Boy, do I agree with this! I've been
saying for YEARS that LD rides should be used for training, bringing back a
horse from down time, for riders who do not want or are not able to ride longer
distances, etc. The LAST thing they should be is a RACE.
Literally ANY horse, conditioned or not, can do 25-35 miles, but these rides
should not be used that way. They are a great tool if used
properly.
Barbara McCrary Ride manager, Swanton
Pacific 75/100 "The most beautiful trail in the world"
If AERC ride managers use the BC form as it is now, they
will have to use SPEED and WEIGHT as a factor. 4 year olds will be
raced, horses will be hurt more often, and riders will go like
hell. Now if you wish to submit to the committee that met at the
convention and try again to resolve the issue of LD BC have at it.
BUT time cannot be factor. You must devise an overall vet parameter
score that will take into consideration the horses age, experience and
miles. LD are training rides. ASK anyone with 10,000+ miles.
And they deserve the right to be heard. If you have not had a horse on
an IV line it is difficult to fathom the guilt. Whether you went fast or
not. So to reiterate devise a BC form that uses all the vet parameters
from all the vet checks, score them and eliminate time from the equation and
maybe I will whistle a new tune. Donna
