Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

I believe that the 4 1/6 mph rate is set in stone. I believe that is the 
case because of some "abuses" in the early days. At least that is what I 
read in the discussion in EN when it came up about 12 years ago when a 
motion was before the BOD to change it. I believe this came up again 
before the BOD a few years ago.

By giving RM latitude - it might lead to abuses. When it is hot and 
muggy - the OD is a bear. Those that did it the past two years when the 
weather was good - count yourself luck. There were some years in the mid 
90's when we weren't so lucky.

A few years ago we had a ride in FL in mid March. It went up to 95 
degrees. There was a SW wind right off the Gulf and the air was very 
heavy. Some would might liked to have had more time. It took the winner 
6 hours on a very good horse (who had won rides in sub 4 hour times). 
Several just quite because they were not going to make time. Of course 
given how hot it was that early in the year and given a lot of horses 
still had a partial winter coat - I'm not sure it wasn't better all 
around that they just stopped and called it a day.


Tx Trigger wrote:
> Interesting after scanning the rule book this AM, I could not find any 
> place that allowed management to be able to "flex" and allow more time 
> if the conditions presented themselves.
> Sooo, conditions are nasty, and the vets want a little longer hold 
> times, so riders give their horses a bit more time to eat, drink, what 
> ever, but then they have to push harder on the trail to finish in the 
> time allowed. Or, they shorten hold times, so riders have more trail 
> time, but then are they giving the horses enough time in camp. Reading 
> Angie's description of the horses and riders on the 30, it sounded 
> like maybe a lot of riders were on heavy bodied horses, or ones who do 
> not do much distance riding, on their Fox-hunters. Fit, I'm sure, but 
> AERC rides are not their normal sport.
> I think I'd like to see management given some flexibility to the 
> allowed time if conditions are as such, that more time would be in the 
> best interest of the animals. But, those two that finished within the 
> time allowed...would they feel the same, since they DID finish in time???
> Thanks John for bringing this up, as I had never really thought about 
> what management was allowed to do as far as time allowed if conditions 
> needed more time.
> Jonni in TX


--

“It doesn't matter how beautiful your theory is, it doesn't matter how 
smart you are. If it doesn't agree with experiment, it's wrong” Richard 
Feynman, Nobel Laureate in Physics


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