Re: [RC] Mongol Derby- interesting politics-NOT envious - Elizabeth Walker
On Jul 28, 2009, at 5:16 AM, oddfarm wrote:
I received an interesting e-mail from Michael Beesley asking for signatures to stop the race on behalf of Linda Tellington-Jones. His e-mail states that in the recent traditional Nadaam horse race in which the children ride, eighteen horses died from exhaustion. True? I don't know.
I don't know either, but I do recall a conversation with my vet - a LONG time ago - regarding his trip to Mongolia. He was there as part of a team to help elevate the care the horses received in general. Now - this was a long time ago, so I only have impressions left from that conversation. However - my impression is that the Mongols have a very different outlook on horse care. Basically - if a horse dies as a result of one of these races, too bad ... it must have been weak, so it shouldn't have been used for breeding, anyway.
So - if my impression is at all correct, it wouldn't surprise me that the fatalities at these traditional races are fairly high. I watched one of the U-tube videos. These races are done at a flat-out run / canter. There is no stopping, no resting. It is a full-speed race from start to finish.
snip ......
My take on this is that if done properly, meaning putting the welfare of the horse first, this could be a successful ride. I am not convinced, especially now reading that the Princess and her husband (the UAE government) are involved that this will be the case. My guess is, that if horses drop like flies, we won't see it in the paper :)
Lisa Salas, the Odd fArm
If it is a disaster, you are probably correct. It will very quietly disappear. However, if the UAE is going to take a hand, there might be a better chance for more/better organization and logistics, not to mention possibly of the presence of better-qualified / more experienced vets.
