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Re: [RC] Pulse - Punishing the non-Arab breeds -- the problem - SandyDSA

In a message dated 2/15/2003 9:25:43 AM Pacific Standard Time, capella@xxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:

Without fail, all those riding breeds other than Arabs (and some who do ride higher-pulsed Arabs!) already feel they have been handed  the raw end of the deal with the current standards -- i.e. the vets now seeming to push the limit of imposing the lowest pulse rate possible, irregardless of weather, et al.
 
Coming myself from the competitive world of eventing, dressage, foxhunting, and driving -- and having done so with many different types and sizes of breeds --


here is my thought, having come from the same sporting background: My horses don't tend to be the most competitive cutting horses, but I don't expect that sport to change its expectations to suit my less suitable horses. The fact is that some breeds and even some individuals just aren't as well suited. The playing field will never be "level" enough to suit every person or horse. It shouldn't be. One picks one's poison, and hopefully chooses a horse who is most suitable to the endeavor, not the other way around. I feel blessed that our Arabians ARE good at a number of things, which is part of our enjoyment of them. Many Arabians riders - including us - feel that we get the short end of the stick in dressage, simply because of the size difefrential. Actually, I had one judge tell me we would have scored better if only my Arabian was bigger:)! Had nothing to do with skill or training - it had to do with something out of our control. Rather than expect an entire discipline to work itself around every single type and breed of horse whose owner wants to participate, one need choose wisely when selecting a horse for a given sport. Arabians are indeed more suited to endurance by viture of the very qualities they were bred for. It would be wrong to now re-work the sport against them, simply to make it easier for other horses and breeds who are by virture of THEIR breeding, less suitable. I will take my 5th place out of 7 in dressage on my Arabians...because our Arabians are excellent endurance horses!

San