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[RC] racing ettiquette, is there such a thing? - Ridecamp Guest

Please Reply to: Lisa Salas jsalas@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx or ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Louise, so glad you are recovering!

Joe,
You are right that just because someone stops to help, doesn't mean the person 
they helped can't try to beat them in the end. But then, why should the person 
who stopped to help, do it in the first place? It's a race!

You see, if you were laying there with the wind knocked out of you, and I just 
kept going past you, what would that say about me? If I did stop and stay until 
you could get back on, and then you took off like a bat out of hell to beat me, 
what does that say about you? What if you had to get off to tighten a girth and 
your horse wouldn't stand still for you to get back on? So I come by, you ask 
me to help you back up and I just take off. It is a race.

Yes, it IS a race. However, if you need help bad enough for me to stop,(broken 
tack, broken bones, whatever) something else comes into play. I think it is 
called sportsmanship, but I could be wrong.

Of course, a little communication goes a long way. If both parties agree that 
they want to continue to race, may the best rider win. Chances are, if the one 
rider was hurt but able to finish without any help, they wouldn't mind the 
rider who stopped to continue on without them.

Why is it proper ettiquette to stop while someone eles's horse is drinking if 
it is a race? I never understood that.

I think too many of us get caught up in the "It's all about ME" syndrom. 
Including me. Somedays it can be all about you, and then other days it has to 
be about something bigger.

Then again, sports and competition are almost never looked at the same way by a 
woman, as it is a man. Following that thought, I have been attending my 
daughter's track meets and I do notice a huge difference in the way girls and 
guys deal with sports and competition.

For individual sports,(high jump, long jump etc.,) girls will cheer each other 
on, even for other teams. Guys hardley even acknowledge the other teammates, 
let alone the other schools. They are "in the zone". For the team relay events, 
if a girl doesn't hold her own, the other 3 will try to console her, (although 
I know that changes the minute they leave the track ;)but if a guy messes up, 
like dropping the baton, you would think the other 3 were going to hang the 
poor guy.

No need for negative remarks about the differences between genders, this is 
just my observation. I am not saying that either are right or wrong. There are 
many things that men and women view differently. Competetion and sportsmanship 
is just ONE of them.

Lisa Salas, The Odd fArm
Proud mom of High Jump State qualifier who in my mind will ALWAYS be a winner ;)


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