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Re: [RC] What IS the proposal? - Diane TrefethenI misspoke. I apologize.k s swigart wrote: Is the proposal that is being discussed a proposal to require horses to meet criteria within 30 minutes or to require horses to pass their final vet check within 30 minutes? Vis-a-vis the vet check, not inconveniences, impossibilities. Jim Holland thought what I thought. We are both wrong! The proposed wording is: All equines must stand a mandatory post-ride evaluation within 30 minutes of the finish. Riders must present their equines for the final examination at a time of their choosing during the 30 minute period. An equine that does not meet the established criteria including pulse criteria within 30 minutes of crossing the finish line shall be disqualified. Once a competing equine has passed the post-ride examination, it may not be removed from completion for veterinary reasons. A normal post ride vet check averages about 4 mins, including walking from head of line to vet and the vet reviewing the card after the check. But if the vet has to perform the final pulse check (in addition to just listening to the horse's heart), add another minute. So if there are only 6 horses in line, every horse behind the 6th horse will reach the vet in over 30 minutes. 6 horses in line is COMMON, not just at big rides. If you pull more vets from the ride camp and treatment areas out to the finish line, you are now sacrificing the well-being of horses KNOWN to be in trouble to do a final vet check on fit to continue horses. THAT makes sense, not. Earlier I said that a P&R person could take the final pulse. But even if your horse is DOWN, that will take an additional 3 minutes. Then you have to walk from the P&R person to the vet line, another 2 minutes. That means you have used up 5 of your 30 minutes to get a final pulse. Now if there are only 5 horses in line, you are dq'd. This is insane. If this rule is enforced, hundreds of horses that are perfectly sound and fit to continue will be disqualified. And if it is NOT going to be enforced, why make it? NOTHING breeds contempt for rules more than the blatant disregard of those rules by the people entrusted in enforcing them. If you are NOT going to disqualify horses that fail to have their post-ride check within 30 minutes, WHY MAKE IT A RULE? The solution is to leave the first two references to time in 6.2.1.1 at one hour and change only the third reference, the one refering to pulse down, to 30 minutes, assuming you agree with THAT provision. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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