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The WEC is a race - first and formost. There is not question in the FEI 
world what champion means - it means the first across the finish line on 
that given day just like the KY Derby champion is the first across the 
finish line the first Saturday in May.

As for rocks it sounds like the course is covered with rocks - maybe 
very small rocks but rocks just the same ;-) .

Don't fool yourself into thinking that the sand will not take it's toll 
an produce lame horses - it will, especially those horses that have not 
trained in it.

Truman

k s swigart wrote:
> Steph said:
>
>   
> > I understand that Terennganu (the venue for the 2008 WEC)
> > is flat and has little or no rock, it is near the beach
> > (east coast) so there may be sand, but I think they are
> > actually grooming most of the course to make it as 'kind'
> > as possible.
> >     
>
> Personally, I think this is probably a mistake.  Rocks would provide an incentive for riders to slow themselves down, and those that don't will more likely be eliminated for lameness before the horse runs into serious metabolic problems.
>
> I haven't seen any indication that riders at WECs are willing to slow themselves down because there is a chance that their horse will overheat (and die??) if they don't.
>
> Overheating is something that sneaks up on you, such that by the time many people are aware of it in their horse it is too late to do much about it.
>
> Sand, heat, and humidity with no hills or rocks to obviously slow the riders down sounds to me like a course designed to encourage riders to push their horses as close to the overheating edge as possible without going over it.  And the "race" (which at a WEC is all there is) will go to the rider who does so.  However, failures in the "race" will go to those who a) exercise a bit of prudence and stay well away from the edge (presumably something you want to encourage, but a flat, fast course does not do this) and b) those who misjudge this edge (since few people actually know where it is) and their horses fall over it.
>
> I say, scatter rocks all over the course (or at least, in quite a few strategic places).  And by all means, allow more time to complete the course.  It would be a lot "kinder" to the horses if there is something besides just hoping that the riders show good sense to keep riders from running their horses into the ground; and it certainly would be a lot kinder to the horses if the riders aren't REQUIRED by cut off times to run their horses into the ground.
>
> kat
> Orange County, Calif.
>
>
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--

“Ethical axioms are found and tested not very differently from the 
axioms of science. Truth is what stands the test of experience.” Albert 
Einstein


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