Enforcement of Pull

[renegade12@juno.com]

I don't have a strong opinion one way or the other on this subject ...I
know that is hard to believe, but whatever the majority of AERC
Membership wants is ok with me.  I do believe we need the actual stats as
best as we can provide.  However, those of us who put on multi day rides,
especially the point to point variety have a situation that makes
mandatory Vet Check of the RO pull very difficult to enforce.

In a point to point, and even in a one base camp 3 or 5 day ride, once
the riders leave the start, the entire management crew must take off for
the Vet Check...that leaves few if anybody at base camp.  As an example,
at this years NM RENEGADE RIDE (one base camp), a rider decided his
animal was off about 3  miles into the ride and went back to Base Camp,
packed up and left for home (another state).  If he had waited for a Vet
to return, it would have been late in the afternoon.  This has happened
before over the years when it was a point to point and no one would have
returned to Base Camp till the following year.  

Can we make it mandatory for a RO to be examined by the Vet prior to
leaving?  I don't know, but the logistics in a multi day ride situation
would seem to make a mandatory check unenforceable and logistically
impossible, especially if the RO occurs very early in a ride.  Rules must
be enforceable in all cases to be legitimate and if they can't be
enforced across the board, then it is better to make it a policy.

Randy Eiland