Re: Have you ever felt like this at a ride?

["superpat" <superpat@gateway.net>]

Dear Anonymous,
Having never participated in CTR's, my comments will only address Endurance
rides, which if your description is accurate, perhaps you should be
considering. In seven years of participation, I have NEVER experienced
anything but downright, down home friendliness and support from Ride
Managers, Vets, P&R personnel, and fellow riders. Welllllll...... I did get
yelled at once by someone who shall remain nameless because he felt that I
was riding too close to his horse's tail. And I probably was......being new
to the sport and all and a bit nervous and all. But that isolated incident
required only an apology and closer attention on my part.
I will say that if a vet pointed out that my horse appeared to have a
lameness problem, I would hope that my response would not be a defensive
one, regardless whether my home vet had checked my mare that morning.
Circumstance and chance often conspire to bring on sudden, inexplicable
cuts, contusions and various maladies that may afflict a horse and I am only
too willing to partner with a knowledgeable person, as vets more often than
not are, to determine whether my horse needs further attention.
As for your feelings of paranoia regarding the reaction of the vet and ride
manager and the fact that you did not identify yourself, I can only offer
that what we sometimes see in others is often a mirror of ourselves.
Pat Super
----- Original Message -----
From: <guest@endurance.net>
To: <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Sent: Tuesday, May 16, 2000 8:46 AM
Subject: RC: Have you ever felt like this at a ride?


> Guest Guest Guest@Guest.com
> I am posting this anonymously for reasons you will see.
>
> I did a ride recently and I had a very un easy feeling the whole time I
was there.  I have been doing
> CTRs for 3 years now and I have done rides all over the place.  I have
meet so me super
> people and all ride Mgrs have been the best.  I have scored well and I
have scored not so well,
> but each time I felt that my scores were fair and I felt that everyone did
their job (even me and my
> horse).
>
> But this recent ride was like no other.  When a friend and I arrived we
were greeted by ride Mgr
> and we got a less then enthused greeting and the Mgr made sure she pointed
out what state
> we were from, we found her greeting odd, but we just were happy to there
and smiled and
> greeted her nicely back and parked and set up campwhere we were instructed
to.
>
> We got ready for hands-on and trot out.  Every other ride I have done, the
lay judge and vet have
> greeted me w/ a nice hello and smile and maybe a tad of small talk.  This
was no like that, this
> was just "lets get to work".  The vet never even looked me in the eye and
with all the people
> going over my horse I could not even figure out which on the vet was.
>
> After about 15 or more minuets the vet was still commenting on my horses
though pins (sorry
> for the spelling of that) and I asked "is that only cosmetic" and they vet
agreed with me, but she
> still did not like them at all.
>
> She asked me to trot out now, and she kept me trotting for quite some
time.  When I came back
> she told me that my horse was lame in the right hind.  I just nicely
informed her that he just
> had his vet, massage and chiropractor appt the day before and he was 100%
and he has
> never been lame one day in his life.
>
> She said I could try and trot again the next day, I thanked her and off I
went.
>
> The next day, we trot my horse out and she said he is still lame but it's
not consistent and
> she must allow him to go according to the rules, but she will be "watching
me", and it's a
> good possibility I'd get pulled at the hold.
>
> I thank her once again and I went on the ride.  I only went on the ride
because I know 100%
> sure there is nothing wrong with my horse, if I thought he had a hang nail
I would of never
> rode him.  I did not know this vet and I did not trust her.  She just
seemed to have it out for me
> or my horse, she was not professional at all.  I felt like I needed to
prove to her that she
> was wrong.
>
> So, off on the ride we go.  I have my partner keeping an eye out for my
horse and she never
> sees anything (my friend is an RN and has proven her self over and over
again when it
> comes to a horse being off)
>
> At the hold, I am still free to go on my way, but if looks could
kill.......
>
> We Finnish the ride w/ 30min to spare.  We hang out in a field for quite
some time.  When we walk
> back in, the horses are 100% cool and dry.  My horse has such a low pulse
all the time, he is
> amazing.  My watch reads 32, but I still take my 20 minutes.  I call for
P&R and the ride Mgr comes
> over.  She places the scope on my horse and tells me I have a 48 - There
is no way my horse
> has a 48, he has never been a 48 in his life and just a second ago he was
32.  Not to mention that
> my horse has a deep chamber and it takes the best vet with the best ears
to even hear his heart
> and this person has no problem.  I felt that if I said anything, they
would of done something bad to
> me, shooting me came to mind, I am not kidding!  This is the feeling these
people gave me, very
> Erie.
>
> I said to my partner. "I bet you they are going to blood test me"  The vet
has it in for me.  Sure
> enough, the vet blood tested me, and the smile on her face was amazing -
she looked like
> the cat that ate the canary.  I just welcomed her in and was very
pleasant.
>
> I must say, that after all this.  I got 3rd place with a good score of
93points.  When I got my score
> sheet the vet had my horse labelled as an 9 out of 11 for lames and at the
end of the day she
> gave me a 10.  Now if my horse was a 10 on lameness, I think someone other
then the vet
> would see this right???  I was giving her the benefit of the doubt. I said
maybe she has a very
> keen and trained eye.  So I thought she'd have him down as a 1 and at the
end of the day a 2,
> but to put him down as a 10 ??  This lady is whacked!
>
> In the mean time, I had my horse check out by my vet and he is not lame at
all.  He is 100%
> SOUND and happy.
>
>
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