[RC] [RC] Answering Lisa's "things to think about' post - oddfarm
Thank you for the response, Laura. But let me
correct you on one comment. I did not say, "the Welfare committee
should have called" but rather could have called. I was
very careful to word it that way to offer choices. One of the choices being to
be able to call and see if it were true. Is there something wrong with that? I
don't know, I'm asking. I was assuming that at least one person from the HWC saw
the story and was just wondering if just reading the story warranted an inquiry.
I certainly did not infer that you were to call and
horsewhip anyone. I was just merely asking if someone from the HWC could make a
simple phone call. Something along the line of, "Hello, This is so and so with
the HWC and I read your story on the members forum. I'm so sorry for your loss
but we are concerned and I was wondering if I could talk to you about it?". Not
defensively, not accusatory, but kind and fair. I thought we wanted all deaths
reported regardless of whether or not it was at the ride or after the ride for a
more accurate account. Is that right?
Take out the legal problems these particular
characters have encountered. Let's just pretend that we only have the
allegations pertaining to previous rides and that the story of
the horse dying might be true, and that they could be coming to
another ride.
It says on the web site."One of the general purposes of the Committee for
the Welfare of the Horse is to act as a sounding board for informal complaints
by AERC members about horse abuse and to contact overzealous riders to
warn and educate them of potential problems. This helps serve the committee E2
80 99s overall mission of fostering peer pressure and a culture of protection of
horses through non-coercive means."
If the story were true, then are you saying that no
one can do anything unless and until a report comes from the vet committee? If
so, I don't understand that. The above statement implies that an informal
complaint is all that is needed. And if it is informal, why couldn't anyone from
the HWC take it upon themselves after receiving knowledge by any means
of an overzealous rider to make a phone call? I don't know, I'm
asking.
The site also states, "This informal procedure is intended to allow intervention with
problem riders before death or serious injury to a horse occurs and before
the problem progresses to a protest. This informal procedure is
not intended to address complaints about competition issues not related to the
welfare of the horse. Nor is it intended as some sort of witch-hunt or "turn in
your neighbor" program."
You asked why no one filed a protest, and I am asking why that would
be necessary?
If someone from the HWC could take the
initiative to make that call first, (that could be the intervention) then
the members wouldn't have to turn their neighbor in or go on the witch hunt
to belittle and degrade the situation even further. Would the story (still not
verified as true) have ended any different? We will never know.
We all know that the members forum is read by
board members. My initial inquiry was can a board member act on reports of
abuse and death just by reading it on the forum or does there really have to be
something put in front of them in writing?
"The committee
simply hopes to provide a way to reach out to problem riders who don't seem to
respond to the advice of their fellow riders."
I am not looking for a debate, just some simple
answers. Rules and laws don't always take into consideration the use of plain
'ol common sense. Common sense would tell me, if I were in a position of a board
member, I would have at least called. If for no other reason, then to verify the
truth of the story since it appeared to involve at some point an AERC ride. (
Again, I thought we encouraged riders reporting deaths even after rides for
a more accurate report) I think we can all agree trying to educate would have
been a waste of time and peer pressure from fellow riders wasn't working. But
maybe a phone call would have been the start of a protest.
Since I am not a board member, and wasn't witness to
any of the allegations or the situation that was written about the death of a
horse, I didn't feel like I was the appropriate person to do that. Now I feel
kinda guilty that I didn't. Especially if the story is true. Is it just
me?
