Re: RC: Re: Charges only pertain to AERC members

[CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com]

In a message dated Thu, 2 Aug 2001  2:58:20 PM Eastern Daylight Time, "Linda Hedgpeth" <lth@thegrid.net> writes:


> No one is "jumping" to change rules.  People are discussing
> improvement.  

YOU have not been "jumping" to change rules, but a few others have been--note the posts regarding wanting to prosecute people whose horses die, and mandatory necropsies at the expense of the rider.

Again, you've made one very valid point about NASTR and the single vet check, and that, IMO, should be looked into.

One point I keep forgetting to make is that one reason why we all get so upset over deaths that occur at rides is that they are actually quite rare.  One becomes far more hardened to abuses that are commonplace.  I used to work a lot with clients who raised halter horses, and having horses die at horse shows was just sort of routine.  They would come home from shows frequently and talk about this or that friend who had lost a horse at a show, as if it is just one of those things.  And little wonder--far too many of the horses went with marginal illnesses, were on horrendous diets, etc.  As long as death at rides is rare enough to be outrageous, we must be doing something right.

Heidi