Thank You, Mike for saying something about Howards language on ride camp. I have gotten to where I pass over anything he has to say, due to just that. I am mostly a lurker here, but I am far from being ignorant to the issues of this sport. I don't need profanity to put an exclamation point on those issues. If it was anyone else, people would taken exception to taking Howard to task, but you can get away with it, as everyone listens to you. Thank you for speaking out. Lori B. ----- Original Message ----- From: Mike Sofen Sent: Tuesday, June 11, 2002 1:12 PM To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: RE: [RC] Howard vs the Universe Howard, Clearly, your world and my world do not intersect on any level. When I say never - not once - that actually means NEVER. Do you understand the concept of "never"? That means, FOR ME, in MY experience, my pulls at a vet check always were a just cause, that NEVER did a vet capriciously pull me. You just want target to point your finger at when something doesn't go your way. Your posts are filled with "Why ME?" statements. I'd say that you might want to start looking internally for a change. You are right - horses do not have to be perfect to continue on. But if they have a flaw that the vet feels will lead to something more significant, then they are going to pull the horse. As someone who has nearly killed a horse through blind aggressive riding, I'm kind of stunned that you still don't get it. YOU are responsible for managing your horse, and if vets feel you aren't doing a good job at that, they will pull the horse to protect them from YOU. Lastly, why does nearly every post of yours have to include profanity or a mention of sex? Just in case you've forgotten, there are JUNIORS reading ridecamp. Time to clean up your act. Mike Sofen I'd like to discuss this particular paragraph, except for the first sentence (we all know this to be true, and it's a separate topic entirely). I think that it is rare when a person can say "I've never-not once," as part of a statement of opinion and be objective or, even, factual. When I was 14 years old I could honestly say, "I've never-not once-had sex with a female," but, does that mean that sex didn't exist or wasn't around? No, it just meant that I hadn't experienced it, and eventually, thank God, I did. A horse does not have to be perfect to be fit to continue. You may feel that way, Mike, and you always have that option of pulling your horse at any time, if that is the case. But, I do believe most of us other riders would like to "see" what the problem is that the vet is telling us about, if for no other reason than to clearly decide on what course of action to take, as far as the horse's health is concerned. When Jim stated that he didn't see anything wrong with his horse, during the pre ride trot out, where his horse almost got pulled, I do think Jim might have a reason to be concerned, especially if they did pull Sunny. And, I don't think Jim and I are the only two endurance riders who have had this experience. A grade three lameness call should not be something that most folks cannot see; it should be quite evident to others, not just to the vet making the call. Look, I'm not advocating that they "loosen" the standards, not at all. I'm just asking that they make the standards "standard;" in other words, they follow the rules as written down by AERC, not their own personal interpretation of what "fit to continue" actually means. Endurance is evolving, which means it's changing, constantly. If your world has stayed the same, as far as endurance vet checks go, for the last 6 years, than things must truly be different out west and I need to get out there. I, for one, have noticed changes, in interpretation, and, quite recently, in the use of CRI's. This recent revelation of a high percentage of endurance horses having ulcers (if it's accurate) is most likely gonna make some changes in how the game is played. Since its all for the good of the horse, I won't argue with the vets about their call; I'm just trying to understand what the criteria is, because I'd like to know exactly what the rules of the sport are before I play. cya, Howard (this is an interesting topic and one that affects all of us)
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