[RC] newbie question re time limits in endurance v. ctr - Jonni
The difference is how the events are "judged". In a
CTR, the horses are actually judged during the ride, and their condition is what
the vets will score, and then the placings are on that score. So, they have a
set time frame window for ALL horses to ride in, so the pace will be the
same for all horses. The feeling is to make it as even of a playing field as
possible with the same time frame / speed. At an endurance ride, you have
a time by which you must finish, but you can go as fast or as slow as you want,
as long as you pass all vet inspections and finish before the final cut off
time. The horses are not "judged" and placed on their vet scores, unless
they are being judged for best condition at the end of the ride. Then the horse
will be "judged".
Different CTR organizations, have different speeds,
or pace they will have their ride at. I am familiar with NATRC, which is a pace
of 3.5 to 5mph for novice, and 4 to 6 mph for Open. Each ride will decide what
pace is best for their ride, depending on terrain etc. I believe that
maybe ECTRA has faster paced rides than NATRC. All of the endurance rides are
the same in that, a 25 mile ride must be completed in 6 hours. That includes
your vet holds. Some rides might have 1 hold, and others have 2 holds, and
the time of the holds may vary some. So, in turn, the pace might fluctuate a
little bit due to different hold times if you are a rider who uses the
whole time frame to finish, but it won't change much.
