Ridecamp: Re: [RC] The Way We Win

> ....or the peace in your heart that comes from knowing that you made a
> difference in the lives of thousands of horses? Because it's not just the
> high-profile horses who are lost that are at stake here, but the untold
numbers
> of competitiors who experience shortened careers or a premature demise due
to
> chronic overriding.

And what about the benefits of fitness that have extended the lives of many
horses, who would NOT had been made fit, or received the care they have
received, were it not for a sport that appeals to a great many people who
genuinely CARE about their horses?

I am in no way apologizing for what we need to continue to strive to make
better, but I still have to say, "Compared to WHAT??"  Compared to horse
shows, where a few deaths per weekend at a large show is just the status
quo, and the horses are gimmicked, fed to obesity, and have lives
considerably shortened by the "win at all cost" mentality?  Compared to the
race track, where a few broken legs every weekend is the status quo, where
97% of those bred never make it to any sort of event in the first place, and
where a 6 or 7-year-old is OLD??  Yes, we need to continue to make our sport
better, but changing it into something different is not the answer.
Compared to the lives of horses that one sees out in the day-to-day life of
an average veterinary practice, our horses have it better than virtually ANY
other sort of horse I can think of.  They receive daily and personal
attention, they receive good veterinary care, farrier care, and nutrition,
they are exercised to an enviable point of fitness, and they are by and
large the HEALTHIEST group of horses that I've ever had the privilege to
work with.  We're doing SOMETHING right here!  We need to make the best
better, not scrap the best and start over.

Heidi


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