Re: Newbie query: why required weight?

[BMcCrary27@aol.com]

In a message dated 9/3/98 11:53:40 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
suendavid@worldnet.att.net writes:

<< it has NOT been shown in any
 research project that weight makes a difference, especially over a long
 distance.  There's only been ONE empirical research study that ever
 looked at weight-carrying ability in endurance horses and that was
 mine.  I've looked at over 600 endurance horses now and the statistics
 are crystal-clear that weight makes NO difference to completion rate,
 finishing time, or in pulled horses, how far they went before they were
 pulled.  If the study weren't published, it would still be just my
 opinion---but it's been dragged over the coals by a whole lot of
 extremely nit-picking researchers that dearly love to find mistakes and
 they all agreed with the conclusions.  WEIGHT IS NOT A FACTOR AT
 SUB-ANAEROBIC SPEEDS. >>

This ongoing discussion delights me.  Although I have no scientific knowledge
to support my opinions, I have always felt that a rider of any weight should
just acquire a horse that can carry that weight successfully.  My husband once
rode my (barely) 14.2, 750# gelding to a second place on a 50 miler.  Husband
is a heavyweight rider, he and horse were really serious competitors.  They
were in first place just a few miles from the finish, but a stretch of deep
dry sand slowed them down and a stronger horse just barely nosed them out at
the finish.  We all try so hard to make everything "fair" to all competitors,
when I'm sure that can be done in this sport.  For YEARS we've dodged the
issue of choosing our national champions based on a head to head competition
in one final race.  Everyone was aghast -- "What if my horse is having a bad
day?" they cried.  Well, what if Grinkov and Gored were having a "bad" day, or
Tara Lipinski?  That's the way it goes.  You win some, you lose some.  It's
not the end of the world.  Fortunately, we have now decided to initiate the
one ride, end of the season event, to determine our national champions.  Since
few of us remember who our national champions are any more (except for the
ones who won), at least since the series championship program was started,
this may be an improvement.  Maybe an even better improvement would be to drop
all weight divisions.  Then maybe we would actually remember who won the
national championship.  I still believe that it's the GOOD horses and riders
who win, regardless of rider weight.  If your horse can't support your weight,
find a horse that can!  (Now I suppose I've stirred up a hornets' nest!)

Eliminating weight divisions would surely save AERC a lot of money on awards,
and the one and only national champion would be a noteworthy individual.
Think about it.

Barbara McCrary
West region director