, our rules require that it must reapply for Special Sanctioning.  That requires the Ride Management to make the formal request 180 days prior to the actual ride date.  The sanction request is sent to the Executive Director  and then distributed to the Special Sanctioning Director, all Regional Directors where the ride will occur.  If the event is approved by the Special Sanctioning Director and the Regional Directors where the ride will occur, it is then distributed to the full BOD for comments.  The BOD must approve or disapprove the request within 60 days of presentation.  All Special Event or Special Qualification events must go thru the same process for the first two years of the event.  Furthermore, due to many irregularities over the years, culminating with the 1997 ROC sanction request, the 1997 BOD voted to place certain financial criteria on the ride management of the ROC, which is still in place unless the current BOD decides to change that criteria..........which requires a motion and a vote.

 

As to Angie's comment that, "It really bums me out that I got no points
for doing the 100 at the Pan Ams.  I don't know how you could consider it
unfair to others who "weren't allowed to compete there" since it easily
knocked us out of doing more miles by not staying home and hitting the
close rides.", there is a very good reason AERC has this policy. 

 

The Pan Am is an event where the entries are "selected" - it is not a ride that allows entry to any AERC Member.  AERC has an obligation to the majority of our membership and any ride (not just Pan Am) whose entries are selected allows for the possibility of "shaping regional and national championships" by inclusion and exclusion.  This is different than AERC sanctioned rides with "limited entry criteria"..those rides allow entry on a first come first serve basis and require that notice of the entry limitation be published in the EN Ride Calendar.  In the case of the Pan Ams, the entries are "selected" by individuals based on certain criteria..it is not filled on a first come first serve basis as per AERC Rule 3.2.  I understand how a rider at the Pan Ams can feel slighted by not getting AERC points, but entires do get career mileage.  Consider there are AERC Members who wished to compete in the Pan Ams and were not "selected"..and I suspect those AERC Members feel just as slighted and it would be even more unfair for someone "selected" for the Pan Ams to beat out a fellow AERC Member for regional or national awards who was not "selected" for the Pan Ams.  AERC Rule 8.4 allows entries to FEI rides, like the Pan Am, to get career mileage.

 

Happy New Year.

 

Randy Eiland

 

Angie wrote:

> Why isn't the ROC sanctioned by the AERC?
 
I think in the past there was a problem in that it wasn't open to ALL
horses & mules, etc.  To some extent I think this ruling needs to be
reconsidered by the board...I know the ROC was sanctioned later so
there's obviously a way it worked out...also since our National
Championship requires that you qualify now it wouldn't be sanctionable
either if that was the cause.  It really bums me out that I got no points
for doing the 100 at the Pan Ams.  I don't know how you could consider it
unfair to others who "weren't allowed to compete there" since it easily
knocked us out of doing more miles by not staying home and hitting the
close rides.  Someone said I'd get credit for the miles, but that hadn't
shown up last time I checked.  I think it hurts the credibility of the
AERC points race when some really great horses, like Red for instance,
can lose their standings in their region just by hitting and WINNING the
really big ones.
 
Angie