Ridecamp: [RC] Protecting Horses

Kori wrote:

> I am wondering why there is no such punishment to those riders that do
decide
to ride to win and only to win...? <

Kori,
People do what they are "paid" to do. In endurance, riders are "paid" to
cross the line first, or Top Ten, or BC....In the PS region, RM's Glazer
and Woolley Howe have broken the mold by "paying" riders on LD rides to
strive for BC no matter where in the field they finish (and five get to
win BC awards). An exemplary model of how The Way We Win can work --
creatively designing incentives that reward smart riding.

Instead of rewarding riders who race (and let's face it, we do)....the
Way We Win model shifts endurance from head to head competition ("me
against you, and oh-by-the-way, your horse") to excellence against a
standard...a standard that is unique to each ride and reflects its
historical finishing times and profile of challenges, be they lots of
elevation, rocks, sand or humidity. All riders who finish within a
certain time at the top of their game would be in the gold (or whatever
we decide to call it--Angie had some clever ideas) group....the second
group would stand together and earn silver....and the third group would
merit bronze designation. This takes away the incentive to win at all
costs while continuing to reward ("pay") excellence for the majority of
riders who don't take foolish chances and do put their horse first; in
fact, it moves them up. Wouldn't you be just as happy to stand shoulder
to shoulder with the top 12 or 20 "gold" horses in the ride as you would
to race in the last five miles (or 100 yards...in the dark, or in the
mud, or down a rocky hillside) to _maybe_ catch 10th place?
I hope you'll stop by the Way We Win website
http://www.thewaywewin.net/index.htm and check it out.
Bobbie (who enjoyed riding with you for a while at Norco Riverdance year
before last)
and Perle,
in Escondido


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