It is the SOLE responsibility of the > riders to keep their horses within a healthy and safe level.
I like the last six words especially.
That is quite different from approaching the edge, teetering there a bit and, maybe, backing away from it and deeming it okay because it's a "competition".
A fine point, but a point that can make the difference between life and death.
I believe when most endurance "racers" kill one horse, they learn their lesson, albeit at a cost no horse should ever pay.
That some have to get to that point before they "get it" is unacceptable by our sport and a heartbreak that shouldn't be forgotten due to getting the next one ready for the next "really important race".
No horse race is worth the life of the horse...because if one believes there is, it ceases being "sport".
