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FW: [RC] New Rider Proposal - Tom Dean-----Original Message----- From: Tom Dean [mailto:eriders@xxxxxxx] Sent: Friday, December 12, 2003 8:24 AM To: 'jlong@xxxxxxxx' Subject: RE: [RC] New Rider Proposal Joe, the analogy, was more theoretical than reality based. But the point is gets made the same. These rule changes will probably not save horses. Riders and ride vets can save horses. There will always be somebody that speeds on the freeway or rides unconditioned horses too fast. A point on this topic I have made on another site. These problems are not just a "top ten" problem (the "top ten" people are just more visible), in fact I believe the "back in pack" are more in metabolic danger. I have ridden at the front and I have finished last. It is my belief from the horses I have seen and rides I have ridden, that there is a larger metabolic problem in the non "top ten" horses. A lot of these horses are not as well conditioned as the "top ten" horses, and no matter the speed they just are not prepared for the job. Short of involving the ride vets, there are no rules that can be enacted that can judge the conditioning of a horse. Have a good day and thanks for the response. I think rational dialogue is always positive, Tom Dean -----Original Message----- From: Joe Long [mailto:jlong@xxxxxxxx] Sent: Friday, December 12, 2003 7:56 AM To: Tom Dean Cc: Ridecamp@Endurance. Net Subject: Re: [RC] New Rider Proposal On Fri, 12 Dec 2003 06:10:51 -0800, "Tom Dean" <eriders@xxxxxxx> wrote: I think the negative "personal" bantering about all "horse saving" ideas on ridecamp, is hurting the process. Keeping horses safe, is the most important issue, but somebody is going to have demonstrate that any of these ideas would have saved ONE horse. Of the four horse deaths that I am very familiar with over the last two years, none of these rules proposals would have helped. Excellent point, rationally made. I am pretty sure that if we slowed the freeways down to 20 mph, we would reduce freeway deaths by 99%. Actually, I doubt that. Because nobody would actually drive 20 mph, just as most drivers didn't drive 55 mph when the Feds forced all the States to go to that speed limit. When the 55 mph limit was removed, you had some groups loudly predicting an increase in highway deaths, but the opposite happened -- as speed limits on freeways were increased, deaths on those freeways went down. A wonderful example of how rules that will "obviously" help, don't help. ...Let's be careful that we do not put in bunch of rules that "would not" have saved a horse, just to make yourselves feel like we are doing something and maybe ruin what many of us like about endurance. Agreed. With all due respect to our list members from other countries, reading the rules some of them ride under just makes me all the more glad that I live in the United States. Just because country "X" has this or that rule, and is happy with it, does not mean the AERC should adopt the same. Like your mother told you, "If Johnny jumps off a bridge, would you jump off too?" -- Joe Long jlong@xxxxxxxx http://www.rnbw.com =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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