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RE: [RC] 20 MT and Little Big Man - heidi

The AERC rules state

"...but the competitor is ultimately responsible for self and mount 
before, during and after an endurance ride..."

Would someone please explain how a kid being ponied satisfies this 
requirement of the AERC rules?


In other words, no, a kid being ponied would not be acceptable.  In
other words, the kid must be able to ride his/her own horse.  


I would also like to ask those proposing that there should not be an 
"age rule" is there any age where you have a problem. According the the 
current rule - unless the RM imposed a min age rule in accordance to the 
methods outlined in the rules there is no min age rule. Therefore 
someone could show up with one year old kid. Would that bother anyone? 
How about a 6 month old kid? How about a 3 day old kid? Is there a level 
of pain out there?


See the above.  There is no magic number, but clearly a child who cannot
ride his/her own horse would not be acceptable.  Is there a magic number
for that?  Not really.  But it certainly eliminates toddlers barely able
to walk, or unable to communicate independently somehow with the horse,
via reins or legs.  If one follows the current rules, there is no risk
of having babies out there on horses.  Only kids who can ride
unassisted are "legal."  And some kids are certainly at that point by 4
or 5, while others are not there yet even by the 10-year-old NATRC age
limit.  

As is so often the case, the AERC rules already have the basis for
disallowing any children who are not ready for the sport.  So the
ballyhooing about infants on horses is just one more piece of emotional
blackmail.  Kids will ride when kids are ready.  Leave them and their
parents the heck alone to determine when that time is, and leave it up
to ride managers to enforce the rule about riders being in control of
their own horses.

Heidi


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