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[RC] [Guest] The Sport - Ridecamp ModeratorFrank Solano DVeritas@xxxxxxxIt seems to me that the input regarding "the sport" and "the edge" (good points, Terre) are very relevant. ALL the input. The weirdest phenomenon I have seen associated with this sport is the (unstated) risk to the rider and the horse. Riders who ride this sport do so knowing that (1) it is not easy for the horse or rider, (2) it can be done safely for horse and rider, relative to speed, terrain and aspirations, (3) that the benefits for horse and rider can sometimes be completely vague to the non-endurance people who own and, even sometimes, ride their horses and (4) the rider and horse can die at any given time during an endurance ride. That is the weird aspect to this sport that demands we be the very best horsepeople out there. Death. Injury is serious, but Death often is a permanent state. From those whose lives are based in science, to the touchy-feely types (me), to the highly competitive, to the "hey, I just wanna ride and see some nice scenery and meet some nice people-types...I believe we all want the sport to be as safe as possible for horse and rider. BUT, there is that aspect of "you could die out there" (taken from the Duck's ride meeting before a day of riding in the heat of the Salt Flats.) We could. The horses could. Is that acceptable? Well, that we could, probably. That the horses could....hard to say, but I'd say, probably. That's why we get so darn angry when we discuss Death in horses...we KNOW it is going to happen. Did being an "endurance horse" cause it? No. Being a horse did. Being subject to the whims and aspirations of a human being caused it. What this list does, as well as the AERC List, is try to dialogue about ways to minimize horse deaths. The input from the truly brilliant minds out there is wonderful, as is the input from the rest of us who just love our horses and want to continue doing this sport. Truman is right....more input, more input. Those of us who believe that speed and rider stupidity coupled with unrealistic goals are right, too. There is no one cause, as there is no one answer. Keep turning over the rocks....and when the answers are discovered, a horse will die during a training ride, a trailer ride, a bolt of lightning. But, at least we, as an organization, will have tried to do what we can to safeguard the horse while looking for whatever it is that we seem to need to find out there on the trail. Oh Yeah, Howard, don't stop pounding the drum...it is one of the instruments in this symphony. ---Frank Solano =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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