Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

> Does it take a protest to be filed to get it in print?  This is sad if
> that's the case.  After reading the last protest published concerning the
> rider whose horse was out of control at an endurance ride, which resulted
in
> their punishment being a 6 month suspension and censure, you would think
> someone who lost a horse at a ride would have a similar, or worse,
sanction
> placed against them.  But, as it turns out, a horse death doesn't seem to
> warrant any discussion anywhere except on Ridecamp.  I do think we might
> want to consider which is more important here.
> Is a horse out of control more important than a horse who is no longer
with
> us?  Where are our priorities?
And I would submit, Howard, that not everyone who loses a horse at a ride
should be "punished."  Ridecamp (as well as many internet forums) seems to
assume the worst, and many posters seem to want to be as punative as
possible without ascertaining the facts.  The priority should be the
truth--and that isn't what always comes out in "internet court."

As I've stated previously, virtually every death that I've personally
witnessed at endurance events has been due either to a non-detected
pre-existing condition or to an unavoidable accident.  What ghoulishness is
it in people that would have the rider drug over the coals in print after
such tragic occurrences?  Your assumption alone that all riders who have
horses die should be punished in some way seems to me to be good reason NOT
to print every death incident in gory detail.

That said, I DO think the year-end stats should be readily available, as
well as the breakdown of WHY the horses died.  It is my opinion that such
stats might go a long way toward educating people to the fact that there ARE
some deaths that are simply tragic, and likely could not have been
prevented.

Heidi


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