While I did not ride at the higher echelons of the sport, I did ride hunter
jumpers for about 12 years, and frankly, any horse who took a misstep was a
horse who I would certainly NOT have taken another fence with. I rode one horse
in novice level eventing for about 4 months - that was enough for me. Those
obstacles do NOT MOVE when a horse clips one - and because of that, it is much
more profound that a rider would not pull up a horse who could possibly have
whacked that next fence. Whether or not the rider's inaction contributed to the
demise of the horse is actually beside the point. Continuing on a horse who
takes a bobbled step is one thing - this horse could not even keep his STRIDE
after the "bobble". Given a choice, it is not hard to imagine that this horse
would have pulled up. Bad judgement is an understatement.
