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[RC] Horse Deaths and People - Bruce WearyHi Rusty--I have to agree with you in that some lessons are to be had from this particular situation. The following ones occur to me. 1) Show me an endurance rider who has never seen or heard of the concept of riding a horse sensibly, "the horse is paramount," "the horse is the rider's responsibility," "to finish is to win," or has not undergone several if not hundreds of vet checks which attempt to screen for life-threatening parameters, and I'll show you a hen's tooth. When they choose to ignore these principles and laws of physiology, either through poor judgment, ego, or otherwise, it's a recipe for disaster, and they remain fully responsible. Unfortunately, the horse often pays a price. True and utter ignorance is rarely the case or the excuse. 2) As my mentor used to say, "I can only "teach" you. I can't "learn" you." It's up to each individual to inform themselves as much as possible about horse husbandry and the rigors and risks of endurance riding. AERC does plenty of educating, from website and EN articles, to "newbie talks" at rides, right down to it's members and vets. I defy anyone to leave an obviously colicking horse tied to a trailer and in plain site at a ride and not have other riders notice and bring attention to the situation. Virtually all ride entry forms contain disclaimers about the rider's responsibilities and the inherent danger of endurance riding, to both horse and rider. Again, ignorance is not a valid explanation 99% if the time. 3) Education is a two way street, and in the real world, the student is expected to do the lion's share of the work to accomplish it. My professors didn't work half as hard as I did to get me through school. It was up to me to determine what information I would be responsible for, to assimilate and develop a working knowledge of it, and to take responsibility for having mastered it. The professor's job was to make the information available, and in a reasonably understandable form. When a student occasionally got a bad grade, no one looked to the professor as the likely culprit of the bad performance. It is customarily assumed that the student didn't apply himself as best he could. Alyx is a past National Junior Champion. Not a candidate for the "I didn't know any better" excuse. 4) People often aren't punished *for* their bad behavior. They are, however, often punished *by* it. 5) Only mature and sensible people should be candidates as stewards of horses. Rather than looking to AERC and asking what it could do or have done to prevent this situation, I, for one, am far more interested in watching how these riders respond, and hopefully, change for the better. I love quotes. One of my favorites: "If you want to know the extent and quality of someone's thinking, simply observe their behavior and the life they lead. One is a blueprint for the other." Dr Q =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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