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Lauren & Allan Horn <4horn@home.com> wrote:
Seeing sick horses does scare me. I hate seeing it. I hate seeing horses
in pain from tying up or colic or convulsing on the ground from heat
stroke. I see it too often at endurance rides. It should scare all of us
and I think AERC should and can do a better job of trying to prevent
most of incidents.Lauren,
Where do you ride? From your description above, it brings back memories of the Oologah Tradegy of 1986. I haven't seen anything like that since. Yes, I've seen horses thumping and typing up. However, I've seen their riders immediately seek help and the horses didn't suffer any longer. Also, the riders took personal responsibility to figure out what happened and took steps not to let it happen again. I've also heard of horses having serious, even fatal, trouble at a few endurance rides. Their problems can usually be traced to an existing illness that the rider was unaware of.
As far as convulsing from heat stroke, my gosh!! It can't get any hotter or more humid than in Oklahoma and the surrounding states. Central U.S. is known for the heat and humidity. Southern States as well. Between TX and the Ozark rides, there is a ride every 2 weeks. I have NEVER seen a horse convulsing because of a rider error in judgement. Not to say it doesn't happen because you obviously have seen it. How horrible that must be! Why does that stuff happen where you are but it doesn't happen here?
Thinking about what I'm writing, I hope I'm not an osterage or suffer from "Pollyanna Syndrom". Maybe I'm just blessed riding in Ozark Country where the vets are on the forefront of equine health, nutrition, and conditioning.
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