Re: RC: Re: Weight Division Points

["Nancy Mitts" <mitts_n@hotmail.com>]

Sue,
I haven't seen anyone else answer this so here goes.
You only have to meet the minimum weight, so indeed anyone can ride as a FW. 
There isn't usually an advantage in riding "heavy" unless there is a really 
tough competitor in that division. If the lower weight division is 
considered "easier" people might drop down. I have seen cases where people 
thought that HW was an easy division because of the small #'s, so they'd 
carry a couple extra pounds to make the 211. Usually they'd find the big 
guys were pretty competitive, the weight was a pain to carry, & drop back 
down the next year.
When I first started this sport all riders weighed in pre ride. It was such 
a pain for riders & management is has pretty much been dropped except for 
weighing the top ten for BC post ride. A rider may challenge another's 
weight at any time to make sure they meet the minimum.

> >Yet we consider HWTs as
> >FWTS, MWTs as LWTs and all of them as one and the same in some rides---
> >and at other rides they are completely different categories.

I don't really get this part either, except that for the purpose of 
determining a "full" ride to calculate points, the numbers of all riders are 
counted. If there are 11 Sr. riders, all WD points are considered "full".
Many people really don't give a hoot about points. But the ones who do 
usually care A LOT. Especially if someone dedicates a special season with a 
special horse just to see what they can do.
That's why I think changing the system to require 11 in each WD will create 
such a hassle for RM's. If I knew my FW division wasn't full I'd sure be out 
trying to get people to switch for that ride if they didn't care about 
points. For the heavier WD's The RM would have to make sure they met the 
minimum. Then can you see someone having a change of heart & calling the 
AERC office to say they were in the "wrong" division by mistake? Know one 
would ever be sure where they stood for months after a ride.
I have also heard it suggested that maybe 11 per WD is too many, it could be 
some other #, like a percentage of riders in that WD. Sounds like another 
administrative nightmare to me. Has anyone done any figuring as to whether 
those percentages change from year to year? Will we change the rule from 
year to year if they do??
I've probably included a lot more than you really wanted to know!!! I'd 
better get back to work!
Nancy

>I don't get this part.  I thought if you were a HWT, then you were a
>HWT...not that you could ride as any other category...especially a FWT!
>Would someone please explain how this part works?!!  And why would someone
>want to ride in a category that they are too heavy for?  Don't you have to
>weigh in for points calculations?
>
>Sue
>
>sbrown@wamedes.com
>Tyee Farm
>Marysville, Wa.
>
>
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