I saw a rider ride a horse into his grave in '94. When the horse
collapsed at the 42 mile check she just handed the lead line to someone
else and walked away. Two vets worked long and hard to save the horse
and poured a lot of fluid in him but the damage was done the the horse
died two days later.
No one protested - maybe they should have but I guess everyone was to
horrified to even think about it. The person never did another ride
that I know of. I am not even sure she was an AERC member and there
was nothing the AERC could have done to bring the horse back or
"punish" the rider since that is the only ride I know of she did.
If we ride long enough we will probably have to have our horse treated.
It is not a risk free sport and the numbers will eventually catch up
with you. I think it's how it happens and it's how we handle the
emergency that is important. When our horse does crash that is when it
needs us most and that is when our responsibility to its welfare is the
most critical. The issue was not that Lud's horse was on fluids - the
important thing is Lud had the vet put his horse on fluids for the sake
of the horse. You also made the (probably hard) decision to sell him
and start over with another horse. You guys took the responsibility to
help your horse in his time of need. I don't see how any one could see
that as negative. If they did I would suggest they don't understand the
risk involved in this sport.
Truman
Barbara McCrary wrote:
I've been thinking about the
protests and the issues involved. Since I haven't a clue how the rider
reacted, how he or she did or did not take care of the horses in
question, I can't pass judgment. All I can say is that some horses, my
husband's in particular, can and do get into metabolic trouble through
no action on the rider's part. This horse refused to drink,
particularly on a desert ride in the winter. The air was cool, it was
also dry. The horse flat out refused to drink enough. He could, and
did, thump and colic as a result. We were not riding fast.....only at
a steady, moderate trot, slowing down where appropriate. He caused my
husband great anxiety, so we finally found a wonderful home for the
horse. Horse is now enjoying a plushy lifestyle, he is loved, cared
for, ridden for pleasure and in small local shows. His new owner is
jumping him (we didn't know he had the talent for this!) and generally
having a great time. Maybe he just wasn't suited for
endurance........ Maybe there is a side of the story we don't know
about the riders against whom the protests were filed? Maybe we
shouldn't be too quick to judge? I don't know. All I know is that
someone could have seen my husband's horse hooked up to an IV drip and
said, "Did you see that? Lud McCrary overrode his horse!"
