RE: [RC] [RC] LD rides and fatalities - Howard BramhallI may not have stated what I meant to say clearly. I thought 4 out of the 11 total was high. I expected zero or one for the 25 milers out of the 11 total.Is there any way to find out the age of these horses? I didn't see it anywhere on the information provided. I am truly grateful to the members of the Welfare of the Horse Committee providing this information. I'm sure some of it was difficult to obtain. We owe it to these horses to pursue this further. What have we learned from these deaths? What, if anything, are we going to do to try and prevent further ones from happening at our rides? Every time a horse dies at an AERC ride, we are all accountable for it. I really believe that. We have created this sport, made the rules the way they are, and, should take the responsibility because some of these deaths could have been prevented. Things like a formal rider education program, a mentor program, stewards, and a firm belief driven into the new riders by AERC and the regions that the horse must come first and foremost. We may not be able to legislate morality but, we can set up a program where a horse and, a rider, has to earn the right to be called an endurance horse or an endurance rider. A thorough Novice program, for both the horse and rider would be a step in the right direction. Throw in a required mentor program and some horses like the two quarter horses, one with 75 miles and one with 50, would most likely still be alive today. Start at the beginning. Teach, instruct, but, above all else, make it a mandatory program that all new riders go through. Think of it as a free clinic (well, not completely free) thrown in as part of an endurance ride. Ride your first 25 or your first 50 with someone like Valerie Kanavy instructing you along the way. And, it doesn't cost you a dime extra. We can do more with this. So much knowledge there. WE need to tap into it. It only requires some effort and sacrifice on our part to make it happen. The horse deserves nothing less. cya, Howard Michael Maul <mmaul@xxxxxxxxx> To: ridecamp <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Subject: [RC] LD rides and fatalities Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2004 20:43:15 -0600 _________________________________________________________________ Click, drag and drop. My MSN is the simple way to design your homepage. http://click.atdmt.com/AVE/go/onm00200364ave/direct/01/ ============================================================ I don't think you have to join a gym or buy frilly outfits to get some fitness. A decent set of shoes and a 15 minute dismount here and there will help. ~ Jon K. Linderman, Ph.D., FACSM, Assistant Professor of Health and Sport Science, University of Dayton ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/ ============================================================
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