Horse deaths are caused by true accidents (horse steps on
loose rock and falls off cliff), rider-caused accidents (rider, unable to
control their horse, rides off cliff), rider-caused health issues (rider
overrides horse into metabolic failure or colic), and horse-caused health issues
(congenital bad heart).
In the interests of fairness, then we must segregate out
horse deaths not caused by a rider away from rider-caused deaths. Of the
remaining deaths, we know that some are caused by the rider overriding their
horse.
However, how many are caused by the rider selecting an
inappropriate horse on which to compete? How many are caused by an
unskilled rider losing control of their horse at a critical
moment?
I've been at rides where I'm shocked at the lack of ground
schooling some horses have, and ground behavior is reflected in the
saddle. Are we going to require - in addition to pacing and mentoring -
that all riders have completed a ground schooling clinic? Are we also
going to require a riding skills class and proof of completion
certificate? Just because I believe in ground work doesn't mean I want to
require it for everyone else.
Horses are fragile creatures. We ask them to work in
rigorous ways that potentially endanger their health. American endurance
doesn't require proof of riding skill or riding ability. Since without a
doubt, these contribute to potential horse deaths, are we now going to also
require that?
I don't believe that creating new rules around how new
riders do their first rides is going to "solve" the
problem.
Mike Sofen
Santa Cruz, CA
Joe Long
wrote>>>>... how many equine fatalities over the last ten years were
to riders with fewer than 200 endurance miles
completed?<<<<
