Statistic about the influence of the weight

[WSAbg@t-online.de (Wolfgang Schwingenheuer)]

K S Swigart wrote:

> Show me the statitics.  The only studies I have ever seen where anybody
> actually tried to figure out what the effect of weight carried had on
> outcome of an endurance competition came to the statistical conclusion
> that weight of the rider (and all its tack) is "insignificant."


Hi Kat and all the others,

there is one statistic about this. I find it in the "Eldric-Yearbook",
the annual report of the European Long Distance Rides Conference. It was
written by Dr. Loukie Viljoen, President of ERASA (Endurance Ride
Association of South Africa). They do have (in 1990) a database with
12.000 results including all rider details, all horse details and host
of other from 1974 to 1989.

I try to give you some examples of what they found out:

- As a rider gets heavier, his chances of being winner against the field
  diminishes from 1.111% at 73 kg to 0.016 % if he weighted 114 kg.
- Looking at the speed there is a drop of 3 km/hour for an increase of
  52 kg, or 1 km/hour for every 17.33 kg. When not counting the first 
  group of riders at 73 kg (as it is the base from which the weights
  increase) there is a drop of roughly 1 km/hour for every 10 kg weight
  increase.

All the above is taken from "Investigation of the influence that weight
has on the endurance horses over distances of 80 km and further" by Dr.
Loukie Viljoen / SA.

Maybe Kathy (arikara appaloosas) can give us more input on this.
I can also try to bring the whole statistic with all the graphics to the
ridecamp, if requested.

Happy trails,

Wolfgang + Nösenberger's Ninja (more than 1.000 miles)
Germany