CTR is not NATRC

[Petdoc6 <Petdoc6@aol.com>]

The discussion about LD and its problems has been very interesting.  It is
evident that abuses occur in LD  that must be addressed for the health of the
horses.  I have ridden almost all CTR in UMECRA here in the Midwest, but have
ridden one NATRC ride--guess that makes me an expert (gr).  The NATRC concept
is great but its execution leaves much to be desired.  I am less than pleased
about having my horsemanship judged by someone who  knows less than I do about
dressage and cross country riding.

UMECRA rides, and I guess the corresponding associations in the East, are
putting on rides that fall in  between Endurance and NACTRC.  UMECRA  CTR do
not have the horsemanship judging which is very subjective. You do not have to
perform inappropriate dressage movements in the woods or tie your water
buckets up.  A horse needs to stand quietly for mounting, move away from your
leg to get around an obstacle, and come up a bank when necessary. However, I
don't want to be judged on the quality of the  performance!  The judging  in
CTR is entirely based on the condition of the horse during and after the ride.
It teaches a rider new to endurance what things are important to assessing the
condition of the horse by placing a point value on them.  Pacing is another
important concept that I learned from CTR.  Yes, there is still some
subjectivity in the scoring but there is also that problem in determining what
constitutes an A in gut sounds!

It would be great if AERC would eliminate LD 25's in favor of CTR 25's.The 50
's would then be the first level that would reward  speed.  

Carol Wingate