Re: RE: Horses requiring vet care at Tevis

["Susan Garlinghouse" <suendavid@worldnet.att.net>]

Thanks, I appreciate your support for my approach (more research), but I
also agree 100% with Karen's comment that none of it helps if the riders
don't listen to the results/lessons learned from others and apply it towards
their own horses.  The other half of the equation is definitely Education,
and IMO, AERC needs to work harder towards providing more of it for the
newbies and established riders alike.

All the research data in the world is worthless if a) it isn't given back to
the people it will most benefit, and b) those people don't use it for the
benefit of their horses.

Off my soapbox now. :-)))))

Susan G


----- Original Message -----
From: Kathy Mayeda <kathy_mayeda@atce.com>
To: <Onefarmgirl@aol.com>; <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Sent: Friday, July 21, 2000 6:58 PM
Subject: RC: RE: Horses requiring vet care at Tevis


> I like Susan Garlinghouses' answer to this dilemna: More research.
>
> It is alarming, and I truly believe that the vet's are not taking these
> statistics lightly.
>
> This is also the reason that I am not riding Tevis, even though it is my
> goal,
> until my horse and I are REAL ready.  I've crewed it enough to know....
>
> But as crazy as all of the stuff that happens at the Tevis, I still want
> to do it, and get my photo on Cougar Rock!
>
> Kathy
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Onefarmgirl@aol.com [mailto:Onefarmgirl@aol.com]
> Sent: Friday, July 21, 2000 3:42 PM
> To: ridecamp@endurance.net
> Subject: RC: Horses requiring vet care at Tevis
>
>
> Well, some interesting responses to my question about this.   I heard
> from a
> half a dozen folks, all with essentially the same reply - somewhere in
> the
> vicinity of 25 horses required IV fluids and/or other relatively
> aggressive
> veterinary care.   That's about 10% of horses entered.
>
> Disclaimer:  None of the folks who replied was a ride official, or one
> of the
> treating vets, so the fact that all seemed to have approximately the
> same
> number to offer still doesn't necessarily mean that this is accurate.
> (As
> we have seen on RC, sometimes "everyone" has the same WRONG
> information.)
>
> Oddly enough, three of the six folks who replied included a comment to
> the
> effect that we probably wouldn't be able to confirm the actual number of
>
> treated horses, and two offered a disclaimer asking not to be quoted as
> the
> source of info.   Of course their request for privacy is completely
> fine, but
> the fact that they felt confidentiality might be necessary for some
> reason
> adds to my sense of unease.    Surely these numbers are known to the
> vets,
> and aren't a nasty little secret?
>
> So.....  I'm inclined to open a discussion, based on a the apparently
> high
> number of horses requiring treatment.   Don't you folks think this is of
>
> special concern?   I understand it's a tough ride, but sheesh!     I can
> just
> imagine how some of us would respond if we heard that 10% of rodeo
> horses or
> track horses required IV therapy after an event.   I can just see one of
>
> those photos of a "line" of horses with jugs hanging published by PETA.
>
> Yikes!
>
> Could the high number of treated horses just be representative of better
> or
> more available vet care?   Obviously, with a 49% completion rate, the
> vets
> were reasonably aggressive about pulling horses that didn't look good to
> go.
>
> I'm sure willing to hear from anyone who wants to dispute these numbers.
> If
> the numbers are accurate, I'd really be interested in any input
> especially
> from those who were there or from the vets about what we are seeing
> here.
>
> I don't want to leap too far without better confirmation of the facts,
> but if
> these numbers are correct, I think we all need to give this some long
> thought.   We seem to be learning more every day about the physiology
> and
> exercise metabolism of these horses - could it be that we aren't
> succeeding
> in making the sport safer for them?    Whadaya all think?
> pat farmer
>
>
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