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[RC] WEG 2006 - Duncan McLaughlinKat wrote: ??One way that the FEI could, perhaps (assuming that the riders DO know how to ride their horses within their capabilities and just choose not to), improve the performance of endurance riders at the championships is to have a rule that says, "if your country doesn't finish a team at the championships, you aren't invited back to the next one," and then to have only four riders per team (none of these people riding as individuals only). If it does this, then countries will make damned sure that they select riders who can be counted on reliably to not over ride their horses?? This idea has a lot of merit. The most medal winning team in WEG/WEC history is Australia. Australia also has an enviable completion record for both team members. For example, this century: Compeign 2000: 3 of 4 team (Team Gold) Jerez 2002: 4of 4 team completed (Team Bronze) Dubai 2004 (05): 3 of 4 completed (Team Silver) Aachen 2006: 4 of 4 completed. (Team position 6th and 1st of non-Europeans) plus both individuals completed. Also, at the World Junior Endurance Championships, Bharain 2005, Australia completed 4 of 4 team members(Team Gold), plus both individuals completed. It would appear that Kats idea isn?t only good in principle, but, if you want to bring home the goods, it works in practice too! Ed Hauser wrote: ??Austrialia has the most restrictive rules that I have read ... We should also remember that Austrialians view life and the government very differently than we do. They are extremely politically correct, and generally feel that the government always knows best. This is not just in relation to animals. Their firearm regulations are really strict (this in a country where there is much more open space than USA)... I support education. I support sanctions for bad acts. I support personal responsibility ... I oppose making everyone follow complicated rules just to prevent a few instances of bad horsemanship?. And yet (despite our disgracefully low record of shooting murders!) Australia (the correct spelling :-) is not only successful in international competitions but also has a vibrant domestic scene. Like the US (?), the majority of riders have little or no interest in FEI competition: to complete is to win! Indeed, in the last few years there have only been 2-4 FEI rides/year across the entire country. Our rule structure is remarkably similar to yours with the big difference being that Australia has implemented 1. A Novice Horse/Novice Rider system. Early in their careers, riders and horses are restricted to a maximum speed ? riders learn to pace their horses - and, for horses, more stringent HR criteria. 2. An early warning system. Horses that vet out are recorded and a succession of vet outs can lead to imposition of novice conditions, with the possibility of temporary or permanent rider disqualification. 3. We do not recognise 25 miles as an 'endurance' distance but consider thoser rides as ?training? rides, with minimum times and no record of place and no record of accumulation of distance from 'trainers'. The rules are not complicated (it takes, at most, a half hour to read them) but they sure do more than "just prevent a few instance of bad horsemanship". They instil in everyone?s mind an approach where horse welfare is paramount and this provides the basis, for those who do wish to ride competitively, nationally and internationally, on which to build. Rusty wrote: ??Better than a 5 day (which completely destroys the 100) would be a triple crown of 100 mile rides. Can anyone horse complete three FEI championships - in the top ten? In the top five? Over all winner? Now that would be the ultimate championship - a 100 mile triple crown?.? How about: Compiegne, France 2000 ? team gold Jerez, Spain 1002 ? team bronze Dubai, UAE 2004(05) ? team silver These are the results of Toft owned horse Bremevale Justice. Justice has completed 16 x 100 mile rides, usually competitively. In addition to the above , these also include a Tevis buckle (18th place at only attempt) and 4 Quilty buckles (including 2x 1st place, once in LW and once in HW divisions). See www.aera.asn.au and scroll about half way down the page for more details on Justice. Cheers Dunc Send instant messages to your online friends http://au.messenger.yahoo.com =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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