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Hi Lynne,
I think you are right that Hal is one of the "good guys" but does 
that remove his responsibility for putting Fred into that last career 
ending race? Hal's horses' have longevity because he rides them 
within their limits and he probably assumed Mack did too which was a 
big mistake. I can only imagine the sick feeling Hal had as he 
watched Fred crash after riding him just that one 50 but he had no 
way of knowing Fred's true condition and should have erred on the 
side of caution. There might be a lesson in there somewhere.

You are also right that I'm not a racer. I do admire the "hot shoes" 
and congratulate them on riding fast while maintaining a sound 
horse.  I know "stuff happens" and it happens to me sometimes and I 
am responsible to personally take care of my horse and I've helped 
others take care of theirs and have learned a lot in the process.

So what is this axe I am grinding? Well I think Mack took all the 
credit for winning then gave Fred a raw deal and got him badly hurt 
because he decided not to be responsible for his care after such a 
remarkable campaign.
Don Huston





At 01:07 PM 1/25/2006 Wednesday, you wrote:
> Don, I am simply stunned at your conclusions.  IMNSHO you are totally
> off base, and it freaks me out that you would draw such conclusions
> about a guy with a record like Hal Hall's and his horses' longevity
> in the sport and post them to an international audience.  FWIW Don is
> in PS and Hal in W, and I suspect Don has never seen Hal or his horses.
>
> You are not a racer--and it feels like you are not willing to
> consider that "stuff happens" whether racing or not, and that you
> feel if a horse has to retire it is automatically something the rider
> could have avoided had he simply not competed the horse.
>
> I am not a racer (either, at this point) but find Hal to be one of
> the "good guys" in this sport that would pay attention to his horses'
> longterm needs over his desire to compete. I've seen how he cares for
> his horses (including at Tevis).
>
> Lynne


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