Safety for riders, crew and spectators.

["guest@endurance.net" <guest@endurance.net>]

Tracy Ingram race@fastpony.com
The incident in Montana is very unfortunate and directly demonstrates the need for riders, crew and spectators to pay heed to ride management driections, and for ride management to actively seek out and nullify risk areas on a constant basis before, during and after the event.

In the early planning stages for the Mouse Mountain ride (which later became the Cosequin Challenge) the initial plans for the finish line was a flat out straight line dash for almost a mile to the finish on a public graveled roadway. Although this same finish had been used since 1980 for various competitive and endurance rides, we immediately dropped that from the plan as unsafe for all involved including the general public.

Anticipating there might be a number of races to placing at our event, we ensured that the last quarter mile was on private property, involved numerous climbs and turns that were well away from camp (climbs and turns are great for making competitors think about the cardiovascular as they wing their way into a finish and final vet check) and then provide them with a downhill sprintway to level ground with a one tenth mile runout past the finish into closed gates.

Even after all we have done, I can now see that there is more that may be needed including hard fast obstacles (fencing, stacked straw bales) between spectators - crews and the competitors on the home stretch.

For those of you that have attended our event and have been the recipient of our camp staff "urging" you to immediately comply with a directive such as moving your vehicles or crewing areas with all due haste, I offer this unfortunate accident as direct evidence of what we are trying to avoid when we approach you or your crews and at times start the two minute disqualification clock for you or your riders when you don't appear to move fast enough for us.

I would also hope that anyone at any event would bring any potentially unsafe process to the attention of ride management immediately so as to prevent such tragedies as this one, and to follow up that ride management has suitably addressed their concerns.

Our best wished to all concerned...

Tracy Ingram
Event Manager
Cosequin Challenge






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