Re: RC: Abusive rider

[BMcCrary27@aol.com]

<<  >  I am totally in favor of Australia's horse passport system (i think 
they 
 do this in Europe too).  Yeah, it's more rules, more regulations, and many 
of 
 us are in this sport because we rebel against too much control. BUT if it 
 will save a horse's life, then I am all for it. So let's use this incident 
to 
 galvanize this horse community.
  -b> >>

Sorry, but I don't go along with the idea that to make people more responsive 
to problems, the "government" needs to step in with more restrictive rules.  
It may be the state or federal governments or AERC, but the results are the 
same...more restriction, less freedom, and less voluntary personal 
responsibility taken.  I'm a great believer in placing responsibility with 
the individual, whether it's horse care or self-care.  Nowadays it seems that 
few want to accept responsibility for themselves, or to accept the idea that 
sometimes fate has a hand in accidents.  Example: you are riding on someone's 
private land and your horse steps into a hole, throws you and you are hurt.  
What to do?  Why, sue of course. There's more profit or personal 
gratification in being able to blame someone else. 
As far as the loss of horses in this sport, some deaths are totally 
unavoidable.  The occasional horse will die on the trail whether he has been 
ridden too hard or not, just as the occasional horse will drop dead at home 
of some unforseen condition.  We've lost the occasional rider on the trail, 
too.  Let's face it....Death happens.
This is not to place or relieve blame, it's just to disagree that what we 
need is MORE regulation.  What we need is education (which is ongoing and is 
a great feature in Endurance News) and MORE personal responsibility.
I'm off my soapbox now...

Barbara

P.S.  The only way we are going to stop the urge to race is to stop rewarding 
it.  Does anyone want to ride endurance just for the exercise, without the 
rewards?  Some of us do, some of us don't.  Fortunately we have a choice.  
I'll bet the if AERC dropped its awards, we'd lose riders and maybe the 
entire organization.  Any comments?