Ridecamp: Re: [RC] Green Horses

While no one wants to see them, but accidents are part of any sport. They
happen in soccer, baseball, football dressage, trail riding and endurance
riding. They happen at every level. In the WEC in France Val Kanavy's horse
was kicked in the vet check causing her to pull. Individual responsibility
is the role of every rider who enters an endurance ride. That responsibility
also includes defensive riding as well as his own riding. 

We do have a rule, and it's a good rule, that no one can be denied entry
except for cause ( and the cause has to be a good one). I don't want to see
that rule expanded for "our protection."  Aren't stallions dangerous - well
we should not allow them. Aren't mare's in heat dangerous - we should not
allow them. Aren't green horses dangerous - we should not allow them. Of
course the above is nonsense, since there are a lot of well behaved stallions
out there and a lot of well behaved mares out there. There are also a lot
of well behaved green horses out there and some even ridden by responsible
new endurance riders. 

We don't need more rules, or levels or classes. There is sufficient structure
within the AERC rules and regulations to deal with problems. 

Truman


Mike Sofen wrote:

At just one ride in the NW, one mile into the ride, an out-of-control horse dumped its rider on his head causing concussion (and was lost for a few hours wandering the desert without his horse), and then several miles from the first vet check, yet another "green" horse kicked at another horse but missed, hitting instead the rider, causing compound fractures of her leg and requiring a medievac helicopter ride.  And those were just the injuries I heard of.  It was one of those rides.

 

You must understand I'm not advocating more rules or standards.  What I'm trying to point out is that there are people at rides who are quite oblivious to almost anything going on around them or their horses and these people can become inadvertently dangerous to those around them.

 

When I use the term "green", I am referring explicitly to horses with a sub-standard level of training.  This has nothing to do with age or miles or even if they've been to events.  Do they understand basic cues, will they back, have they been socialized to other horses - all of your BASIC groundwork. 

 

At their first endurance ride, ALL horses are "novice" when it comes to endurance, and they may be hard to control, nervous, excited, etc..  There's a huge difference between that and being green, IMO.

 

In reference to Juli's dressage trained horse - he wasn't green, just not used to endurance, and that can certainly be managed through different training before the ride, and specific techniques during the ride.

 

I definitely don't want to put a green horse into a situation where his only "support" is other green horses, aka, an LD.  I would put a "novice" horse into an LD...that's my distinction (although I'd prefer a 50 rather than an LD).

 

Lastly, it's only a small price if you're the one not injured.  Green horses will appear at every event, regardless of rules and regulations.  What I'm saying is, owners should take conscious responsibility for getting their horses past the green stage.

 

Mike