I
really applaud the efforts at having a discussion about this. Every single
one of us was a new rider once, and we all made mistakes or did things we'd like
to do over.
However, a thought keeps
running through my head - it is impossible to legislate morality. And to
me, that's what this boils down to.
We're not talking about
accidents here, we're talking about a rider (newbie or not) - either
consciously or unconsciously/unknowingly - pushing their horse too hard.
If they do it and their horse dies, that's pretty black and white. What
about the horses that "survive" the event but are permanently damaged to the
extent they can no longer compete or even walk without
pain?
The prohibition against
drinking didn't cure the desire to drink, and creating rules that attempt to
confine a behavior against a huge canvas of possible outcomes won't cure the
desire for speed in some riders, because the penalties simply are not high
enough.
I am a firm believer in
preloading a behavior or event for success. In this case, a really good
driver's education course (or two) prior to competing in their first event might
be enough. I think we have enough sanctioning rules for
inappropriate behaviors. They cannot eliminate horse deaths, although
I think they are keeping them in check.
