RE: [RC] endurance riding/racing and FEI influence - Nancy Mitts
I think I've said this before, but it bears repeating. A "timed event" normally involves some skill beyond raw speed. The fastest horse doesn't win if you knock over a barrel or the poles, or the roper busts the barrier or misses the throw. The skills are perfected before the speed is added. This is the mentality we need to stress in our sport. There is also no reason we only need to consider the mechanical and metabolic condition of the horses as the only "skill" required. Knowing that it is not acceptable to run over and into things is another required skill. I don't see it as a violation of AERC rule or tradition to say: Riders MUST ride to the conditions of the course. There is no NEED for riders to be running hell bent for leather around a blind curve on a trail open to others in order to prove who is "best", only to see who is the luckiest idiot. These are not closed courses we use. If competitors puts themselves or other trail users at risk by overrunning their capacity to control, they need to get ejected from the competition. Ride managers usually do not have the authority to close trails to other users or stop traffic. If endurance riders insist on running their race full out without slowing down for "obstacles" natural or man-made then the sport WILL cease to exist as we know it because there will be no where to hold the ride. Nancy Mitts
PS: For all it's faults, FEI has nothing to do with this mentality. AERC needs to clean up it's own house and FEI can take care of itself.
> reason. It always has been a 'race' - the rules are very clear in > that - it is a timed event. There is always room for people that just > want to ride w/o caring about how they place against the others - but > if we completely take the 'race = timed event' out of our sport Stay in touch when you're away with Windows Live Messenger. IM anytime you're online.
