Re: [RC] [RC] Kids, ponies and distance riding... Get a grip people - Mary Ann Spencer
LOL--actually a good idea for all kids-set them
into animated suspension so they won't be a pain in the *%^&** and can
be readily trained and set loose as adults!!!
Subject: RE: [RC] [RC] Kids, ponies and
distance riding... Get a grip people
I really believe that the barrier should be set at the
age of consent! Keep 'em in deep freeze until then. That way we are all
safe from the little demons.
Bob
Bob Morris Morris Endurance
Enterprises Boise, ID
-----Original Message----- From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Joe Long Sent: Tuesday, December 21, 2004 5:06 PM To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject:
Re: [RC] [RC] Kids, ponies and distance riding... Get a grip
people
On Tue, 21 Dec 2004 22:41:13 +0000, "Nancy Mitts" <mitts_n@xxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
>The height requirement for amusement rides has to do
with the fit of > the seat; safety restraints, regardless of age. So,
yes, a very short adult >would not be allowed on either. I don't
believe height is truly a safety >issue when it comes to riding
though.
It also has to do with the g-forces and physical
stresses that the more aggressive rides produce on the human body, and
that it is much easier to check a child's height than it is to verify his
age (parents wouldn't like having to bring birth certificates along to
Disney World).
> And, age has little to do with skill and ability,
as we all know > adults who > aren't too safe either. So,
we're back to the legal age liability.
That's part of it, but I
believe we should show some concern for overly-young children occasionally
being entered into our events.
> If AERC is going to use legal
risk as a rationale for setting a > minimum age, > then
anything under 18 is risky. In some states that may even be 21.
> Any other minumum age is arbitrary.
All minimum ages are
arbitrary, including the drinking age, driving age, age to enlist in the
Army, age to play Little League ball, etc. That is an unfortunate
fact of life, because we can't make rules tailored to each individual
but have to use some kind of norm.
> Unless, you subscribe to the
notion that life is more valuable the > younger you are, and then
the age needs to be set at the loss value > our insurance would
cover.
It is more valuable in the sense that a greater proportion of
the young child's life is still ahead of him. Also, he has less
wisdom to make appropriate choices for himself. There is the additional
factor in our sport that very young bodies are less able to handle the
physical demands of riding long distances without detriment to their
devlopment.
>At what age does our "moral responsibility" to have as
safe a ride as > possible end, Joe?
I would phrase it that
our responsibility to have as safe a ride as is reasonable doesn't end at
any age, but gets more difficult the younger the rider.
> At what
age does an accident just become an accident? Anybody who > rides
runs the risk of being hurt, whether 8 or 14 or 18 or
48.
Indeed.
> I do find it a bit odd that some are finding it
so horrible that we > allow > young children to participate,
even though they are required to have an > adult sponsor. Yet, no
one seems to have a problem with them being > turned loose to ride
alone at 14 with only 500 miles competition experience.
Count me as
one of those. There is a VAST difference between 5 and
14.
>These days it seems anybody can sue anybody at any time
for any >perceived > injury, and there really isn't any way to
prevent it. I don't see setting some > arbitrary minimum age as any
help at all.
Again, the lawsuit risk is the lesser reason to have an
age limit (simple humanity is the greater), but having a minimum age
demonstrates that we have considered the question and established what we
believe, in our best judgement and experience, to be the MINIMUM age at
which a child should be competing in our events. Doing so is in no
way an endorsement that all children of that age are ready to handle it
(and that should be stated along with the rule).
Some of our most
famous rides have had a minimum age for riders for decades, and one Region
of the AERC (the Southeast) has had a minimum age of eight years old
for riders at all SERA rides for over ten years now. Those
have worked very well.
Some people have suggested ten or even twelve
years old for the minimum. Those ages are certainly appropriate for
some of our events. However, based in part on the SERA experience,
I personally favor a minimum age of eight years old to enter an AERC
sanctioned ride (with individual rides still allowed to set higher limits
as they see fit).
