Re: [RC] Overridden and Fit to Continue - Susan Garlinghouse, DVMFWIW, I agree with Joe on several issues. Having vetted the staggering total of one whole ride <g>, I really liked being able to ask the riders how they thought the horse was doing. Almost everyone was really up front and concerned about their horse's well-being, and the one rider who was trying to pull a fast one and swear the horse was just fine was transparently obvious. I appreciated having the input from the riders, plus it sure minimized the adversarial side of vet vs. rider. If it were solely up to me, I also agree with advising/warning a rider to slow down on the next leg, especially one I know would pay attention. I think that's one of the unspoken perks of being a successful rider with a good reputation for taking care of their horse. As talented as I am at standing on soapboxes and foaming at the mouth<g>, I'd probably make it plenty clear that if they didn't slow down, their horse would not complete and that the horse could potentially be in deep trouble requiring treatment that I would take great glee in charging them out the wazoo for. On the other hand, I do think I'm there in part to help them safely complete if I can, and offering veterinary advice to help them do so is part of the job description, IMO. I think there's lots of gray area in between, "why dontcha go see if he wants some more water" and "you're out". Mebbe that opinion will change ten or twenty years from now, but that's it for now. :-) Susan G, DVM =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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 Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|