Re: mileage

[K S Swigart <katswig@deltanet.com>]

On Fri, 13 Mar 1998, Merryben wrote:

> Where does the 35% figure come from.  Is that documented?  If so, where?

The 35% comes from adding up the number of LD riders at a ride and
dividing by the total number of riders at a ride (for all the rides done
during the year).  I think.

You will note that this only means that 35% of the membership only does LD
rides is only true IF:

All the membership rides 
All the participating in the ride (both LD and Endurance) are members
Nobody during the year participates in both LD and Endurance rides.

All of the above statements are patently false.

Some of the membership doesn't ride at all
Many of the participants in an LD ride are not AERC members
Many people do both LD rides and endurance rides during the same year

It would be false to assume that because 35% of the riders at a ride are
LD riders that 35% of the AERC membership only rides LD.  I suspect that
if one were to actually poll the membership, there are very few who have
ridden LD exclusively; and even fewer yet who intend to only ride LD ever.

An LD ride (that LD stands for "limited distance" you know) is a "novice"
endurance event.  It may be that the AERC wants to take a page from the
AHSA's book and create a new division called "Adult Amateur" for people,
in essence, who want to participate at the novice level forever;
understanding that Adult Amateurs have limitations (like other aspects in
their life) that preclude them from moving up to more advanced competition
and should only be required to compete with other people at their level
(and, BTW should not be allowed to compete with true novices, i.e.
people/horses who are in their first or second year of
competition--according to the AHSA, as continuing to compete as a novice,
when you are not one is considered in most sports to be 'chicken shit').

Many endurance rides that I have been to informally make this distinction
as they will have separate awards for "first time riders" (or
riders/horses who have done less than 3 LD rides, etc.) recognizing that
not all people competing in the novice division are indeed novices.

I am not sure that the AERC is big enough to support such a new class of
rider, but it may be getting that way.  If, indeed, 35% of the MEMBERSHIP
competes in LD rides only, then maybe "Adult Amateur" is the way to go.

kat
Orange County, Calif.

p.s.  One MUST draw the line SOMEWHERE about determining what is an
endurance ride and what is not.  Otherwise the "miles" that an English
Pleasure horse does in its 10 trips around the inside of the arena during
competition would also be considered "endurance miles."

The AERC has chosen to draw that line at 50 miles.  _I_ think that this is
a good compromise between the people (like me :)) who think that true
endurance starts at 100(in one day, or 50 miles on consecutive days), and
people who think that true endurance starts at 25.