Re: RC: LD

[jlong@mti.net (Joe Long)]

On Tue, 9 Mar 1999 09:15:48 -0800 (PST), guest@endurance.net wrote:

>Despite the  work by the Committes on LD last year, it actually 
>appears that you went backwards, by discontinuing listing 
>placements and times.  Don't get my wrong, I'm not asking for 
>prizes -- only acknowledgement of the placings -- dosen't cost 
>the AERC money.  Can anybody enlighten me why this happened???

I had exactly the same experience on the first 25 mile ride I rode, in
1978.  I finished first -- quite by accident, I had no idea of my
position and frankly I rode a young green horse too fast.  I, like
you, was dissapointed when I got no recognition for first place.
However, I am grateful today that I did not get such recognition.  

The reasons for it are quite simple.  25 miles is not a good distance
to race horses.  It's too short to test a horse's endurance but long
enough to get horses into serious trouble.

So we find track races up to about two miles, and endurance races at
fifty miles and above, but few races at distances in between.  The
AERC discourages giving place awards at the LD distances as a safety
feature, to discourage people from racing at these distances.  The
AERC does have mileage programs for recognition of LD competitors.

Of course, not everyone agrees that we should not be racing horses 25
miles.  But the AERC has very wisely (IMO) decided that racing horses
at this distance is not a good idea and has wisely adopted policies to
discourage and to attempt to control it at AERC sanctioned events.
That is not a lack of respect or recognition, but a recognition of the
excessive dangers of racing at these middle distances.

-- 

Joe Long
jlong@mti.net
http://www.mti.net     Business
http://www.rnbw.com    Personal


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