On Jan 16, 2008, at 8:11 AM, Truman Prevatt (actuall quoted by Truman:) wrote:
?So John's presumption that vets should only evaluate horses at specific control points and/or after a certain # of miles is incorrect.
not that it really matters much (it doesn't) - but I never had the presumption indicated above (and my examples actually referred to the vet observing a problem on the trail and eliminating the competitor with a L completion code:) All of the questions/scenarios etc. I have put forward in this thread have had the goal of helping to flush out the authoritative answers to questions:)
As to the assignment of completion codes, truman is right about the AERCs perspective (being focused on record keeping and research). Data quality and consistency are the primary motivators for AERC. But for the riders/owners/trainers, the difference between a horse with a clean record and a lameness pull can be thousands of dollars in (potential) value. It is short sighted not to understand this economic force. IMO, the best thing the AERC can do is not to attempt to give an avenue to hide problems (as RO was?originally). AERC should continue to train and certify ride vets to get consistency in the evaluation and reporting processes so that the data can be viewed as certifiably correct, which is not the case now IMO.
Overall, I hope this thread has served a purpose in helping all to understand more of the processes and reasoning behind the completion codes of both the AERC and the FEI. We certainly all have opinions as to the value of these, and, for the AERC at least, it has been clearly articulated that it is the Vet community who controls and determines all of these processes. I think we have also identified an(other) area where FEI and AERC endurance procedures are inconsistent. All dual sanctioned event managers, participants, and VETS! ?need to be aware of these differences so as to avoid confusion in the heat of the race. I'm afraid the FEI/AERC differences are more than just requiring helmets, collars, and bootHeals:) and that the diversion of processes is continuing as both AERC, USEF, ?and FEI further refine their roles.
