I have not read all the articles on the issue of weight divisions & I am
well aware that empassioned responses often generate lots of email
unnecessarily.
While I deal primarily w/humans these days, I have a long history of
research on the responses and adaptations of mammals to the stress of
exercise, including recently published work with Ohio State's Vet School
prior to leaving in '00. Although some features are certainly different in
equines than humans by and large most physiological responses are the same,
particularly with regard to energy metabolism. Work rate dictates fuel
consumption in any machine: increased work results in increased fuel
consumption. On level ground bodymass is not a tremedous factor in
dictating energy consumption, BUT, add ANY vertical component to work
(e.g,. climbing a hil) and bodymass is a huge detriment. Thus, animals
weighing more &/or carrying more weight up a hill will absolutely consume
more energy than lighter animals or those carrying lighter mass. I am
certain these inescapable basic laws of thermodynamics and Newtonian
physics were at least considered when formulating weight divisions.
One must also be careful in interpretation of numbers. Testimonials are
slect observations whereas appropriate use of statistics require a large
sample size. True larger riders have won many if not all events at one
time or another, hower, if we were to look at finishes by class across the
country in a mutlitue of events covering a multitude of terrain and
conditions over many years one would undoubtedly find that the largest
fraction (greater than 50%) of all events are won by riders/tack less than
185 pounds. Another way to illustrate this is in terms of breeds. True,
breeds other than arabs and arab crosses have ben successful at all levels
of endurance, but the overwhelming majority of events have been won by arab
& arab/crosses.
There are so many ways to represent numbers: fractions, percentages,
absolutes. In absolute terms riders >185 pounds have won far fewer
endurance events than riders <185 pounds, regardless of how you pick and
choose selected observations. If people were to gambel on these events
they would play the odds, or percentages, becuz most events will be won by
riders less than 185 poiunds.
Personally I beleive weight divisions are a must in a sport such as this &
are rooted in scientific fact void of empassioned re
Jon K. Linderman, Ph.D., FACSM
Assistant Professor of Health and Sport Science
University of Dayton
300 College Park
Dayton, OH 45469-1210
Voice:(937) 229-4207
FAX: (937) 229-4244
jonlinderman@udayton.edu
http://www.udayton.edu/~linderma