"Weighty issue"

[Leigh331@aol.com]

In a message dated 4/20/99 1:09:49 AM EST, seamstob@telusplanet.net writes:

> 
>  Ya don't have to be fast just fat. That's why I figure it is easier to
>  eat then train.

If you don't want to get this started, just don't reply!  I've held my tongue 
as long as I can about this....something needs to be done about the weight 
divisions and how BC is calculated.  I had a welsh pony in the Leatherwood 
Challenge ride April 3rd, he placed 7th and stood for BC.  There were some 
problems with how the vets figured the BC scores, but the issue here is that 
my pony was penalized for carrying 25% of his body weight!  The rider was 
light, but so was the pony.  No consideration is given to the size of the 
horse.  The vets were upset and told me that he should have won BC and he 
shouldn't have been given a weight penalty, it wasn't fair.  What is so wrong 
with using a weight tape on all top ten horses, weighting the rider/tack, 
then using the ratio for determining the weight penalty?  This pony weights 
550 pounds, his rider/tack was 138, a full 25% of his body weight.  The BC 
winner's horse was about 900 pounds and rider/tack weighted in at 198, this 
is 22% of the horse's body weight, now who was at a disadvantage?
Leigh Preddy SE (and "Wynn" the wonder pony)


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