1. If there is a problem (god forbid), ride managers need to stay plugged in to
the ride to make decisions in an emergency. The treatment vet needs to be
able to get away from vet checks in an emergency to attend to the horse, while
not jeopardizing the ride for the rest of the participants. The rule book
states that the safety of the horse is of primary concern to the vets, if
the ride manager is out riding the ride, and their is only one vet, every one suffers.
2. I am aware of discussions in AERC on this topic and remember once letter saying that
if you do all the work putting on a ride, then you should be able to enjoy the fruits of your
labor. My feeling yes and no.
No:Go to a ride put on by someone else and *really* savour it
since you know what aggravation they have been through and countless favours asked
to put it on.
Yes: ride your own ride, but have someone take over (officially) ride
managership while you are on the trail. I stillcant help felling though, that
if you designed the trail, you have an unfair adavantage in terms of terrain
where water is located and how hard to push your horse. even though Donna and
I co-manage Los Vaqueros (I freely admit I hate paperwork - Donna does it splendidly)
I still cant bring myself to ride my own ride - not after going through what I
did at western States 60, and knowing what spur of the moment calls you need to
make in any emergency. I still have a full radio crew, minimum 3 vets per 25
people (on a loop ride!), paramedics, a fire engine and a direct line into the
life flight 'copter, as well as the local vet and Davis on standby. Paranoia
maybe, but I think my riders feel a little safer than at most rides.
3. Ride variables remaining constant for all riders throughout the ride is imperative.
These variabe include:
* keeping P and R criteria the same for a given vet check
for all riders.
* equal access to ride water
* equal access to vets
* well marked trail
* Vets at every designated vet check, if not possible, state that it is a fixed hold.
* Calibrated mileage - these 3 hour 50's really PISS ME OFFF!
In this way we can really try and make completing a ride as consistant accross
the US as possible, otherwise things like national standings and national
championships have no meaning to those participating, as well as knowing
exactly where you stand in the general scheme of things. My feeling is a ride
length should be the total mileage +/- 10% This would engender some degree of
confidence in the riders in terms of true mileage, as well as making competition
as fair as possible. After all point standings are not based on the riders
in these divisions competing against each other, but rather a summation of the
different rides completed in a given period of time. Equally as important to the
average rider I think would be to have been pulled on a ride that was longer (or shorter)
than advertised and losing mileage because of it.
I could go on (miniseries?), but having run the gamut from competition, to losing
ahorse on a ride, to ride management has given me an entirely different
perspective on things.
>From your letter I think someone should have a quiet word with said Montana ride
manager (via local AERC director or sanctioning director) so that this sort
of activity doen't continue. I can only feel releieved that nothing serious
happened during the ride.
Dom
______________________________________________________________________
Dominique Freeman | "Life is short, science is long" |
fadjurs@sadandy.hpl.hp.com | |
Hewlett Packard Laboratories, | |
Palo Alto, CA USA | |
Phone: (415) 857-8596 | |
FAX: (415) 852-8576 | |
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