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Re: XP Ride - I am disgusted



> In a message dated 7/31/2001 6:19:42 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
> lth@thegrid.net writes:
> > No ma'am.  The "totally inaccurate" "mania" "negligent"
"hysteria,
> > hearsay and rumor" on Ridecamp was not too far off.  But
then, perhaps
> > your opinion is biased because you are friends with one or
more of
> > those involved???   However, your assurance to us that the
matter was
> > "under investigation" *was* inaccurate.  After speaking to
the
> > President of AERC, I found out that it was not the case.
> >

From: <Merryben@aol.com>
Sent: Tuesday, July 31, 2001 10:58 PM

> Ordinarily I would not respond to this but since you personally
attacked me
> by acusing me of being friends with one or more of those
involved, I guess I
> have to answer.  You may remember that I posted to you,
privately I might
> add, and mentioned the names of the people involved.  You did
not even know
> who they were.  As a matter of fact I only have seen one of
them a few times,
> would not recognize her if I saw her and have never seen the
rider herself.

Maryben.  I did not "attack" you.  You emailed me and asked me if
I knew Amber or Autumn.  I answered you by saying, "no, I do not
know them".  I also said I did not know the horse either - but
she is still dead.  I also asked you if it made a difference
whether I "knew" them.  I did not "accuse" you of being of
friends with them.  I suggested perhaps (?) you were, since you
asked me if "I" knew them and from the tone of your email to me.
Your post about "mania" "negligence" "hysteria, hearsay and
rumor" on ridecamp was a little strong IMO.  Maybe people do tend
to sound emotional or passionate about a subject such as this.
Perhaps to you, they sound, "hysterical".

>
> My assurance to you that the matter is being investigated is
true.  The board
> has been receiving information and the vet committee is
actively working on
> it.

From the beginning you have discouraged the discussion of this
mare on Ridecamp.  You assured us all that the matter was under
investigation and that we should leave it in the capable hands of
AERC.  I repeat - I have communicated with both Barney Fleming
and Duane Barnett.  I wanted to know if an investigation was
underway or a protest had been filed.  Mr. Fleming knew of
nothing and Mr. Barnett wrote me that there was no current action
underway.  One reason was that no one had filed a protest.

>I would expect it will be topic at the mid year meeting in
Phoenix in
> November.  However, in the absence of a protest, I am not
altogether sure
> what we are expected to do.
>  If I remember correctly, I posted to you because you said you
were going to
> file a protest and I wanted information on whether or not you
were there and
> knew the people involved.  You had no idea who the people were
and were not
> there.

You are absolutely right.  I was NOT there.  That is why I
contacted the gentlemen above.  They told me that *anyone* could
file a protest.  Mr. Fleming told me that he would extend the
time limits for this one so that I may file.  You are also right
that I did not know, at that time, the names of the parties
involved.  Nor did I know the mare, but my heart still breaks for
her.  She suffered for 19 hours before she finally died.

So, I did file a protest - on principle alone - because since the
owner (who refused to take this mare to an appropriate medical
facility even after people offered their rigs and money) is NOT
an AERC member, it is indeed "a dead issue".  I basically paid
AERC $100 to read a letter that I poured my heart and soul into,
knowing that it will go nowhere.  I filed on principle and on
behalf of a horse who lost her life for the sake of sport.  A
horse who had no voice.

Yes, Maryben.  Perhaps there are those of us who got excited over
this and rumors *did* fly, but as I said before, those rumors
were not far from fact.  I *do* know the facts now.

>
> I would like to see the messages that give out advice, or are
controversial
> and/or opinionated, mine included, signed with their name, aerc
number and
> number of AERC miles.  I think that would go a long way.
>

That's a great idea.  Especially since you have emailed me in the
past without bothering to even put an initial at the end.

I think that this forum is for anyone who wants to learn more
about endurance, or share information & opinions, or talk to
other people interested in the sport - AERC member or not.  As
for the number of "endurance miles" in the signature, that's cool
too.  However, there is a tendency for "some" with many miles to
treat those with "few" miles as if they don't have a right to
voice an opinion.  *I* have VERY few LD miles.  I only joined
AERC in 1998, but that does not mean I saw a horse for the first
time that year.

Linda Hedgpeth
Janesville, CA
lth@thegrid.net



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