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[RC] Howard...what's your point? - John & Sue GreenallI am always glad to read what Howard writes because the man does not mince words. But...I think, Howard, is that you have missed the obvious. It is not the newbie riders who are losing horses! The one lost in Vermont last weekend was very tragic and when I step back and take a look, it is the sport at fault. Calm down, I love endurance and I think everyone is trying for the same goal, the interest of the sport...but the fact remains that we need to be protected from ourselves..and that goes for the horse too. The only way I can see that happening is to have more holds. More holds means more rest time for the horse, more opportunities for the vets to evaluate the horse and less time on the trail to get into trouble before it's caught. Loops of 20+ miles are simply too long. The Pan Ams had three loops - 20-20-21 miles. The Vermont ride had the first two loops - 18-21 miles. The horse gets into a deficit but is willing to go on despite itself. By the time the horse or rider recognizes that there is trouble, it can be too late. No vet can be expected to pull a horse out of metabolic trouble every time and I feel sorry for those vets that do everything in their power but cannot save a horse. I feel even more for the rider who can second guess themselves forever about what they missed in their horse before it failed. I feel the most for the horse because this is just a game we play and we invite them to join us although we all fully understand the risks....they do not. John and Sue Greenall mailto:greenall@xxxxxxxxxxxxx http://www.vermontel.com/~greenall =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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