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Re: [RC] Weight Divisions - Truman PrevattIn human athletics in those sports where weight is a critical factor - there are weight divisions. A partial list is wrestling, boxing and weightlifting. In general the impact of weight on an endurance horse is more akin to the impact of weight on the above sports than many other sports that are mentioned because the horses are carrying the weight!An you are absolutely correct - it's high school physics. It takes more energy to move the extra weight. That results in a higher heat load - the conversion of glucose to mechanical energy is only about 50% efficient with heat being the byproduct. More heat load, more heat to dissipate, more issues with dehydration, etc. As far as not having divisions in human sports (except those mentioned above plus judo, etc.) we have the biggest division going these days. It's called Title 9. When I was in high school we had a young woman on our track team. This was before title 9 and we only had one track team. She was our third fastest sprinter (second fastest her senior year) - hence went to every meet. She ran second leg on our 4x200 relay team for 3 years. She beat a lot of guys since our sprinters were very very good. Her senior year she was second in the regional meet (second to our number one sprinter). Now women have their own track team, their won scholarships to college and their own pro track circuit. Because of Title 9 womens sports are on pretty much an even par with men. Don't get me wrong I think Title 9 is the greatest thing to happen to sports in a long time. Divisions based on physical differences are the rule in todays armature athletics and many pro sports also, .e.g., LPGA, Tennis, WNBA, Track and Field Womens Soccer, etc. Just about every sport on the amateurs level (football being about the only one I can think of that isn't) is done in divisions based on physical differences. A national championship based on weight divisions is a good ideal. Truman Bruce Weary DC wrote: I feel that the weight divisions are a good idea, if only to recognize the extra effort that horses carrying more weight put forth. It's all physics, folks. -- “With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.” Steven Weinberg – Nobel Laureate, Physics =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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