>At our last ride, an elevated ride of 160 km, we retired at 115 km. Nikita
>was quite sound and energetic at that point, but I thought it prudent to
>quit with our distance credit and a sound horse. Retiring meant I forfeited
>the possible 10 points we would have gained for completing. ...
First, thank you, on behalf of all ride vets. It is far preferable
to have the rider make this decision. Every time someone comes to me an says
they are pulling, I feel a mixture of concern and diappointment for them and
the horse, but a great deal of respect as well. I like to think most riders
fall into this category.
Secondly, the business you mention about crediut for mile completed
is intriguing. Here, under AERC and ECTRA rules, credit for partial mileage
is not given. No finish---no mileage credit. It is an interesting point to
ponder whether folks might be more inclined to stop when it is questionable
vs. stop when it it obvious that the horse is done if they could get credit
for the distance covered. Of ourse, that would open whole new cans of
worms, such as--what if a horse pulled between checks? Or what if a rider
started a horse knowing that it was in no shape to finish? etc. Still, an
interesting variation on the way things are handled.
What do the rest of you think about this concept?
--Charlotte