Re: RC: pull codes...

[CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com]

In a message dated 6/13/00 10:39:32 AM Pacific Daylight Time, 
Michael.Maul@nsc.com writes:

<< All I had done is list some of the suggestions that others have put
 up on the pull codes.  Actually the suggestions on RO/M had come
 from an endurance vet who vets many endurance rides a year.
 
 I don't care one way or another on the pull codes. Just interested 
 in what people think about the topic. >>

Mike, I'm with Nancy, but I'll try to say it more gently...  <g>  The whole 
point of the pull codes is simply to know WHY horses get pulled, and who 
makes the decision is irrelevant.  As a long-time ride vet myself, I'd have 
to say that when one is diplomatic with riders, they generally "make" the 
decision to pull themselves anyway, when the vet presents them with his/her 
observations, and I've always bent over backward to give them the 
"opportunity" to make the right decision, even when I've determined that 
no-way no-how is this horse going on.  And I can just about count on my 
fingers over the years the number of riders who I've had to "force" to pull 
their horses.  So does that mean that all those pulls under me would be 
"rider option?"  Nope!  Unless the pull is because the rider got sick, or 
fell off and broke their arm, or pulled because their child/spouse/best 
friend pulled and they were only riding to get that person through (or 
whatever), then it is because of the horse--and it is irrelevant whether the 
rider made that choice or had to have the vet point it out.  The vet's job is 
not to be a super-cop or to hand out or withhold some sort of magical brownie 
points, but rather to be the advocate of the horse--and to be a reminder to 
the rider when that horse is having difficulty, since we all understand that 
not all riders know the subtleties of what is going on, and even those who 
know full well can often get so focused on the competition that they must be 
reminded to take a step back and look at the horse.  I will humbly admit to 
not always having the best judgment when I've been in "competition mode" and 
needing the reminder from the ride vet to take a second look at my horse...  
This issue is not about guilt on the part of the rider--it is simply a matter 
of looking at WHY horses don't complete.  I personally think that 
differentiating between whether the vet pulled the horse or the rider pulled 
the horse gets far too much like "judging" the rider's conduct--and also is 
not very accurate as vets have different styles, where some will vet as I do 
and "make" the rider make the choice if at all possible, while others simply 
say hey, your horse is lame and you're pulled.  In most cases the truth is 
somewhere in the middle--the rider and the vet usually agree that the horse 
should not go on (which is one of the things I LOVE about this sport), so 
what information is gained by trying to "label" which one made the choice?

Heidi