Last night, the board of directors voted
to have the Welfare of the Horse Committee investigate and write death
reports for horses who die at or after endurance rides. This task was
formerly assigned to the Vet committee and was not a popular chore, to say the
least.
Our committee is hoping to publish all death
reports in a fair and educational manner. I have authored a couple of the
stories from last year, and these reports will be in the same vein with the
emphasis on education. - we are hoping that the knowledge brought forth in these
articles may have, and will continue to save horses through the raising of
awareness to the subtle signs of distress.
There were 6 horse deaths in the 2004 season -
almost half of what we reported for 2003. We will present, at the
convention (and will most likely be published in EN) the data chart pertaining
to those deaths.
In my experience in questioning the riders, vets
and others in attendance during these tragic events- IT CAN HAPPEN TO ANY ONE OF
US ON ANY DAY. Hug your horse and don't forget to hug the rider who is not
as lucky as you are now....
Laura Hayes - Chair AERC Welfare of the Horse
Committee Vine Cliff Farms Brocton, NY AERC#
2741
