Re: RC: Ride Managers' Viewpoint

[Truman Prevatt <truman.prevatt@netsrq.com>]

This whole thing is pretty much a can of worms.  Most RM's do their upmost to
provide a safe trail and provide the facilities for a safe event.  There is a
vast difference between the risk involved with equine sports and negligence on
the part of RM. Negligence is not covered by FL's equine libality limitation.  I
doubt if it is in many.  It is the roll of the courts to decide the difference.
Now what could be considered negligence?  If a instructor in giving riding
lessons put a rider using a saddle the trainer supplied that had a rotten billet
strap which broke, then the trainer is likely to be held negligent for putting
the rider at risk because of faulty equipment.

The last mile and the finish line is probably the most dangerious part of an
endurance ride and I feel require a lot of care and planning.  I have seen a
race to the finish line which was in the middle of camp.  The trail had a tree
right in the middle of it 10 meters prior to the line.  A young girl racing in
for first went on one side of the tree and he horse took the other.  She was
carted off the the ER.  She was lucky that she was not hurt badly - but being
knocked cold as a cucumber is not fun.  Could this finish line have been
desinged better.  The answer is yes by moving it 200 meters of so back up the
trail.   Was this negligence on the part of the RM - I don't know. Was the
incident avoidable - yes.

One other time where I saw a wreck at the finish was where the finish was on a
dirt road with a trun off into camp - which was about 50 meters off the road.
The finish was right before the turn off.  Three horses were coming full bore to
the finish.  One made an immediate turn into camp at full speed and the rider
kept going stright.  Again the rider was lucky and noone was hurt.  Again this
finish line could have been designed better - like 200 meters or so before the
turn into camp to give the riders time to slow their horses.

I have been at rides where the finish was up to a mile away from the base camp
to provide for a safe finish like.  While this may be a pain in the butt, in
some cases it is necessary.  We can minimize the need for defending ourselves in
lawsuits if we take a little extra time to design a finish line that is the
safest possible and to keep it that way at the finish of the race to the finish.

Truman

BMcCrary27@aol.com wrote:

> In a message dated 9/22/99 5:04:17 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
> FIREDANCEFARMS@prodigy.net writes:
>
> << I think I can speak for most RM (Notice how none of them got into this
> discussion) by saying if there was even the remotest possibility of getting
> sued for putting on a ride, we would not!  Why would I risk everything I have
> worked so hard for all my life for YOU to ride in a ride??
>   >>
>
> Contradiction, Louise!  I DID get into the discussion, and I said just what
> you did ... basically that when law suits get into endurance riding, then
> endurance riding is a dead sport.  I agree with your entire post.
>
> Barbara

--
Truman Prevatt
Brooksville, FL

Mystic "The Horse from Hell" Storm
Buck's Mystic Karma
Rocket a.k.a. Mr. Misty
Jordy a.k.a. Bridger (when he is good)
Danson Flame - Hot Dog I'm healed and ready to go.

http://www.mrsl.com



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