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[RC] New Riders - New Rules - Tom NollHoliday Greetings: Some of us question the need for more rules, regulations, bureaucratic red tape, and questionable class distinctions. One of the great things about an endurance ride is that anyone can show up, ride, and possibly cross the finish line first. A first-place finish may be unlikely, but there are a few "dark horses" out there. Sure, there are veterinarians to help our horses and us, but the primary responsibility for our horse's welfare is on our very own shoulders. Some are up to that responsibility and others are not, and some will never be able to shoulder the burden. I fail to understand how a "novice" category with a multiple-step process to achieve the status of "endurance rider" would have helped very many horses this year. The few horses that died this year and last where I personally know the circumstances, were all ridden by very experienced riders, and as far as I know, all of those riders have experienced deep and lasting regret. Presumably, "novice" riders were not riding the horses in the Pan American Championship that required veterinary treatment. And, I sincerely doubt that any committee would ever bump any Pan Am rider back to the "novice" class regardless of the horse's welfare. Some months ago, it was suggested that the ride data need to be collected and analyzed before we implement changes to the present system. Perhaps horse treatments are related to other causes besides new riders and new horses. Perhaps it is specific rides, specific riders, weather, trail, diet, genetics, body condition, what the horse did yesterday or last week, or perhaps it is a nonlinear combination of many variables. Perhaps we will analyze the data and find that there are no identifiable factors. Perhaps we will never know, but we still need to do the analytics prior to the prescription. We've all gone distances on the trail that many of us never thought possible and to many people still seem impossible. More than a few of the biographies of the great horses and riders in this sport list some 100-mile ride as their very first endurance ride. Too many times in life some committee tells us that we are woefully unprepared and unworthy. Endurance riding is different, and I think the sport is better because of that difference. Happy Holidays, Tom Noll SW Idaho =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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