Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Dear Dr Jisha,

Sometimes people who post here on Ridecamp are more concerned with 
justifying their own agendas than they are in providing information to 
others.  The hallmarks of such posters are flamboyant rhetoric, hyperbole 
and a flare for deliberately misunderstanding criticisms of their words. 
Perhaps I am too jaded, but as soon as I see these red flags, I hit the 
delete key.

The gentle art of communication requires first that one have the attention 
of those to whom one is speaking.  When I read your 23-Jul post concerning 
the Big Horn in which you stated that this was your first post to Ridecamp, 
I thought, "Oh good.  A new perspective, and from a veterinarian at that." 
 However, when in your third paragraph you stated, "In fact, not only one 
horse died, two were killed," my mind immediately began to close.  I barely 
skimmed the rest and deleted your post.

When you responded to Lauren who stated, "I take some real exception to 
this terminology. Your attempt to ignite this tragedy with this language is 
out of line. These wonderful horses were not 'killed'...", with "They were 
euthanized, can you call that anything other than 'killed'?", it seemed 
that you just wanted to defend yourself.  Then Micki too wrote to take you 
to task and once again, you defended your choice of words.

How can a person smart enough to earn a veterinary degree be so obtuse? 
"Kill" and "Euthanize" have similar denotations but very different 
connotations.  "Kill" connotes an unconcerned, WILLFUL taking of life while 
"Euthanize" connotes the substitution of death for excruciating pain.  I 
didn't take my ancient cat in renal failure to the vet to have it killed. 
I hoped that euthanasia would relieve it of its pain and to that end I held 
it gently as it took its last breath.  People who hang cats from cyclone 
fences and pelt them with rocks kill them.  They do not euthanize them.

To justify your choice of words by stating, "Any time you euthanize an 
animal, the animal has been killed" is specious reasoning.  The real shame 
is that your posts offer valid ideas, ideas lost because of your apparent 
dedication to defending the image of vets and RM's heartlessly endangering 
horses to the point of death.  Had your response to Lauren read more like, 
"I am sorry for implying that the well-being of these horses was 
deliberately ignored.  I was and still am extremely unhappy at what seemed 
to me a pretty cavalier attitude toward a rider's horse colicking.  Please 
go back and re-read my original post and you'll see why I am so upset", 
your concerns would have been accepted in a much more open-minded fashion 
and many of those who had at first perceived you as a mere rabble-rouser 
would have had the opportunity to revise their opinions.

Respectfully yours,
Diane Trefethen
AERC # 2691




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