Re: RC: Re: 2001 Tevis Cup Ride

["Nancy Mitts" <mitts_n@hotmail.com>]

I'm not the seller or a party to this deal in any way. I am however 
aquainted with the situation, because a large group from our organization 
went to Tevis that year.
I have no idea how the horse looked the next day, since he was at a private 
farm, not the fairgrounds.
I DO know the horse looked good & strong at ForestHill. He ate good & was 
quite willing to go at the end of the hold. I was also present at the 
finish, where he still looked quite good. Trotted bright eyed, tail up 
around the victory lap. Certainly needed no prodding at the vet check.
The rider is also a runner, who spent a lot of time running himself to get 
in shape for the event.
If I remember correctly, the people were so concerned after the vet's 
pre-purchase report they had another vet examine the horse, who came to a 
rather different opinion.

Nancy Mitts

>From: guest@endurance.net
>To: <ridecamp@endurance.net>
>Subject: RC:  Re: 2001 Tevis Cup Ride
>Date: Mon, 20 Aug 2001 20:08:39 -0700
>
>Mike Sofen msofen@pacbell.net
>I drove down from Washington to the Tevis one year in hopes of closing a
>deal on a horse who was competing that year.  My purchase agreement
>stipulated that the horse must vet out sound after the ride or I would
>receive my $500 deposit back.
>
>Unfortunately, the afternoon after the Tevis, my vet - a former head vet
>of the Tevis - did his exam, and found the horse was grade 3 lame - he
>could barely move...he would not move without major prodding, would not
>trot at all, and in the opinion of that vet, should have received medical
>attention (including bute).  His blood enzymes showed a seriously
>overridden horse.  The vet felt there was a possibility that some
>permanent damage had occurred.
>
>There was no way I was going to take on yet another rebuilding project, so
>I backed out of the sale, but guess what - the sellers kept my $500
>deposit, claiming that because he passed his final Tevis vet check at the
>finish line, he was "sound".
>
>The reality was that the horse completed the Tevis on pure heart alone.
>The real shame - he was a fine horse, and according to the sellers, he
>recovered from his ordeal.  He might have, but I wonder for how long.
>
>The day before the Tevis I'd asked the sellers how they'd conditioned him
>for the ride and was told, well we did a couple 50 mile rides earlier in
>the year but we haven't ridden him much in the last couple months  - they
>were "saving him" for the Tevis.  I asked them how they trained for the
>hill climbs and was told they didn't...their state of origin is flat.
>
>The moral of the story - while most Tevis horses are probably just plain
>tired, there are some horse people who will say or do anything that
>furthers their own needs or greed.  Completing the Tevis was a huge goal
>for this particular horse owner and complete it he did - at a high cost to
>the horse, in my opinion.
>
>This was a reminder for me that our (human) goals should always be
>secondary to our horse's well-being, not vice-versa.  A recent post on
>ridecamp reminded me of the above events, btw.
>
>Mike Sofen
>now of Santa Cruz, CA
>
>
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