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RE: [RC] Fw: [RC] DAL Election / Weight Divisions!! - heidiWhen I first started in endurance, riders had to weigh in on the ride scales before the ride began. It seemed like such a hassle and most for the most part was totally unnecessary. Perhaps we need to start going back to that. There is two-fold responsibility here. A rider that knows they are close to the line can/should ask to weigh pre-ride and carry what they need to to make the weight by that scale at the start of the ride. Riders who suspect someone is not making weight should challenge them PRERIDE while there is opportunity to correct the issue to everyone's satisfaction. Waiting until the end of the ride season to raise this issue (again) is probably not the fair way to complain. I appreciate the work Mike has done for the organization too, but that shouldn't excuse him from paying attention to his weight. Nancy, I have never ridden with Mike, and cannot speak to the issue of his weight specifically. However, as a "cusp" HW myself, and with a husband who could also ride HW if he chose to carry "stuff", this is an issue near and dear to me. I don't have a problem making weight without carrying "stuff"--and I think this is important, because not all of the "stuff" stays on my saddle the entire ride, even when I do carry it. I judged for BC at a ride this year even though I was far enough back on time to know I was not in contention--and although it was nice to have mentioned that my horse earned High Vet Score, the real reason for my choosing to judge was to get on a scale post-ride without the jacket that had been shed halfway, without the water bottles being full, etc., and to officially have my weight posted in case there is ever any question--and it was a nice solid 214#. My husband without "stuff" often weighs in at around 205#-208#. It would not be difficult for him to carry enough "stuff" to make up that difference and be a HW as well. We opt not to have him do that--for this very reason. He rides as a MW. I also notice when I'm riding that a lot of guys who I think MIGHT be my HW competition are actually MWs--and the day I judged for BC, two riders who are MWs actually outweighed me, because they WERE carrying lots of "stuff." My hat is off to those folks who choose not to weigh with all their "stuff" in order to meet a weight division cut-off. (Heck, I WISH I didn't weigh that much without my "stuff.") They are being honest about the fact that at some point on any given ride, their horse might well NOT be carrying HW weight, even if he does part of the time. (I know hubby's horse carries HW weight when we add Easyboots, full water bottles, camera bag, a winter jacket, etc.--but since he doesn't carry that much "stuff" all the time, it would be less than honest of us to register hubby as a HW.) Just an observation, and again, my hat is off to those folks who have the integrity to leave the "stuff" off that isn't there all the time when they determine which weight division to sign up for. Heidi PS: I just had the experience of doing the weighing for the Owyhee 100 FEI ride--before, during, and after the ride. They are allowed some shrink as well in FEI rules, but not as much as in AERC. (And the allowable shrink is figured as a percentage of the RIDER'S weight--not of the overall rider/tack combo.) And when they weigh IN and are close to the line, their "stuff" is inventoried--and what "stuff" is there at weigh-in has to be there the whole ride. No Easyboots, no bridle, no full water bottles (unless you want to have them sealed) are allowed to figure into the weight. I sure hope we don't have to go to that extreme in AERC--but the way NOT to have to is to have riders police themselves and sign up for a lower weight division if there is ANY issue. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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