>At our last ride, an elevated ride of 160 km, we retired at 115 km. Niki=
ta
>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 forfei=
ted
>the possible 10 points we would have gained for completing. ...
First, thank you, on behalf of all ride vets. It is far preferabl=
e
to have the rider make this decision. Every time someone comes to me an s=
ays
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 ride=
rs
fall into this category.
Secondly, the business you mention about crediut for mile complet=
ed
is intriguing. Here, under AERC and ECTRA rules, credit for partial milea=
ge
is not given. No finish---no mileage credit. It is an interesting point t=
o
ponder whether folks might be more inclined to stop when it is questionab=
le
vs. stop when it it obvious that the horse is done if they could get cre=
dit
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.=20
What do the rest of you think about this concept?=20
--Charlotte
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