There is an interesting thread on Ridecamp with the idea of incorporating CTR's into AERC. Personally I like the concept because it gives the non-racers a platform to compete for the most well-managed horse. It is a fun venue and I love the "wild card" component that you don't know who won until all the scoring is done. It is actually kind of hard to ride a "time window" and the various areas you would be scored off on (at least on non-NATRC rides) have to do with the horse's condition. I like that. The AERC could easily embrace this concept without becoming a CTR organization. All it would require is a competitive pleasure division in LD. That way you'd have a venue for the racers which there are plenty of...and the rest of us who value riding at a sane pace and want to develop good trail horses while participating in LD. Those riders would be scored using an LD competitive pleasure score card. That would be an easy change to revitalize LD and draw in that component of rider who is not recognized for the care and good horsemanship shown with their horses, better known as turtle riders. It would be a fantastic place to start a new horse or rider for a few years before jumping into Endurance. It would bring in more ride $ for managers and more membership for the AERC. It would require a separate score card judging criteria, a bit later start time, and not much else. Same trail, same vet judge, same LD mileage credit. how easy it would be. This venue would also promote To Finish is to Win. Racers and point chasers could do what they do. Seems like a win/win.
JMO
~E.G.
I have done both CTR and endurance and I have to disagree. While I'd love all my miles to count for everything, I simply don't think that all CTR horses can do endurance and I don't think they should be rewarded in the same way. I use CTR as a way to condition for endurance and I see a lot of endurance riders AT CTR's, but you don't see a lot of CTR riders at endurance rides. Out here, the endurance miles count for the CTR organization, but not vice versa. The idea being that endurance is a type of competitive trail event, but that riding on the trail doesn't necessarily make you qualified for endurance (or endurance awards). I think non-racers can find plenty of paces and CTR's to compete in without changing the rules of AERC. Nobody is judging anybody for taking their time and taking good care of their horse, but there's no reason to take the competitive edge away from endurance events.
ReplyDeleteWith all that said... I can't say I'd really be upset either way. Haha.
I didn't take the point to be that miles from one venue would be added to the other, but rather other riding venues be incorporated beneath the larger AERC umbrella. At one point NATRC (a growing organization) opted to develop a competitive pleasure class which I believe was based on mileage completions, which they ran parallel to their open NATRC events (the awards weren't intermingled). At least that is how I remember it, I have NO DIRECT EXPERIENCE. But it did help to boost their ride entries and included people that didn't want to compete in the other bubble.
ReplyDeleteI'm still firmly in the camp that LD miles should be LD miles and Endurance miles be endurance miles. So likewise...CTR miles could be CTR miles.
It's just talk though. I can't see a major shift like that happening, even though "I" have given it my blessing *LOL*.
The one thing I do NOT like about NATRC rides is the judged from the time you check in until the time you check out. How you tie your horse or what your camp site looks like has NOTHING to do with how your horse performs on the trail. However if AERC were to offer a Competitve trail event in conjuction with one of their endurance rides, I'd jump on it in a heartbeat unless you are going to include trailer checks and in camp checks.
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