From Dave Nicholson (the Duck)

["Steph Teeter" <steph@endurance.net>]

Message from Dave for Ridecamp:

>>-----Original Message-----
From: DAVID NICHOLSON [mailto:theduck@scinternet.net]
Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 2001 8:38 AM


         re:  Fire Mountain Ride Meeting

Lets clarify what was said at the Fire Mountain Ride meeting.   While I
have apparently offended a few of the riders, it was not my intention. I
am especially concerned with some of the derogatory adjectives towards
the LD riders that have been added which were not implied nor intended.
My intention was to remind the riders that they are the ones who are
ultimately responsible for the welfare of their horses and that I can
only assist them in that undertaking.  I shared some observations that I
have made over the years regarding the use of exogenous products and the
potential for veterinary problems on increasingly shorter rides.

The primary point that I tried to make was that the riders need to be
responsible for their horses.  Further elaboration on this can be found
under veterinary information at www.xprides.com.  Another point was that
I am becoming increasingly more uncomfortable with the use of exogenous
products in the horses.  Finally, I responded to some direct questions
on the LD rides, which seems to be the most controversial.

Lets clarify my opinions regarding the LD rides.  First, you should know
that I have suggested to every ride manager that I can think of,  that
the LD ride be separated from the longer rides so that we don’t have to
work them all at the same time.   Many times I have offered to come to
the rides early to participate in a clinic.  If the LD rides are to be a
training ride for young horses and new riders, we should be spending
more time with them, not less.   The problem for me, as  a
veterinarian,  comes from the green horses and inexperienced riders
consuming time that we often don’t have during the big rides.  In my
opinion the LD rides should be a learning experience and that they can
be improved by separating them from main ride so that we can spend the
time with them that will make it a better experience for everyone.
Separation means doing things like having the ride meeting the morning
of the ride, after the fifties are gone, so that we can take the time to
address issues that more experienced riders are bored with.  It also
means routing the ride so that we can take more time to handle the green
horses and answer the questions that come up.  The more experienced
riders, who choose to occasionally ride a new horse in an LD, or the
career LD riders who choose to never escalate to longer distances,
should be able to have a little patience with the slower vet checks and
repetition of advice.

I am also of the opinion that the shorter the distance, the greater the
potential  danger for the horses.  The LD were designed to appeal to the
neophyte endurance rider and it should be clear that the less collective
experience you have, the greater the chance for error.  There were many,
including myself, who were very apprehensive about fifty mile rides in
the beginning of AERC.  Being apprehensive about the potential dangers
to our equine partners is a long ways from “beating up” on all those who
share differing opinions.   Those of you who were at the meeting can
consider my comments as a rough draft of this message and I apologize
for any other impressions that I may have left with you.

Dave Nicholson D.V.M.