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>Okay Folks,
> I'm going to commit e-mail suicide now and ask you to respond to this
>little poll. If the numbers come up as I'm suspecting, we may need to
>talk to AERC about our feelings on the matter.
> It's come to my attention, as well as a few others I've talked to, that
>the horses being judged for best condition based on the time/weight
>factors are being overridden at many rides. The frontrunners are
>oftentimes whipping and spurring to get their horses over the line with
>enough time to spare to allow them to receive the BC award, when in
>fact, other horses in the top ten were in better shape at the finish.=20
>It makes me sick to see an obviously tired and sore horse take top
>honors! This isn't exactly the picture we want to portray to the
>general public or our newcomers. Enough said on that...
>Our questions to you are-
>Do you believe the best condition judging should be kept as is?
=46irst, my answer is "Yes."
However, I wonder what rides you're attending. I've never seen anyone
whip or spur a horse to a faster finish in an effort to win BC, and to
do so would be decidedly counterproductive (if the vets are doing
their job).
When competing for BC -- and Kahlil has 49 of them -- I was always
aware of the weight and time factors in the formula. I would try to
gain time on heavier riders to offset their weight, even on some
occasions when I was out in front all alone, but not at the expense of
Kahlil's condition. What would it have gained me to have picked up
extra minutes if it hurt his vet score?
I think the AERC has done an excellent job of developing an effective
and meaningful Best Condition judging system. If the ride vets use it
properly, no over-ridden horse will be awarded BC.
The current formula was arrived at over years of experience, including
statistical studies of the BC winners vs. weight and time. Those
studies have shown that the weight and time scoring, while not
perfect, is pretty well balanced. And the vet score is the largest
factor already.
The BC judging is limited to the Top Ten for practical, philisophical,
and traditional reasons. Practical because a properly-done BC
evaluation is far more time consuming than a completion evaluation,
and to do it on all of the horses in a ride is not generally "doable."
Traditional because of the tradition of Top Ten in our sport. And
philisophical because BC is not soley to the horse showing the least
wear & tear, but to the horse that shows the least wear & tear while
competing well for position -- rewarding the rider who not only takes
good care of his horse, but is able to ride to a fast time without
overstressing the horse. Some rides also give an award to the "high
vet score" horse, but that is not the full BC in the traditions of our
sport.
--=20
Joe Long
jlong@mti.net
Business Page http://www.mti.net
Personal Page http://www.rnbw.com
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