RE: RE: Worlds Most Preferred--Really?

["Maryanne Stroud Gabbani" <maryanne@ratbusters.net>]

I think Sue has a point. When I think about Steph coming from icy Idaho,
even with acclimation time in the US, I think that travelling to the Gulf
with a horse is fraught with difficulties even with the best of care.  Hey,
we expect our human transfers there to take at least 3 months to come up to
speed and that's from Egypt, where the weather is not so different. Why not
enjoy the chance to have fun  at someone else's expense...I sure wouldn't
turn it down.

Maryanne Stroud Gabbani
Cairo, Egypt
maryanne@ratbusters.net
www.ratbusters.net

When I put these two comments together, I could see a correlation, but in a
bit
of a different way.  The riders accept the invitation to an expense paid
vacation in an exotic place, bring their horses -- but are not reluctance to
pull (rider option) and avoid any major problems by getting caught up in the
hoopla.  They've had a great experience, a paid vacation, an opportunity to
ride with the sheiks...a trip of a lifetime that the majority of us will
never
see.  I don't see where pulling is necessarily a bad thing.  It seems to me
that the horse is still the number one concern and they're not going to let
them keep going if there is any indication of a potential problem.

The fact that there is a high pull rate tells me that the vets are being
very
cautious as well as the competitors.  Yes, it would be nice to finish the
ride
as it's always nice to finish a ride...if they get pulled, they *still*
have an
expense paid vacation in an exotic place, good food, and a tremendous
experience (I wouldn't be complaining a whole bunch about the trip if I were
one of the riders. ;-))  I can't believe that the riders from the US would
somehow turn into Banshees endangering their horses for the sake of the
prize.
I think they approached it as they normally would if they were riding in a
local ride.  And, instead of a T-shirt, they got a little bit more for their
efforts to attend.  If the riders from the UAE are riding dangerously in
regards to the horses, that part will show and the scene will change.  After
all, they're all still just flesh and bone riders and horses.

JMO. <g>

Sue


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