This might be a stupid question, seeing as how my experience with horses in
groups comes from trail horses and show horses...but: Why would sensible
people who supposedly have some idea of horse behavior (one would hope) bring
horses to an endurance ride without knowing how they react around other horses,
then controlling them accordingly? It doesn't make much sense to me to
throw a green horse into a pack of other animals and riders that are all on edge
and simply assume it will behave itself just because I want it to. I never
made that assumption when I was showing pleasure horses, and those are deadheads
a lot of the time. Excitement and anticipation are contagious in herd
animals. And if they are animals that don't play well with new
acquaintances in the sandbox, it stands to reason they won't react well to
the environment at the start of an endurance ride.
Sent: Saturday, May 25, 2002 9:39
PM
Subject: RE: [RC] Green Horses
At just one ride in the NW, one mile into the ride,
an out-of-control horse dumped its rider on his head causing concussion (and
was lost for a few hours wandering the desert without his horse), and then
several miles from the first vet check, yet another "green" horse kicked at
another horse but missed, hitting instead the rider, causing compound
fractures of her leg and requiring a medievac helicopter ride. And those
were just the injuries I heard of. It was one of those
rides.
You must understand I'm not advocating more rules or
standards. What I'm trying to point out is that there are people at
rides who are quite oblivious to almost anything going on around them or their
horses and these people can become inadvertently dangerous to those around
them.
When I use the term "green", I am referring
explicitly to horses with a sub-standard level of training. This has
nothing to do with age or miles or even if they've been to events. Do
they understand basic cues, will they back, have they been socialized to other
horses - all of your BASIC groundwork.
At their first endurance ride, ALL horses are
"novice" when it comes to endurance, and they may be hard to control, nervous,
excited, etc.. There's a huge difference between that and being green,
IMO.
In reference to Juli's dressage trained horse - he
wasn't green, just not used to endurance, and that can certainly be managed
through different training before the ride, and specific techniques during the
ride.
I definitely don't want to put a green horse into a
situation where his only "support" is other green horses, aka, an LD. I
would put a "novice" horse into an LD...that's my distinction (although I'd
prefer a 50 rather than an LD).
Lastly, it's only a small price if you're the one not
injured. Green horses will appear at every event, regardless of rules
and regulations. What I'm saying is, owners should take conscious
responsibility for getting their horses past the green
stage.
Mike
I can't remember seeing an
injury because of a unruly horse at rides I have been. I am sure there are
some, but I don't think there are many. The worse injury I've seen was when
a dead broke quarter horse spooked at something carrying the flag into the
arena before a local rodeo. It happened to a neighbor girl who after two
years is just getting over the head injuries and she may never fully
recover.
The second most serious injury I've seen happened in a
dressage arena. Now I'm not claiming that there is a problem in these
disciplines because of these accidents. I also think you many have
interpreted Howard's post differently than I did. Not to defend, Howard. No
one should ever be accused of defending Howard. But you have to have at
least met Howard to know form where he comes. You also need to apply a few
correction factors to Howard's comments to get to what he really means.
I think that is what he means. Endurance is a sport with minimal
rules. Many if not most are drawn to it because of this. We don't want rules
that are not there for a specific purpose. It is a sport where people are
responsible for themselves and their horses. It's not a sport where
this responsibility is shifted from the individual to some amorphous body of
rules and stewards running around being important. It is not a sport where
"the dress code police" or the" etiquette police" or the "behavior police"
etc. are there to "make things right." We do have veterinary control for the
good of the horses and to help us better care for our horses, but at the end
of the day the rider is responsible. It's also a sport where anyone
with a good horse can go out and prove it without jumping through a lot of
hoops. It's a sport where the cream can quickly rise to the top instead of
being over the hill when it finally gets there from jumping through a bunch
of hoops and levels and classes to order to get there. It's one of the few
organized equestrian sports where this is true. Endurance is the sport of
the "proletariat." It's the sport of the average man and woman. I think
that's one reason for it's growing popularity. Putting up with a few
"greenies" is the price we pay for our unique sport. I think it's a small
price.
Truman
