Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Folks, I haven't been reading Ridecamp recently and just today saw this 
discussion.  I haven't had time to read all of the posts, but here is my 
take on it.  As this message will be rather long, I'll give a summary 
first, then details.

1.  This change is unnecessary.  The current system has stood the test 
of time, and is working very well.  I have seen no hard, documented 
evidence that shortening the time allowed for the post-ride vet exam 
will improve horse welfare or horse safety at all.  Pulse recovery is 
only one of many factors the vets look at.  A horse that is overridden 
and overstressed will not only be slow to recover, but will have other 
parameters that will show if he is not fit to continue.

2.  The one hour post-finish vs. 30 minutes at vet checks on the trail 
is appropriate, it is there for valid reasons.  Endurance rides are also 
races, and those racing will -- must -- ride faster on the last leg.  
This results in greater oxygen debts and heat buildup while, not harmful 
if not to excess, do take longer to clear.  A horse at the finish is not 
going to receive any more stress, and is not going back out into the 
wilderness but will be relaxing in camp, so it is not necessary to have 
as stringent a time limit to recover.

3.  The change carries a lot of baggage, and IMO is not good for the 
horse.  There is more pressure to take measures to force faster 
recovery.  Many rides have finish lines some distance out of camp, with 
a 30-minute time limit either the ride must have a vet at the remote 
finish line to do post-ride exams (in addition to a vet in camp to do 
Best Condition), or the horse must be hustled back to camp quickly 
instead of having a relaxing, leisurely walk home.  If the post-ride 
exam is done at a remote finish, the horse can't be taken to his trailer 
prior to the exam.

For these reasons I believe this is an inappropriate change, a change 
not for the better, but for the worse.  I am opposed to this change.  I 
respect the Committees and their members who proposed the change, but in 
this case I respectfully disagree with their recommendation.

Now, for more details on the points I made above:

1.  We have about ten horse deaths a year in this sport in the U.S., and 
more treated.  This is unacceptable, we must take all reasonable steps 
to reduce this.  But, how many of those deaths are horses that have 
completed the entire distance?  And, how many of those were racing for 
Top Ten?  Very few, and there is no evidence that 30 minutes instead of 
an hour allowed for the post-ride exam will help any of them.  As I said 
above, pulse recovery is an important indicator, but it is only one of 
many -- and a horse that is overstressed but short of needing treatment 
will have other indicators of his condition.  There are already plenty 
of tools for the vets to pull overridden horses at the finish, we don't 
need another one that is a fixed time-limit change.  Especially without 
real evidence that such a change would actually make any difference to 
any horse.

The adoption of "fit to continue" as a completion criteria was a great 
step forward in our sport, and I'm proud of my role in bringing it 
about.  We considered at that time what was the best balance for how 
long to allow a rider to bring his horse to the vets, fit to continue.  
We chose one hour, and IMO the success of the criteria over two decades 
has shown that to have been a good choice, a good balance.

2.  Many people have questioned why the horse should be allowed a longer 
time at the finish that he's been allowed at the vet checks all day.  
Well, the finish is DIFFERENT from the vet checks on the trail.  Not for 
those who are riding for miles, for completion, to just smell the roses 
along the way, no.  But for those racing for place, it is very 
different.  You are not riding to a vet gate where your recovery 
determines if you leave ahead of or behind your competition, you are 
riding to a finish line where the instant you cross it determines your 
placing (hence your success or failure in your goal for the day).  You 
will, you must, ride faster on the last leg.  How much faster is a 
judgment that is one of the things that separates First to Finish from 
those who come after.

This faster pace is going to result in greater oxygen debts, greater 
heat buildup, even greater fatigue, all of which mean longer recovery 
times than the horse had at the vet checks along the trail.  This does 
not mean that he's been overridden, or is in trouble.  So, obviously, if 
30 minutes is appropriate at the vet checks on the trail, some longer 
time is necessary at the finish.  We've been using one hour, and that 
has been working very well.

3.  Even if the change resulted in some marginal improvement in safety, 
it is not "free."  There are downsides as well, which I believe the 
Committees did  not consider sufficiently.  Many others have expressed 
the downside for riders, I'll concentrate on the downside for ride 
managers, and most important of all -- the downsides for the horse.

For ride managers with finish lines outside of camp, their logistics are 
impacted.  With an hour to present your horse, there's always enough 
time to walk him back to camp, even with remote finish lines.  With 30 
minutes, there may not be, forcing the ride manager to have another vet 
at the finish line to do post-ride exams, with one back in camp to do 
Best Condition and watch over the horses there.  The shorter time can 
also result in longer lines at large rides of  riders awaiting their 
post-finish exam -- and what happens if the time runs out while you're 
waiting in line?

For the horse, he will now be subjected to more artificial cooling and 
recovery aids at a time when he should be relaxing after his work for 
the day is done.  Everything will be faster-paced and more urgent during 
that period just after he finishes.  Even worse with the remote finish 
lines -- now instead of a leisurely walk back home, he will be hustled 
back to get there in time to recover and have his exam.  Or, have to 
wait at the finish line until he has his exam, instead of going back to 
his trailer.  Neither scenario is helping the horse.

4.  The Law of Unintended Consequences.  I expect that if this is put 
into effect, we will shortly discover other negative consequences of the 
change.  Major changes like this should only be done when there is a 
clear need, or a clear expectation of real benefit.

In short, while the goals of the proposed change are laudable, I think 
this is a classic case of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."  It seems 
to be a "feel-good" measure, a way to feel that we're "doing something," 
even if that something does more harm than good in actual practice.  I 
urge staying with the current one hour.

Also, I urge anyone concerned with this proposal to contact their 
Directors and let them know how you feel about it.

-- Joe Long
jlong@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

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