Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

On Mon, 20 Feb 2006 22:44:59 -0600, "Mary Ann Spencer"
<maryann.spencer@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Life can be dangerous.  Doubt there are many stats these days about horse 
> related injuries.  Last century most deaths were from accidents or pneumonia 
> and only a few people lived past the age of 50.   
> BUT there are LOTS of injuries with ALL the popular 'ball' games.   Many have 
> those home trampolines.  Cars also kill and maim MANY people.   We still drive 
> and ride in cars.  Most learn and play lots of ball games.  Life can be risky. 
> A good plan is to REDUCE the risk as much as possible.  Whether it be horses, 
> dogs, balls and bats or rolling wheels, there will be some risk.  We all take 
> a chance just walking around our neighborhoods.  
Very true.

I wish people would keep in perspective what we're really talking about here.
No one, NO ONE, is trying to keep youngsters from riding endurance rides.  We
are talking about having a reasonable MINIMUM age to provide some degree of
assurance that very young, VERY SMALL children won't be subjected to the hazards
of a ride, that they are unable to handle (no matter how precocious or "mature
for their age" they are).

Serious emergencies can happen at any time on a horse, no matter how skilled the
rider or how well-trained and "settled" the horse.  The risk of this is much
greater on endurance rides than in riding in an arena or a ride in a park, or
even around the ranch.

And no one has made any case, not a bit, that any child will be harmed in any
way by having to wait and grow a year or two before starting endurance.  It
isn't the kids fighting a minimum age rule, it's parents.

-- 

Joe Long
jlong@xxxxxxxx
http://www.rnbw.com

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