I think at Olympic level sailing, the boat is worth 0% compared to all the other boats, which all have to be measured and weighed in, and the sails, so the boats are all very nearly the same. So the value of the boat (relative to all the other boats) should be 0, or equal.
The Horses on the other hand, being live animals, cannot possibly be made all the same, and THAT is why a good horse can make an average rider look very good, and that's why the horse will cost at least $150,000.
Absolutely. Thanks for correcting my reasoning.
Still, when ISAF changes the equipment Olympic hopefuls change one class for another, which is very expensive, both in terms of money and in terms of trainment time.
I guess no sport changes the equipment so frequently. On the other hand, in no other sport the equipment has evolved so fast - besides the GM zebras, of course!
The fast evolution of equipment is one of the reasons why ISAF periodically introduces changes, usually adding fast, modern classes to the games, but not always. Under the rationale of favoring fast, modern classes, exclusion of the Tornado is unliquely.
Consider, though, that the current trend in ISAF is to favor TV friendly, popular, visually atractive and faster equipment. The T is the fastest equipment, but it is not exactly popular. It equals the other classes in the remaining criteria.
