[RC] My Last Words on Matthew's Proposal..then, Adios. - DVeritas
At the "Rapid Pulse Recovery" website, there are a lot of words. A ton of "philosophy", so-to-speak. From what I can garner, the following is the crux of Matthew's "proposal":
"Let us say that we begin to tighten up that window, and choose a point that is more stringent and which segregates the participants into:
• 1)Those who are permitted to continue for placing, and • 2) Those who are permitted to continue for completion.
At every vet check, in order to continue to compete for a placing, your horse must recover to pulse parameters within 15 minutes. If your horse recovers after 15 minutes but before 30 minutes you may continue for completion only. If it takes longer than 30 minutes for your horse to recover, your horse will be eliminated from the competition entirely. At the finish, your horse must recover within 15 minutes in order to get a placing. Between 15 and 30 minutes, your horse is eligible for completion only and longer than 30 minutes and your horse will be eliminated from the competition."
That is the "extent" of the proposal, as best I can glean. When I signed on as "supporting" the proposal, I concurred with almost 100% of what Matthew had to say.
For me, it was a thought born in Matthew's mind. It is, at this point, nothing more than cyber-verbage flitting around the ether. It doesn't truly exist. Maybe, it never will. For me, I don't have a problem having my horse meeting pulse criteria in fifteen minutes, irrespective of which ride I choose to attend. I'll just ride with that thought in mind. And, if he doesn't, I'll know long before we get to the vet check that something "ain't quite rat" and will withdraw for that day, hopefully with minimal cost to my horse. There should be racing in endurance. When horse and rider are prepared and execute that preparation well, it is breath-taking. Who should race? I remember Potato saying something to the effect that if ain't the winner, you're the loser. Right, whatever. I know some focus on Top Ten. Heck, others will race in just to beat the horse next to 'em. In the AERC charter, I do believe "racing" is okayed, and it is not whittled down to just the Top Ten...anyone can race. Sometimes, I race; sometimes, I don't.
I don't know the answers to all the questions...I truly believed that this idea, once tossed up and batted around might find itself washed and blowed-dried and spiffyed up a bit and, lo and behold, it might be something one day. There are "factions" in our sport. That's okay. Some believe 'race and see who has the better horse'. Some believe that going slow is noble and shows great concern for the horse...at this point in my life I know this, I won't ever RUN a marathon again, I might JOG one and I sure as heck would never WALK one.
I say, we will never find ONE WAY for ALL of us. I'd like to see (basically) what we have now...just peaked and tweeked here and there. If Matthew's proposal ain't the answer, that's okay, can we "cannibalize" something from it, added to another, or another, turn on the blender and come up with something better. Maybe, Maybe not.
I think it is okay to keep trying. Trying comes long before "enduring".
My wife, Becky, says to me, "Frank, you're either Fit to Continue or you're not. If you are Fit to Continue, continue...racing, placing, putzing along, whatever. Why complicate it so much?"
Joyce K. and others are right on, RIDERS will always determine what happens to their horses....not vets, not ride managers, not saddle makers, not Attend-My-Clinic-And-I'll-Fix-All-Your-Horse-Problems-Advocates, not well-intentioned endurance "used-to-bes", "wannabes" or "neverweres".
