Ridecamp: Re: [RC] What Constitutes a Start?

Off the top of my head I'd say the following. A ride has to by the rules 
have a well defined finish line, a well defined distance and a clock 
(time limit for 12 hours for a 50, etc.). The start of the ride is when 
the trail opens and the clock starts. The trail is a well defined marked 
course of a measured distance.  When a person steps on the course - 
which is well defined you know when the RM tells you the night before 
you go out this way and see the markers - with the intent of doing the 
ride, then he has started the ride. By stepping onto the course the 
person has shown his intent on doing the ride therefore has to be 
considered a starter. Once started the ride, he has to be considered a 
started for the purpose of the AERC.

If a ride manager want to refund all or part of the entry in case of an 
accident, then that's between the rider and ridemanager - that's no 
business of the AERC. What is business of the AERC is all starters are 
listed and all funds accounted for.

Using your logic and drawing from this particular incident where the 
party was seen about five miles into the ride then every RM in the 
country could just set up a point 5 miles down the trail and let all 
those that for whatever reason didn't want to go on pull from the ride 
without any record. If 5 is okay, then why is 10 or 15 or 20?  Are you 
telling me you think this is in the letter and/or sprit of the AERC rules?

Truman 

Steph Teeter wrote:

> Ok... I'm going to stick my neck out on this issue. I believe that this
> falls within the 'jurisdiction' of the ride manager, not AERC rules. AERC
> does not address this in its rules. Nor does it state anywhere that a ride
> manager MUST list every horse/rider that saddles up and starts out as either
> a pull or a completion. At one of my rides, a rider started out, was back in
> a few minutes stating her horse was off. I refunded the rider her entry fee,
> and scratched her from the start list. There was nothing to indicate to me,
> as ride manager that this was Wrong. What is the big deal here? It wasn't
> even until recently that AERC started listing pulls at all in the printed
> results. Most people are more concerned with completions.
>
> When I refunded the rider her entry fee - AERC lost out on $4, and I as ride
> manager lost out on $60. This was my choice. If this person had spent time
> warming up the horse before the ride, she would have come to me before the
> starting time and asked to withdraw from the ride - before she started.
>
> I don't believe that I violated any AERC rules. Nor do I believe Dave
> violated any AERC rules. There is no rule in existence that states "once a
> rider begins forward motion on the designated course, he/she must be
> considered a starter, and subsequently listed in the official ride results".
> Maybe there should be, and will be. But right now there isn't and this is
> one of those things that most ride managers just do. (probably more in the
> interest of keeping entry fees than anything else).
>
> Truman - what would a protest look like in this case? What would you (or the
> BOD) protest?
>
> Steph




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