>2.Should amateurs be allowed to ride in "professional" rides?
Never
>3.Should there be different drug testing rules for "professional"
>and "amateur" rides?
No.
>4.Should sponsors of "professional" rides be required to pay
>anything to AERC to cover the expenses of administering these rides?
No. But the ride needs to cover the expense of the additional
stewards or whatever AERC has to do extra.
>5.Should any of the money sponsors of "professional" rides pay AERC
>be given to managers of "amateur" rides to help defray their expenses?
No.
>Laney
My preliminary thinking would be to separate the professional and
amature rides. A professional ride would be one where there was big
bucks or big awards. Currently AERC has to look at each of these rides
anyway and has rules such as the steward being present. I would suggest
that AERC look at all the rides that have been run so far and decide
just how they want to see them run in the future. Then set the rules
down. Also set up a consistent set of qualifications for riders to
enter.
An amature ride would be run they way they currently are, just no big
prizes. AERC currently says $1000 is the limit.
And the two types of rides would not be mixed. No professional ride with
other riders who just can't ride for the money. All riders on a professional
ride must have met the qualifications and are eligible for the prize
money. I think I saw that the Cosequin ride will have a 25/50/100 divisions.
I bet the 25 mile riders aren't going for the cash - nor the 50's.
I wonder if there will be riders on the 100 that haven't met the qualifications
but will ride anyway, just not for the cash.
Riders could ride in any amature ride, regardless of whether they have
moved up to the "professional" level. There just aren't enough big
money rides to justify a completely separate division for riders.
To ride in a professional ride, the riders must have certain qualifications.
I suggested 250 miles of 50 mile rides, and 200 miles of 100 mile rides.
In addition, the horse and rider as a team, must have completed a certain
number of rides together.
What this would do is set up a consistent set of qualifications for horse
and rider to compete in a big money/big award race, rather than having
each race set their own qualifications. That way, those riders who know
they are going into these rides, would know way ahead of time if they
qualify, and if they qualify for one ride, they would qualify for all
of the rides. It would also keep those people who suddenly get interested
in endurance riding from starting their first or fifth ride in a big
money race.
-- Wendy\|/ /\ -O- /**\ /|\ /****\ /\ / \ /**\ Here there be dragons / /\ / \ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\/\/\ /\ / / \ / \ / \/\/ \/ \ /\/ \/\ /\ /\/ / / \/ \ / / \/ /\ \ / \ \ / \/ / / \/ \/ \ / \ \ / / \/ \/\ \ / \ / / \ __/__/_______/___/__\___\__________________________________________________
Wendy Milner HPDesk: wendy_milner@hp4000 Hewlett-Packard Company e-mail: wendy@fc.hp.com Mail Stop A2 Telnet: 229-2182 3404 E. Harmony Rd. AT&T: (970) 229-2182 Fort Collins, CO, 80525 FAX: (970) 229-2038