I just read it today and there are several issues.
First
If a horse has thumped - it's time to find out why and fix the problem.
Is it feed? Is it electrolytes, etc? Is the horse not ready to go that
fast? I'd sure find out and fix it before I pushed the horse again.
Second
Why wasn't the horse treated on ride site right after the ride. I sure
would not settle for a shot for a major metabolic problem. 20 liters of
fluids might have made a big difference - but we will never know. A
minor colic, give them a shot and if it goes away then fine. But I
suspect that there were some other signs of dehydration that should
have been rectified - why wasn't it?
Third
How many people would leave a horse that had been pulled for a
metabloic problem? This is the mistake. A rider is not only
responsible for the welfare for their horse on the trail but especially
if the horse gets into distress. While problems can arise at any time
with any horse, leaving of the horse for over 12 hours to fend for
itself when it was coming off a serious metabolic problem was what
struck me as irresponsible.
Yes it was tragic but there were plenty of chances to keep this from
potentially happening. First backing off and finding out why the horse
thumped the first time he thumped. Thumping is a serious metabolic
issue. Second Getting the horse ready to run fast after the thumping
problem had been solved. Third, if your horse crashes ( and being
pulled at the finish line for metabolic problems is crashing) get it
treatment and stay with him so if he regresses you are there to get him
additional treatment.
Lynne's protest was well founded and the protest committee validated
that.
I also agree that we need education and this is another situation that
might have been avoided if we had a better education program in place.
But this is only (optimistic) conjecture. Before you start feeling
sorry for the rider - she did learn a hard lesson, think about the
horse in the ground because of this.
Truman
Dennis, Nancy & Bill wrote:
When I read the first protest, my
response was the same as yours, Sandy. Then I noticed the name on the
second one. I have been at three rides this person has ridden in; met
him back in March. The lady who introduced me to him rode almost an
entire ride with him. She said he was teaching her how to be
"competitive". Until I read this protest, I never would have guessed
any of this had happened. ( I AM NOT defending him, I don't know enough
about the situation to do that) It has bothered me since I read it,but
not necessarily because his horse died. OK, so he was "competitive".
He lost a horse. I feel terrible about that for the love of the animal.
However, I am not sure, after having my first metabolic pull back in
May( a ride this person attended) , that I feel the same today as I
would have in March. I have a different perspective. What if MY mare
had died when I got home? Would someone have filed a protest? I was
doing MUCH less than my mare was capable of on any other day, yet she
would not pass her CRI. There were comments from the tent when the vet
told them why she was pulled like,"OH my God, that's HORRIBLE!" (I
heard them.) Photos taken of my mare 5 minutes later show an alert,
active , uncompromised animal. I have other horses I could have taken
to rides afterward, if she had died. Would that have made me heartless?
Is there a respectable mourning period? Other riders with MANY more
years experience lose horses under WAY more suspicious cicumstances,
and no protests are filed.My point(I think:) ) is that these protest
readings are colored quite differently based on our past experiences.
(Hope I can still buy a horse from you, if you have what I need ;))
