[RC] LD Rides / Endurance - Dressage - Richard Sacks
At the risk of being flamed, my opinion on the LD issue. It is not a
question of what the rides are called. The issue is that 37% of the ride
managers in the Western Region have chosen to implement their view point that
LD's are training rides by recording results as "Completed" or "Finished" rather
than indicating actual completion times and placements. Their argument is that
they don't want to promote racing and have chosen this method to accomplish this
goal rather than implementing tighter controls (ie: lower P&R requirements
like a 56 pulse rather than 60). In doing so they are in violation of AERC
Rules L5.3, L5.4, L7, L8, L8.3 and L9.3. This is
the issue that most LD riders find disrespectful. No ther discipline fails to
record accurate results of an event except AERC. Not dressage, jumping,
reigning, eventing, cow horse, or gymkahnna, regardless of the level of the
event. Only AERC in the West region.
The Limited Distance rules are as follows:
Rule L7 states that "If placements are given, they must be determined using
the procedure described in L5.3 and L5.4. The ride results will be posted in
this order, but no points for placement or for completion will be awarded."
Rule L5.3 states that "Riding time is the time used by competitors to
complete the course and reach criteria, excluding all hold times. This is the
time used for AERC ride results." This rule is modified to some extent by Rule
L5.4 that states "At the finish ride time of the competitor continues until a
preset veterinary criteria of 60 heartbeats per minute or less is met.
(Finishing time is recorded as the time at which the rider asks for and
subsequently meets this preset criteria.) There is no marked finish line on the
course that is used to determine placing or completion time."
Rule L8 states "The AERC shall record Best Condition points and mileage for
members in Limited Distance rides. All Best Condition points and all miles
remain in the Limited Distance Program and are not transferable. Best Conditions
will be published." Rule L8.3 states "Ride results list all completing riders in
order of finish."
Rule L9.3 specifically delineates a method for determining the Best Condition
Award. Rule L9.3 states "Under the AERC system, all of the first ten finishing
horses are eligible for consideration, whether ridden by a junior,
featherweight, lightweight, middleweight or heavyweight riders. Keep in mind
that the order of finish for Limited Distance riders is determined using
recovery time as described in rule L5.4."
The fact that some ride managers choose to ignore these rules is not only
disrespectful to the riders but cuts at the heart and soul of the spirit of
AERC. It seems that their egos and opinions are above the laws of our
organization. If they don't like the rules, why don't they try to change them
rather than break them. This does not occur in any of the other regions. It only
occurs in the West region and only with a handful of ride managers.
The unfortunate aspect of this divide is that it may cause a split in AERC.
NATRC has already begun to offer distance rides that are open and not judged.
This will become more attractive to LD riders and may result in lost revenue for
AERC and the ride managers. The latest edition of EN indicated that the LD
segment is the fastest growing segment and that the 100 mile segment has
decreased. It doesn't take more than common sense to realize that if your
membership is changing, your organization must evaluate whether it wants to
change to meet the member's need, cease to exist, or face new competition. One
only needs to look at the NRCHA (National Reining Cow Horse Association) and the
newly formed National Stock Horse Association to see what happens when an
organization is not responsive to it's member's needs. They go out and form a
new organization that will.
