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[RC] Ruffled Feathers - k s swigart

Joanne said:


The AERC rules say LD-BC is a RM's option---I say that is

discriminatory.

A 50 miler knows exactly what will be expected of him at

any ride in the region.

 They all have the same standard.


Joanne, with respect to BC standards for LD vs. the 50, is
mistaken.  While the AERC endurance (50+ miles) rules do
require that ride management have an award available for BC,
they are not required to actually bestow it at the ride, and
they are allowed to have whatever criteria they want for
bestowing it with the same caveat that there is in the rules
for LD BC....that only those BC awards given using the AERC
system "count."

Most ride managers (and head vets, who, in the long run are
the judges of who wins BC) are fairly happy with the AERC
system for choosing the BC in endurance rides...and so they
use the system.  But a notable exception (while not a 50) is
Tevis. They don't like the AERC's system, and they don't use
it.  So while you can win the Haggin Cup at Tevis, you can't
win AERC BC, and winning the Haggin Cup won't show up on
your horse's AERC record.

I don't know about the Mountain Region, but I know in my
region (PS) few of the ride managers or vets are happy with
the AERC system, expressed their dislike of the system from
its inception, many have tried giving it and haven't been
happy with the results, some give it grudgingly, and several
have repeatedly stated that they would very much like the
AERC to change the system so that they CAN be happy with
awarding it.

The AERC rules are the same for LD and endurance, ride
managers can give BC or not, to whatever rider on whatever
horse they feel has earned it.

So if riders in the Mountain region want to be able to earn
BC for the LD then what they need to do is to help the AERC
to come up with a system for awarding it such that ride
managers and vets actually WANT to.

For the ride managers that I know that don't (or do but
don't like to) award the LD BC, it is not because they are
too cheap to buy a prize or that the vets are too lazy to
perform the evaluation, but rather because they feel that it
awards the WONG thing.

It is my understanding that the Board of Directors is trying
to come up with a system that more ride managers and vets
will be willing to use.  Rather than moaning about how
discriminatory you think the current system is (with respect
to the AERC rules it is not), why don't you ask the ride
managers in your region WHY they don't award BC and what
system they WOULD be willing to use and then help convey
that information to the AERC so they can use it in coming up
with a better system.

I wasn't around to see it (before my time), but I suspect
that during the time that the AERC was standardizing the BC
system for endurance rides, that there was similar
resistence to the AERC's system for bestowing it and even
now, there are plenty of rides where the vet, after
evaluating all of the horses eligible under the AERC rules
(the top ten), is unwilling to bestow the award no matter
what the results on the AERC score sheets.  Presumably, this
is not (necessarily) because there wasn't a single horse in
the entire ride who didn't look good at the end.

Personally, if I were a ride manager at a 50 mile ride, and
the head vet told me that he didn't want to award AERC BC to
any of the top ten horses, I would ask him which horse in
the ride (all the starters, not just all the finishers) that
he thought was in the best condition at the end and then
give the award (that the rules require me to have avaiable
:)) to that person.  And yes, pulling your horse before the
finish so that it WOULD still be in good condition at the
end still makes you eligible for the award.

kat
Orange County, Calif.

p.s.  From what I have heard from different people in
different regions (and my own experience with going to rides
outside of my region), it is also not true that a 50 mile
rider can go to any ride in the country and expect the
standards to be the same.



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