Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

You know, I'm not sure how I feel at all about this one.  At my last ride I 
did back to back LD's (30 miles) on two different horses two days in a row. 
My luck with the 50's hasn't been good lately (I think I'm getting too fat 
for my horse to ride that distance) so, I thought I'd turn back the clock, 
go to where I started in this sport and do the lesser distance.  I figured 
if I start to get pulled doing LD's I might as well give up the sport 
entirely. At the end of both LD's, I felt great, my horses looked fantastic 
after finishing, what more could one ask?   Plus, I'm feeling more like a 
winner because, as we all know, "To finish is to win."

I do think Heidi is right (man, am I really saying this?) when she says 
she's just not sold on the concept that the endurance method of BC being the 
right way to judge BC on LD rides.  The horse is still quite fresh after 
finishing an LD.  How do you compare which one is "most fresh?"  Tough call 
to make.  In case of a tie, go out and do another loop.

Anyway, I can't imagine going fast in the shorter distance to even stand for 
BC.  What's the point?  Heck, you could be done in less than three hours if 
you were to do that at most rides I attend (that's not ride time).  And, 
miss out on a beautiful day riding a terrific horse while watching your 
fellow LDers fall off of theirs.  lol.  jk.  (Actually, on that second day 
of riding someone behind me did do this twice.  The only reason I know is I 
caught his mare for him both times).

I'll have to give this one some thought.  I, personally, don't like standing 
for BC in the LD.  I feel it's wasting the vet's valuable time.  But, on the 
other hand, I like seeing what they have to say about my horse. With some 
vets it's almost like getting a free pre-purchase exam even though you 
already own the horse. What a dilemma.

My guess is this won't sit well with the seasoned endurance riders in spite 
of the fact that the LD riders are the fastest growing segment of AERC 
members.  Interesting, very interesting.  The times, they are a changing.

cya,
Howard


> From: <heidi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: <karen@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> CC: <AERCMembersForum@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: Re: [AERC-Members] New LD BC Rule
> Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2004 17:24:17 -0700 (MST)
>
> >  We already have lots of lines to wait in at many
> > rides
>
> If that is the case, then either your rides are already understaffed, or
> the start times aren't spaced in such a way as to make the rider flow
> smooth.
>
> > If the vets and the riders and the ride managers  are asking
> > that this not be implemented, why force it down their
> > throats.
>
> Why force ANY sort of rider education down their throats then?  Gee, let's
> just scrap any sort of thing that encourages riders to keep their horses
> in good shape.  The problems with this are not relative to having to DO a
> BC judging--they are relative to the system being used.  I'm all for
> making rides offer a BC--I'm just not sold on the concept that the
> endurance method of BC being the right way to judge BC on LD rides!
>
> >Maybe we should just require a certain # of vets to # of
> > riders  and then we can effectively shut down most endurance rides out
> > West.  Problem solved.  Karen/West Region
>
> Personally, I'd tend not to go back to rides where there are long vet
> lines.  Perhaps the managers and vets involved here need to get around a
> bit and see how other managers and vets solve those same problems--they
> may find that with a few simple changes, the vet lines don't become an
> issue, and there's plenty of time to examine the horses.
>
> Regarding the extra time it allegedly takes--if the vet listens to the
> heart, trots the horse out, and does the rest of the exam, the time to
> take the second pulse for the CRI is another 15 seconds.  We do the
> completion exam at the 10 or 15 minute CRI usually, so there is no
> duplication there.  The extra exam at the hour takes under 2 minutes per
> horse.  Are you telling me that your ride vets in the West region don't
> have time to spend a measly 2 minutes each with 10 horses?  What on earth
> would they do if TWO more entries showed up for the 50, and had to be
> examined five times apiece (once pre-ride, three times at vet checks, and
> once at the end)?  That is how much more time it takes to judge LD BC.
>
> Again, I have my qualms about this rule--but the concept that it will
> cause the vets a bunch of extra work is a non-starter.
>
> Heidi

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