Re: national championship/qualifications

["Heidi Smith" <heidi@sagehillcmk.com>]

And the most important point here, Frank, is that the mileage is also a representative of both rider experience and horse base.  Not an altogether infallible one, I'll grant you.  But it's the only one we have that we can apply across the board to all riders.  So it isn't really all about whether the lower mileage rider can WIN the championship--or even Top Ten or whatever.  It is about whether the rider has the experience to be able to gauge whether the horse can indeed WIN that day, and still be sane, healthy, and able to compete in the future. 

 

I am reminded of a very prominent endurance horse and a novice rider a few years back that had the raw talent to win, win, win, and that ran up a very impressive record--unless you were the one vetting the rides and saw how close to the ragged edge this horse finished every time.  The horse was finally pushed over the edge a couple of times and required intensive medical treatment.  The lack of experience of the rider and the raw talent of the horse was almost a deadly combination.  The horse was lucky enough to change hands, and went on to FEI gold--but more importantly did not get ridden past its capacity anymore.

 

AERC is supposed to be an organization that stands up for the horses' best interest.  Having riders with little experience go out on horses with little experience and run for something named a Championship is not in the horses' best interest.

 

Heidi

 

----- Original Message -----

From: DVeritas@aol.com

To: nvrider@charter.net

Cc: ridecamp@endurance.net

Sent: Wednesday, February 06, 2002 10:41 PM

Subject: RC: national championship/qualifications

 

the number of miles ridden by a given horse and rider team does not represent whether that team has a better chance of WINNING a National Championship, but it DOES represent that that team has a better chance of COMPLETING a National Championship...and we know that if you don't COMPLETE, you can't WIN.
   Can a horse who has the proper legging up and conditioning over three or four years, but due to the owner's lifestyle, money, etc., has not piled up miles and miles of rides WIN a National Championship......you bet...likely, I don't think so.