I guess we all must have gone to different straight barrel races back in the day. The straight races I was at usually had 50+ and sometimes 100+. Only 5-7 or maybe 10 people got checks, but they all still showed up and tried.
Its no different than the large crowds that turn out for futurities. At least half usually don't stand a chance of placing in the top, but they still enter and they still give 110%. They keep going and they don't complain and feel they deserve a check for trying.
I guess that the D's have brought a different mindset to barrel racers and a lot of us that were in it before the D's still don't feel like the slower ones deserve as much. I'm sorry if my thoughts offend anyone, but that is how I (and most people I know/haul with & train for) believe. I'm not calling anyone a LOSER, but the remainder of the divisions is nothing more than a crap shoot. You can't guarantee a 2-3-4D horse is going to place race after race because you never know who is going to set the pace.
As for expense of a 1D horse...I've never spent more than $1500 on a horse and I have 2 1D horses now and a retired 1D horse that was cheapest. A lot of people wouldn't have to spend so much on horses/prospects if they weren't so wrapped up in bloodlines (though I feel my horses all have lines that help them perform better, they aren't the 'prefered' bloodlines of today). Sometimes if people would put more effort into something that isn't necessary 'supposed' to make a top horse, they might be surprised.
Even if my 1D horses screw up and place in a lower division, I still don't feel they deserve equal pay. I know what work, expense, time, etc goes into making a 1D horse and I feel those at the top deserve the most.
Obviously, considering most LARGE jackpots don't pay out equally, the majority aren't complaining either.
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