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[RC] The Reality of Weight Divisions - rides2farWill somebody please call me when someone wins Tevis six times in a row carrying 235? Chris Knoch's (HW) record at Tevis & other 100's isn't too shabby. He & Saxx (NV Fifth Ave) were: 1st Tevis 93 1st Tevis 94 2nd Tevis 95 2nd in Pan Ams in 2001 (watched him race in with Marcia Smith and she won but not by much) He had other 1st & BC at other 100's during that time too. Has anyone else been that successful in *recent* years, as opposed to someone dominating "back in the day"? Or wins the WEC with the same weight? Or the OD 100? > Or the Californios 100? Anybody know what weight division Matthew Mackay-Smith rides in? I'm *guessing* heavyweight. He's a *tall* man. He's the only rider who has won Tevis & OD in the same year, and I'm betting he was riding as a HW. Was > there an ROC winner at 235? I attended one ROC, in Kentucky. It was 75 miles per day, 150 total. It was won by a heavyweight. Nice guy, Craig Olson on Spruce Sarta. Don't forget Jerry Fruth, HW overall winner at the AERC 100 champs. If the playing field is as level as you say, > these things have a very good chance of happening. Apparently . I have seen how my horses work and recover with myweight, and then observed the same criteria when one of my littledaughters rode the same horse the next day. Their recoveries and breathing are different. According to a study done in Australia, when you first start training two horses and one carries more weight than the other, the horse carrying the higher weight has the higher heart rate "all (or as many as possible) other things being equal". *BUT* after conditioning, the difference pretty much disappears. The ONLY way they found to get an advantage with weight was for a horse to train carrying a heavier weight, then switch to a light rider in competition. So, sounds like you training, then your daughters getting on for competition is the ideal way to use weight to your advantage...but if they trained their horse 100% of the time and you trained yours the difference should diminish. My horses carry 10% or more weight thanmany > riders out there. I hope Kat has made it down this far in the post because I'd like her opinion on this theory. I figured it up (I hope correctly) and for an 850 lb. horse, my 172 lbs. is approximately 20% of his body weight. Bruce's 235 lbs. is 27% of his body weight. Then I figured that 20% of *my* personal body weight (128) is 25 lbs. and 27% of my body weight is 35 lbs. So...does that mean that to my horse the difference between myself & Bruce feels like the difference in 25 lbs. & 35 lbs. *to me*? If so, I can see, "Yes" I'd notice the difference, but I think I could train enough for it not to impact me in a huge way over a long hike. If the whole 35 lbs would hop off and run up hills for me, I think I'd take it over the 25 lbs. that stayed on my back. >g< I'll take Earle Baxter, Kevin Waters, Brent Johnson and myself, and we'll take on any other team in any weight division, weigh down all the > horses equally, and see who keeps up. Not necessary. I haven't ridden against Kevin or Brent that I know of, but Earle Baxter has kicked my butt every time we've been on the same course with me riding as a Lightweight. The main way we could prove weight makes a difference (the training thing) is for me to beat Earle's time riding his horse over the same course. I should be able to do that weighing less and all...but that doesn't factor in the fact that he's a better endurance rider than me so he'd probably still get me. I really do like Heavyweights. They're the safest to start a ride behind because they *can* control their horses...and I've noticed they're the quickest to stick up for you...used to being the guardians of the playground I guess. Don't consider this post an attack on your weight division, consider it an attempt to help you over the guilt trip you give yourself over making your horse tote you. :-) Angie =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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