Fw: RC: History/Future/dead Horses

["Annie George" <ageorge@vtc.net>]

Title: Re: RC: History/Future/dead Horses

Yes this is true.

Anne George Saddlery  www.vtc.net/~ageorge

----- Original Message -----

From: Monika Smith

To: Annie George

Sent: Friday, June 22, 2001 9:36 AM

Subject: Re: RC: History/Future/dead Horses

Thank you!  Stated in a different and very effective way that I was alluding to with the LD, "what is it?" We have such a mixed bag of riders. I for one, never, ever, want a rider to go through the hell I did with my horse trying to learn about endurance.  You can not do it by the book, you can not do it by showing up at a race and hoping to finish. You can not rely on other riders, ride managers to teach you and train you, that kind of volunteerism, without official, planned guidance, rating, passing systems shows it's failures over and over again. And horses die. That is simply unacceptable.

I'm standing up for the horse. It shouldn't have died for any reason at a ride. Everyone in endurance takes a little responsibility since we're an association that teaches by osmosis, and judges by mileage, the theory that whatever anyone does is ok as long as the horse finishes well. Well, horses die days later, after finishing well, too.  Or never come back.

We need better educated riders and REAL 'trainers' whose job it is to get people started in the right way, to help newbies.  This may smack of rules, but since we don't even have procedures to guide people to get their horses going, and then a means to test them, I believe there is a deficiency there.  It's like having a bright kid and the parents say, well, he talks, walks and can do simple math, so, lets give him some college text books and if he looks at it, let's send him to college. doh.

Keep up the comments!

We've got the same problems up here in Canada.

Cheers

Monika

>  I was NOT there, But I wonder, how many VC's there were, and why 
>   was the caution given at the last one and not the first?  I certainly do 
>   not envy the vets difficult job. Way back when .........  Endurance 
>    riders usually came from horse backgrounds, ranch kids, or rodeo/show 
>   people,  Now I see allot of brand new to horses people burning up the 
>   trails, These people are not horsemen. They are not only new to endurance, 
>   they are new to horses.  They cant possibly "get it" yet.  And how 
>   realistic is it of us to actually expect them to. They see our top front 
>   runners rolling into the finish, with a wound up sweaty horse, and they can't 
>   possibly know that the rider has 20K miles, and knows every body cell in 
>   that horse, and knows exactly what they are doing (usually) exactly where the 
>   horse is at, and is in complete control of it. All they  just see is 
>   go fast and win.  I wonder if it may be time for some kind of 
>   introductory requirements. A first time rider MUST be sponsored by someone, 
>   like juniors are, maybe even for the first few rides, whether LD or Endurance 
>   it wouldn't matter where they started just so it is with a sponsor. An 
>   apprenticeship if you will.  Then they would at least have the 
>   opportunity to  begin to "get it".  prior to the first 
>   ride.  I think  a very important point is that as our 
>   sport grows, we will increasingly come under the scrutiny of the animal 
>   rights activists, and these unnecessary and completely avoidable incidents of 
>   death and injury will bring us allot of grief.   Awhile back it was 
>   suggested that oldies volunteer to mentor newbies at rides.  We are not 
>   exactly rushing to the forefront on that one.  I certainly do not know 
>   the solution, just offering suggestions.  However, it is obviously a 
>   problem that needs to be addressed in a way that is productive. Not just 
>   hashing it on RC. If we do not clean up our own messes, sooner or later 
>   somebody else will step in and do it for us, and I guarantee we ain't gona 
>   like it!  I have always been against getting more and more rules, but in 
>   this case I really feel that an adult first time rider sponsor requirement 
>   should be promoted.  The 19 year old who rode that horse has suffered a 
>   devastating lesson, she may never return to endurance. If she had a sponsor it 
>   would not have happened, and the "coach" whoever that was, would not have been 
>   in control.  And what was obviously a "great heart" would not be 
>   dead.  Annie G.
> Anne George Saddlery  www.vtc.net/~ageorge
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: guest@endurance.net
> > To: ridecamp@endurance.net
> > Sent: Friday, June 22, 2001 6:30 AM
> > Subject: RC: Horse Dies after NASTR
> >
> > Barb Peck bpeck@together.net
> > from Barb 
> >     Peck
> > bpeck@together.net
> >
> > Can the 
> >     sanctioning body of an endurance
> > ride (or CTR)or the Ride Manager issue a 
> >     statement of events (medical or
> > otherwise regarding deaths of horses 
> >     entered in their event?
> >
> > Does there have to be a legal protest filed 
> >     before this can occur?
> >
> > Or, is there a legal issue why this couldn't 
> >     be done without
> > a formal 
> >     protest?
> >
> > Bob?
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Barb
> >
> >
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