Ridecamp: Re: [RC] Refusing entry to rides [was How Sad]

>Rules are only there for the handful that don't want to listen or who have
no interest in looking after their horses.  The majority don't need those
rules, methinks.

There's some truth to this, but one cannot legislate common sense, either.
We do the best we can to regulate such people and to protect their horses
with veterinary checks, various criteria, etc.  But the fact remains that
they own their horses, and no one can force someone else to make "the" best
choices all the time.

In truth, I see very few horses post-ride that are not "up" to a trip home
after a few hours' rest, although I agree it would often be ideal if all
could stay.  On the other hand, I've vetted a fair number of rides over the
years on the Oregon high desert in early spring or late fall where the night
conditions were sufficiently severe that I sincerely wished that ALL the
horses could be packed up and either go home or at least go somewhere with
shelter at a lower elevation, because the ambient temperatures and chill
factors were so stressful to those who stayed and camped.  The least I could
do as ride vet was to stay overnight and be utterly miserable myself in case
any of the remaining ones had problems with the chilling.

Heidi


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