Speaking of being judgmental. A few years ago I saw a
horse being treated at a ride ( being a newbie I had never seen
that) and immediately jumped to the conclusion that the horse had been
overridden and the rider was a brute. A couple of years later my
horse had a metabolic crash at a horribly hot and humid ride and I was lucky not
to lose him. Tell you what, completely changed my attitude. You
can do everything right and stuff can still go terribly wrong. My horse
was not the only one treated at that ride (actually I think there were
at least 4 or 5) and one horse died. It was awful. I just sat there
and cried my eyes out convinced I had killed my horse. Just about the
worst day of my life. Anyway, not that long ago I saw a friend tending her
horse in camp that had just been pulled. He was a little colicky and
in general didn't feel too good. She asked the vet to come over and
look at him and the vet suggested giving him IV fluids. She was very
hesitant to do that because of the negative things people might think about
her. I went over and tried to be supportive and told her I thought the IV
fluids would be a good idea too. I mean, it was hot and humid, and what
did she have to lose. If the horse didn't need all the fluids he would pee
them out. And, she could nip worse problems in the bud before
they happened. A hydrated horse is always better than a dehydrated
one. Especially in South Texas where I live. Anyway, happy
endings all around. So if you have a problem with someone treating her
horse and want to take a cheap shot at her, come and see me and I'll slap
you silly. Your negative attitude could influence someone
(especially someone new to the sport) into "not" treating a horse when they need
to. I for one will continue to be supportive to anyone I
see having their horse treated. They're usually upset and
vulnerable and don't need a snotty judgmental attitude.
sincerely, horse lame and ticked off, thanks for the outlet,
