Debbie, my friend and I were riding limited distance at that ride. We were almost at the finish when we rode by a vet truck and a few people on the side of the trail doing something with a horse. We were confused at first and didn't know if we were supposed to stop for some reason or what was going on, so we hesitated for a second until it was clear that we were to go on. Well after completing the ride, I took my beer and chair down to the finish to watch the other riders come in. I couldn't help but notice a big "bulldog" quarter horse hooked up to IVs. There was a cowboy looking rider standing nearby with jeans, spurs, and a big heavy western saddle on the ground. I asked the person next to me what was up with that, and she said that when this guy's horse stopped and couldn't go on, he took a stick and was beating it. Then I "heard" that he originally refused vet treatment. I also understand that this horse was a roping horse and that this was his first endurance ride. I remember hearing about a fight around the time of the awards dinner but I didn't witness any of that. I think the rider of that horse deserved to be pounded and I don't feel a bit sorry for him. I can't help feel Patrick should get a prize. He just did what we all felt like doing.
My friend and I were deeply disturbed by what we saw. Being fairly new to endurance, we questioned whether we were cut out for this sport. We talked about how seeing this ruined our beautiful ride. We wondered what could we do about it. We both went home and wrote to board members. So there you have it. Janet
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