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Bruce and all,

It's not just the risk of an ignorant novice racing an LD and crashing his horse....

there are no "restrictions" that prevent him from doing that on a 50!!! 

 

Karen

 

On 11/7/07, Bruce Weary DC <bweary@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

  I truly understand everyone's tortured feelings over the what this
horse endured. And there is a certain amount of catharsis in expressing
that we'd really like to see such-and-such happen to so-and-so, and that
AERC is too soft, not doing it's job, not punishing enough, etc.,. I
believe our degree of indignation is proportionate to our level of
caring. But the solutions to these types of situations are complicated,
and multifaceted. The AERC certainly doesn't "condone" abuse, as some
have suggested here. And our decisions aren't driven by trying to avoid
lawsuits, although they are a reality in our sport. We should be very
careful about trying to "mind read" the thoughts of others, and ascribe
motives where we have no first hand knowledge.   The answer doesn't lie
in  the  potential level of punishment awaiting an abuser, whether
witting or unwitting.  The problem, as I see it, lies in the fact that
our sport is constantly attracting new riders, many of whom are
completely inexperienced and run the risk of overriding a horse.The LD
is the entry level experience for many newcomers, and despite the
original intent of the LD, it has "morphed" into a racing venue that
poses dangers to horses ridden by even experienced riders, and
especially those newcomers afflicted by a mixture of ignorance and
bravado.   They aren't restricted from "going for the gold" until they
have some savvy that makes them a safer rider. That is the state of
affairs, and until we change that, there will be a few that squeak
through, and a horse may be unwittingly abused or die. We can never
overestimate the potential risks of true ignorance. We have to all take
responsibility for this, and I don't think the answer lies solely in
punishment after the fact that is severe enough to make us all feel
good, and that we have somehow struck a blow for animal protection. We
really haven't, as the abuse has already occurred.  While sanctions,
cencures, and punishment have their place, and I am all for the
appropriate use of them, the argument that they will deter the next
completely clueless rookie from doing the same thing again is weak. By
definition, a rookie may have little no knowledge of the sport, it's
inherent dangers, or what has happened before he showed up. "If we don't
know our history, we are doomed to repeat it."  An ounce of prevention
is always worth the pound of "cure." We added nearly 1,000 new riders to
our membership this year, and we are all challenged by how to keep the
horses safe in the face of such an ongoing influx of  new people. They
need our help, guidance and experience. We need constructive ideas of
how to safely indoctrinate these new riders so that they understand the
rigors and risks of this sport *before* they override their horse.
  As a DAL, I am curious to hear what suggestions our members have
regarding new measures that can help educate and prevent inadvertant
abuse.   Bruce Weary

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