Re: [RC] a few other thoughts on the 1/2 hour or 1 hour hold - Elizabeth Walker
On Sep 23, 2009, at 9:14 AM, oddfarm wrote:
Maybe we should take the whole hour at the end. Maybe instead of rushing to reach criteria, we (the riders) should be taking our horses back to the pen, giving them that whole hour to re-hydrate and eat, (better gut sounds at the check) cool out more naturally and then just a few extra minutes to observe them.
Personally - I think this is a good idea. Some folks don't like it because their horses will stiffen up. However, if their horse is so stiff after an hour's rest that it can't pass a vet check, maybe that should say something. Of course - some folks will keep their horse moving for that entire hour, which then defeats the purpose.
Why are LD riders encouraged to "rush" their horses to get their pulse down in order to get a finish time? How is that in the best interest of the horse?
Again - it depends on your point of view. The LD completion criteria was set to discourage racing in to the finish. Unless you have a really, really fit horse, if you race into the finish, you run the risk of then completing after someone who trotted in 5 minutes after you.
By the way, many have expressed the opinion that since the horse is not going back out, the finish could be a tad more liberal. I am wondering if those same people think the time should be shortened to the half an hour.
Lisa Salas, the Odd fArm
I don't think so. I think the folks saying the finish could be more liberal are the ones in favor of leaving the finish criteria the way it is - at one hour. Vet checks have a 30 minute cut-off. Shortening the finish criteria to 30 minutes is more stringent, not more liberal.
