Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Guess I'll weigh in on this and then back off.  I am intolerant of 
horse (and ridestaff) abuse, and have taken much unilateral action to 
keep my rides "clean".  One of the ways I do this is to have a "first 
time rider" checkbox on my entry, which lets me know who to help ahead 
of time or watch out for.  I have a database of 700 area riders, plus 
we have the AERC horse/rider history to reveal the background of riders 
whose names I don't recognize.  Per AERC rules we always have an LD 
meeting after the regular ride meeting, which is always well-attended.

FWIW, Annie, the rider in my protest rode one 25 (on a different horse) 
and 2 slow 50s with an endurance trainer that I respect between 
September 1 and Dec 1.

Then she decided she was ready to race, and did so for the rest of the 
year.  The horse either top tenned or thumped.  She did not respond to 
other riders' advice or observations of condition.

It is one thing to know that a horse thumped, and was treated.  That's 
what the other riders thought had happened.  And also FWIW that was the 
only horse treated of 150 at the ride.

There is no way for other riders to know that a rider would make the 
choice to leave the grounds for the night, not providing ride mgmt or 
riders camped nearby with a way to contact her.  No way for them to 
know that she had turned the horse out in a portable corral with a 
fresh pasture buddy.

I favor the strong suggestion that people new to the sport volunteer 
first.  I got this rider's agreement as her horse was being treated for 
colic that Sunday morning that she would lay him off the rest of the 
year, and volunteer at two rides as a vet secretary.  Her rebuttal to 
the protest used my words as her own ideas for rider education, guess I 
should be happy that they reached their target.

No way for me or the other riders to know that the horse didn't go home 
and recover from the thumps and the next morning's colic.  It was just 
lucky that riders living nearby noticed the horse missing from his 
pasture, and talked about it among each other at the next ride.  
Otherwise, how would we have had a clue that the horse may have died?  
The rider told some of them that the horse was on R&R in Colorado.  How 
would we have known that her tale wasn't true?

I don't favor the sponsorship idea except as a voluntary one--how would 
you propose to match up those newbie horse/rider combination with a 
similarly paced horse?

Lynne
Norco Riverdance ride (thankfully on hiatus)
Bar H Boogie (probably March 6, 2004)

On Saturday, August 23, 2003, at 02:54 PM, Annie George wrote:

>  We try to educate, we try to help, but as long as we do not have any 
> way of knowing if the person has learned anything or even gives a 
> crap, pre ride, we are open for trouble. ?As far as I can see the only 
> way to find that out is with a log book and sponsors. Or something.? 
> Unforeseen things happen to the best old riders and horses.??But a 
> first time rider killing the horse is, I think something that could be 
> prevented. Annie G.
> Anne George Saddlery?? www.vtc.net/~ageorge


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