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[RC] the sport? - rides2far

has a responsibility to the horses involved > otherwise if 

it doesn't live up to that responsibility is it any different from 
other > sports where animals die - that are now illegal in most of the

US?

Oh good grief! *Mr. Prevatt*, you are sounding like a darned I don't know
what today. Take a breath, let a *whole* lot of air out. Go back to
normal size. 

Now. The POINT of dog fighting, cock fighting, etc. is to kill an animal.
It is absolutely rediculous to compare our sport where the largest part
of the budget of any ride is to pay for veterinarians to monitor our
animals to do our darnest not only to not kill them, but to not ride them
while they are suffering any sort of lameness, backsoreness, or other
discomfort. We have barred ourselves from using any sort of chemicals to
mask pain to make sure we don't allow ourselves to do permanent damage by
masking lameness and continueing to compete. Can you imagine if somebody
decides to pull a quote out of one of your posts? They can you know. You
can say it was out of context but the quote will still be there. Every
year there are people who die playing football, running, biking, I've
even been at a ride where a rider died. Should we compare these sports
with the Roman Gladiators? 

Find me another sport where so many veterinarians compete. I once asked
Otis Schmitt why he liked endurance. He said, "Endurance riders are the
only horse people who will do what you tell them". The farrier at the
ride this weekend told me how much he enjoyed endurance riders "because
they *really* care about their horses". He commented that other
disciplines, like roping, barrel racing etc. just care about getting that
next check. They don't care what they have to give them just so long as
they get in that next run.

We're trying to make things even safer than they are. Nobody needs to
exagerate to motivate us. Reality is enough because we want a safe sport.

Mrs. McGhee





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