We shouldn't be too quick to judge others. Endurance is a tough
sport. As far as I'm concerned, there in no other equine sport that is
tougher, physically, on a horse. Folks can literally start in and do a 100
miles with no prior experience required. This is how those who came
before some of us set it up; it's how it is and, like it or not, it does
invite a higher amount of risk than most other activities that have
prerequisites required to reach certain levels. With endurance no
prerequisite is required. You learn as you go and some folks catch on quicker
than others. And, the horses absorb most, if not all, of the
risk.
There are some horses not meant for this sport, even Arabians. I know
of one rider who had a very fit, well trained Arabian mare who coliced at an
endurance ride the night before the start. Something about the excitement
of all those strange horses out there set her off. During training rides
this horse was perfectly fine and more than ready for a 50 miler. Go
figure.
It's sometimes easy to throw stones at others when we don't really know
what went on at a particular ride. Even an official protest filed with
AERC might not come out with the correct conclusion. It is, after
all, based on human recollection of past events. Only the rider really
knows for sure what happened and even then might not be able to be entirely
forthcoming with the truth.
As much as I love this sport I have seen some things at rides that have
bothered me so much I have contemplated quitting. If Dance Line would have
died at that endurance ride years ago it would have been my last ride during our
rookie year together. I wouldn't have been able to look any of ya'll in
the eye after that because I knew it was all my fault. No matter how much
you care about your horse this is a sport where bad things can happen even to
the most meticulous of riders. It's something I think about every time I
pull into camp and that thought never leaves me until I return home with a
healthy horse. And, if it does happen to another rider's horse, my initial
feeling is complete and total empathy. I know it could have been me.
It can happen to anyone and if you don't believe that you must have some kind of
direct pact with the Lord who is protecting your horse every step of the
way. The truth is it can happen to anyone.
I'm not one to judge others; I'll leave that to ya'll. One has to
live with what they do in life and, if your conscience will let you live with
the fact that you took the life of another, even if it was only a horse, I do
believe it will eat at you till the day you die. I think that's why the
woman in Truman's story never returned to show her face at a ride
again. And, when she looks at herself in the mirror, I wonder, even today,
what exactly she sees.
As far as IV's go, I wish we riders would get rid of this negative
stereotype that we have put on this treatment that might not be such a bad idea
for every horse that finishes 50 or 100 miles. It can and, has been
used for horses that were not necessarily in "trouble." I'd much
rather see a horse on an IV than one lying on the ground not breathing any
longer. I'd venture to say that 95% of all horses that complete more than
50 miles on a hot humid day at an endurance ride are dehydrated. If it
wouldn't draw such a crowd and I could do it myself I'd give it to my guys after
every ride.
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!"
