Re: RE: dead horses

["Howard Bramhall" <hwb67@msn.com>]

----- Original Message -----

From: Bob Morris

Sent: Friday, July 27, 2001 7:12 AM

To: Endurance List

Subject: RC: RE: dead horses

 

I believe that the current splurge of comments regarding an allegedly
fatality of a horse is getting a bit out of line.

First and foremost we must as usual return to the AERC Rules and Regulations
that govern this sport. In this case the preamble to the Rules and
Regulations is of paramount interest. It states "but the competitor is
ultimately responsible for self and mount before, during and after an
endurance ride. Then we must consider the Rule 15 which delineates the
process for protests and grievances. Please study then carefully before you
do more commenting.
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I will defer to Bob on this one.  I, probably, am guilty of a knee jerk reaction on this subject.  Frankly, the silence on it was killing me.  I'm still surprised that not one person who was at the ride has come forward on Ridecamp and said something with a few facts thrown in.  It was either a skimpy ride (not too many riders) or everyone who did see it has conferred with their attorneys and been advised by their California Congressman to shut up and don't say nothin, especially to the media.

To me, the internet is still knew.  I still haven't learned how to behave or act or what to say and when to say it.  And before it came along I had never written anything down at all on a computer; now I can't seem to be able to shut up.  I don't think I'm alone here; unless you're 12 or under it still has to seem knew to most of y'all too.

Anyway, I'm glad we're talking about it even though it seems like what really happened at the ride isn't being discussed.  Like I said, the internet is new to me and whether this is the right or wrong place to have this discussion isn't exactly clear.  I would like to hear the story, from all sides, but it doesn't seem like that's going to happen any time soon.  I guess I'll have to wait and see what the BOD does about it.  And hope I get to read about it in Endurance News.

I would like to throw in that if the horse owner/rider and that trainer (sorry, rumors and innuendo) are not AERC members, it should not stop the proceeding of investigating what happened to this horse.  My horse doesn't know if he has an AERC number or not, but he sure does know he's alive. And that's what counts.

One of the things that bugs me is all the discussion on Ridecamp, concerning that woman at the Malibu ride (remember that one?), and I'll betcha nobody's come forward and filed a complaint against her.  Even when Susan Garlinghouse offered to pay the hundred bucks for them for the protest fee.  We tore that Malibu woman to shreds here on ridecamp, but if no protest is ever filed, what exactly is the point of discussing it?  To make ourselves feel better?

And if this happens with the NASTR mare, we're gonna sit back and think, "Why didn't someone do something about this?  Why wasn't a protest filed?  Doesn't the horse really come first in our sport?"  I have other questions, but maybe, you're asking them already.

I just don't want to see us all become a bunch of New Yorkers here and decide that the murder we just witnessed across the street doesn't really affect me or my family, so I'll just shut the heck up about it and it will all go away.  I think that's what has happened concerning the Malibu incident, and if it happens with the NASTR ride it would really be a crying shame.

cya,

Howard