Re: [RC] [AERC-Members] Miinutes of the AERC BoD Conf Call Meeting Online - Heidi Smith
>I also think you're overestimating 50's. A
50 just isn't all that hard. Given enough time to condition, I could probably
get the aforementioned QH through a 50 on a cool day. The completion stats bear
this out - 25's and 50's just aren't all that different, statistically speaking
(indistinguishable if it isn't hot). If you're really going to divide the sport
up on how hard it is, then the people doing 75's and 100's ought to be in a
class by themselves, and the rest of us ought to be lumped
together. 75's and
100's are really hard - it takes special people and special horses. Sure
you'll learn things from 50's that you won't from 25's, but you learn things
from 75's you won't from 50's. All this talk of 50's being a big deal just
serves to scare new riders from trying it. I don't think these people (and I'm
one of them) doing 50's are all that much smarter or special than the people
doing 25's. The people doing 100's? Those are the people who are a cut
above.
I agree, David. Which
kinda underscores the point that several of us have tried to make--that it isn't
any "big deal" for the horse to start out doing 50's instead of doing LDs.
The only thing that is a "big deal" about 50s is for the humans--and even then,
only if they haven't been riding, or are not sure of their capabilities, or if
they have physical limitations. If they know their capabilities, and ride
a lot, and don't have physical limitations, then 50s aren't even a big deal to
humans. Heck, even having started out with physical limitations this year,
I'm back in the groove doing 50s and I can still walk afterward! I've even
gotten to the point of being able to trot my horse out myself for his post-ride
check again! And I'm a far sight from being truly fit, or back to my
original riding capability.
Bottom line--savvy riders
on good horses can start at either 25 or 50, and do so with reasonable
safety. Riders who are not savvy will not become savvy, no matter how many
rules you pass, or how many prerequisites you put up--or even how many
miles they ride. So what is the point of going around and around about
rule changes, beginner requirements, etc.? In most cases, it isn't the
beginners trashing their horses, and in the few cases where it is, they either
learn or don't come back. Our focus needs to remain on how to detect early
enough that a horse is being trashed to stop the rider and to prevent the
problem from going to a tragic conclusion. And we will not do that by
making rules that will inflict limits on the intelligent riders while doing
nothing to reach those who don't care to learn.
To paraphrase a good old
saying--you can lead someone to knowledge, but you CAN'T MAKE 'EM
THINK!