Re: Norco injury

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

I hesitate to answer your query for fear of saying something offensive when
what I have to say is offered with the intention of stating only what is
realty. So here goes, Barbara.
Yes, bad things happen on trails, during training rides or endurance rides,
standing in the pasture, in the horse trailer.....well, you get the idea.
Sometimes there is an abundance of help available and sometimes not a soul
but you, experienced or not. So you do the best you can. Knowing this,
however, and being involved with horses, it would behoove us all to learn as
much as we can about handling emergency situations before, if ever, we are
called upon to handle them. We will be fortunate indeed if there is a vet
within a reasonable distance to come to our assistance. If not, it does not
mean that it is anyone's malfeasance. If you expect that there should be
someone to rush to your aid wherever on the trail you are, then I suspect
endurance is not your game. Expect only that if something happens, no matter
how devastating, you will try to handle it the best you
can....yourself.....and if you happen to get assistance (and you will if it
is humanly possible) then that is icing on the cake.
I am sad to say that your question, as innocent as it is, brings back to me
how disappointed I am in the way our total society addresses circumstance.
We seem to look around to see whose fault it is, whom we can blame, and to
determine who will take care of us. I do wish more of us would have the
attitude that we are the ones who are responsible for our own welfare. If we
attempt something and it turns to crap, we should look to ourselves to
determine how we can do it better next time rather than search out someone
who should have been there to bail us out. Personally, I love this game. I
am prepared to take the good with the not so good. I suspect that if you
stay in there and learn as much as you can and developed the attitude that
you can handle whatever comes, you, too will come to love the game. Your
friend is right s--- happens. Part of life. But it happens everywhere. But
so does some wonderful stuff. It happens everywhere, too.  Hang in there and
I guarantee, you will have the time of your life.
Pat Super
----- Original Message -----
From: <guest@endurance.net>
To: <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Sent: Sunday, September 02, 2001 5:51 PM
Subject: RC: Norco injury


> Barbara Bowen bluhorse@gte.net
> I was wondering if anyone out there at the Norco ride could
>  tell me why a horse that was reported to be, "bleeding to
> death on th trail," (she didn't, and is recovering) was not
> attended to on the trail by a vet or at least trailered to the
> nearest vet check?  Was it impossible to get to the horse?
>  No communication?  I am a novice and pretty warm and
> fuzzy about my horse.  I almost took him to Norco LD this
> year but he was slightly off a few weeks ago so I abandoned
>  plans.  He finished 3rd and BC in LD (I know...doesn't
> count) with a friend riding him two years ago at Norco.  That
> same friend calmly stanched her bleeding horse this year (a
>  vein had been cut...probably on bamboo) and had to walk in
>  to the vet check/base camp, after slowing the gushing
> blood to a manageable flow, which was only a mile away.
>  She is a very experienced rider and seems to chalk this up
> to %^$# happens.  Good for her.  Me, being the silly
> inexperienced novice (let's get that out of the way), am
> simply horrified to think that her mare (who lives next door to my horse)
> suffered without vet attention or at least a ride to
>  the camp.  Is that typical of endurance rides?  Should I give
> up the idea of participating right now for fear my horse would
>  be left to die?  Because if that is how emergency situations
> are handled and prioritized...count me out.  But perhaps there is some
> reasonable explanation.  I was not there...
> which is a good thing.
>
>
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