Ridecamp: Re: [RC] RO

> Sue replied:
>   "We were given the go-ahead from the vet but opted to pull anyway."
>
> Sue, you are missing Bob's point.  The only reason we even HAVE pull codes
> is that we are trying to amass data on "what goes wrong at rides, what
> causes horses to pull".  We don't care who detected the problem, we care
> what the problem was.  IMO it was very wise of you to elect to pull, but
we
> are not (at this time) trying to track data on how many riders are as
> conscientious as you were, we are trying to track data on why horses are
> pulled.  RO is intended to be used *only* when the RIDER is unable to
> continue.

Thanks, Terre, for a good post on this subject.  You are correct that Sue's
pull SHOULD have been listed as an L, regardless of who made the choice to
pull.  Because of my own vetting style (I try very hard to make the rider
make the choice, even if I will pull the horse if the rider doesn't) almost
all of my pulls at rides would be listed as RO's if one followed the logic
of "who made the call."  And that isn't the data we're looking for.  You
chose to pull because the horse had a few head bobs--that's an early mild
lameness, even if it isn't noticeable on even footing at the vet check.

>Personally, I think we need another code (W?) for wounds or
> injuries which don't result in lameness (girth galls? breast collar
rubs?);
> but there may be few enough of these that they can be lumped under L or
> M.  I once had a horse run thru a barbwire fence (without me)--he looked
> like he'd been in a Cuisinart, but was neither lame nor metabolically
> compromised at the time I pulled him (altho he did stiffen up and get a
> little shocky later)  I think we called him L.

Yes, for the most part, these have been lumped under the L code, but many of
them are not lame in the least.  The horse that ran the sharp grass into a
surface vessel at Norco a year or two ago comes to mind--the horse wasn't
lame or sore in the slightest, but had blood gushing clear down to his hoof,
and needed a local anesthetic to get the blood vessel ligated.  A different
pull code for stuff like that would be appropriate.

Heidi


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
 Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
 Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
 Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp

 If you are an AERC member - PLEASE VOTE in the upcoming By-Laws 
 Election!!!! (it takes 2/3rds to tango!!)

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=