Re: Newbie query: why required weight?

[Jerald Thiessen <thiesj@tdbank.ca>]

Kat
I am assuming this statement you are attributing to myself regarding the
voodoo magic comment

" We know that more work has to be done to accelerate more wieght(f=ma),
so we are going to make all riders carry a minimum of 165 lbs to make the
competition more fair."



I did not make this comment. So I will not even try to defend it. But weight
is a factor and I KNOW that to be a fact. I do not think that forcing everyone
to a minimum weight is of any help. The reason being , that the more dead
weight ones caries , the bigger a factor that will become.
Take 3 riders
#1 rider weights in @ 200 lbs ( carries no non human (dead weight) except
saddle.
# 2 rider weights in @ 150 lbs has to carry 15 lbs of dead weight
# 3 rider weights in @ 110 lbs has to carry 55 lbs of dead weight


Is it any more fair or equal?
Not at all. So I think we both agree that having a minimum weight is of no
benefit. But my horse has the handicap of carrying my Big butt around and that
is his cross that he has to bear.

So Kat I am actually in your corner on the issue of adding weight. I just
disagree with some of the comments on the net regarding that weight is not a
factor. Those comments are either denial or simply sticking ones head in the
sand. I just do not think a problem can be fixed for one person by causing a
problem for someone else. My size is my problem ( and I am not fat) and I do
not want anyone else punished for it. In some sports like hockey I use it to
my advantage. But my size does cause extra workload and stressload for the
better part of my endurance team.

Going to a ride tomorrow so nothing can bother me today!!!!!!

Jerald






K S Swigart wrote:

> On Fri, 4 Sep 1998, Jerald Thiessen wrote:
>
> > see it a something to me to overcome. I agree that we cannot equalize it
> > by adding weight, but that does not justify the "denial" that carrying
> > extra weight over great distances does cost the horse to expend more
> > energy.
>
> I nvere denied that horses carrying more weight expnd more energy.  What I
> stated was that there is no correlation between weight carried and OUTCOME
> of the race. (I am eager to see the study published in Europe).
>
> Since what the FEI is trying to do with the minimum weight requirement is
> to make the outcome reflect the champion, doing so by making riders stand
> on scales and making lighter riders manage an extra variable is just plain
> old wrong.
>
> "We know that more work has to be done to accelerate more weight (f=ma),
> so we are going to make all riders carry a minimum of 165 lbs to make the
> competition more fair."
>
> How do you get from the first statement to the second?  Voodoo magic.
>
> If you tried to make that fly in your physics class, you'd get an "F."
>
> Until it is understood how weight carried effects the outcome of the
> event, you can't make things fairer by adding weight to lighter riders.
>
> kat
> Orange County, Calif.