Dead Mare at NASTR

[Rides 2 Far <rides2far@juno.com>]

What I want> to know is how many horses die as a
> direct result of being ridden too hard. I would think that
> we all should help get to the bottom of
> this horrible tragedy!! 

Whoa there.  I dislike people who intentionally over ride horses as much
as anybody, but I honestly don't think Ridecamp is the best place to have
a court.  For instance...credibility of witnesses.  There are people who
are very articulate on ridecamp and if I didn't know them in person I
would take their testimony as "expert"...when in fact I honestly consider
them idiots. (sorry, I'm blunt)  There are other people who I admire, in
person who simply do not come over well at all on ridecamp. 

There are others who are terribly persuasive who have a bone to pick and
will turn the argument in a direction to suit their campaign.  Ridecamp
is simply not conducive to a fair trial. 

Also, define "over ridden".  Was this a horse who was ridden by a scumbag
who was pushing it horribly thus we should crucify their name, or was
this an excited horse who was too excited to drink and the rider was too
inexperienced to do the thinking for the pair.  I've seen a couple of
people who got started like this who later became very conciencious
competitors with a little education.  Was this horse in trouble from
going too fast?  What's too fast? Was he out front? Lots of horses who
are "over ridden" aren't out front at the time.  Does this mean everyone
ahead of them was going too fast to be safe?  There's just too much that
needs to be examined by people who were there, who know the people
involved *personally*, and are dealing with credible testimony.  Not
people who are simply sitting at their computers with knee jerk
reactions.  

Last week I sliced my hand with a hoof knife.  If I'd posted that on
ridecamp I would have found that a WHOLE lot of people on here have done
that.  By the time I read all the posts I'd have been afraid to walk by a
hoof knife I would think there were so many ways to get hurt by them. 
Mention rolling a trailer and soon it starts to sound like nobody can
leave their driveway without rolling one.  My problem with talking about
things like this on here is that by the time people from all over the
world have described their one horror story you get the impression that
abuse is a common thing. 

People keep talking about a "row of horses on IV's".  Well...I go to
quite a few rides in the part of the country that's probably most likely
to need such due to heat & humidity.  I haven't seen a "row of horses on
IV's" at any of the rides I've been to.  I've seen very few on IV's that
I thought had been intentionally over ridden. There are some jerks who
seem to have made a deal with the devil and get away with taking reckless
risks with their horses health.  They over ride a horse and he is
technically OK.  And then some of the nicest people I know have ended up
almost losing their horses...despite all their best efforts to do the
right thing.     If there was a problem, I hope the people who were there
and the AERC vet committee will address it.  This sport was pretty well
regulated long before ridecamp came along.

Angie
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