It is apparent that all of you have great affection for your horses and
the sport of endurance riding.It is a great sport but like all others,it
will expierience continuous pains and controversy as long as it's
around.Lets hope sound logic prevails!
Perhaps it would be prudent for everyone to take a few steps back and
re-asess individual priorities and objectives from two perspectives-ours
and those of
our mounts.Trail riding should be fun,and it is,for all(including
horses).What I see here is a great conflab over the use of 'drugs'
'enhancers''nutrients' and all sorts of rocket fuels etc.
(mostly for the horses)coupled with the possible injection of prize-
money into an organized amateur sport.What a combination! Sound
familiar?
Why not ask
a horse how much fun he has had during the last 10 miles of a 50 or the
last 30 or so miles of a 100? Ask him where the fine line is- between
enjoying and enduring .Endurance to the extreme is only a worthy goal in
the minds of some humans.All animals avoid it unless it is a matter of
life and death.A spent animal is too vulnerable.Yet in some cases we are
asking ,even demanding,that our mounts commit to this 'goal'on a fairly
routine basis, for purposes that only we can attempt to comprehend.
Ego seems to be a major player in the program here. Chances
are,-although slim-that if the horses could call the shots,they would
opt for more fun and less stress,strain and pain.Definitly no fuels or
drugs.!Artificial aids would be out -entirely!Nothing but good grass or
hay and fresh clean water.If they can't make it on that without any ill
effects ,then somebody or something is pushing them beyond a natural
limit. So I have to ask, why the controversy? Any horse has the
anwser-especially an endurance horse.
.
They would probably ask us for no more than good food,water,lodging,
quality excercise,some work to do and companionship.If some
endurance riders were forced to trade places with their mounts for just
one major event, my bet is the entry field would be very small.I raise
horses (Arabs) and also maintain a separate pack -string as part of my
outfit,so I'm not butting in here as any bleeding heart.Horses love to
work and mine get their share.
Horses dont have a clue about winning,placing or passing vet checks.They
just do
the best they can-for us.
I'm not against against organized trail or endurance by any means.It
just seems that perspective is being lost and the main participants
(the horses) are the ones who are going to get the 'short end' in the
'long haul.
In sum,(then I'll shut up) when controversy arises over issues such as
those being discussed here ,something very BASIC is wrong and it's not
with the horses!
Keep the FUN in fundamental.
Gord
Alberta,Canada