I've been thinking about the protests and
the issues involved. Since I haven't a clue how the rider reacted, how he
or she did or did not take care of the horses in question, I can't pass
judgment. All I can say is that some horses, my husband's in particular,
can and do get into metabolic trouble through no action on the rider's
part. This horse refused to drink, particularly on a desert ride in the
winter. The air was cool, it was also dry. The horse flat out
refused to drink enough. He could, and did, thump and colic as a
result. We were not riding fast.....only at a steady, moderate trot,
slowing down where appropriate. He caused my husband great anxiety,
so we finally found a wonderful home for the horse. Horse is now
enjoying a plushy lifestyle, he is loved, cared for, ridden for pleasure and in
small local shows. His new owner is jumping him (we didn't know he had the
talent for this!) and generally having a great time. Maybe he just wasn't
suited for endurance........ Maybe there is a side of the story we don't
know about the riders against whom the protests were filed? Maybe we
shouldn't be too quick to judge? I don't know. All I know is that
someone could have seen my husband's horse hooked up to an IV drip and said,
"Did you see that? Lud McCrary overrode his horse!"
When I read the first protest, my response
was the same as yours, Sandy. Then I noticed the name on the second one. I
have been at three rides this person has ridden in; met him back in
March. The lady who introduced me to him rode almost an entire ride with him.
She said he was teaching her how to be "competitive". Until I read this
protest, I never would have guessed any of this had happened. ( I AM NOT
defending him, I don't know enough about the situation to do that) It has
bothered me since I read it,but not necessarily because his horse died. OK, so
he was "competitive". He lost a horse. I feel terrible about that for
the love of the animal. However, I am not sure, after having my first
metabolic pull back in May( a ride this person attended) , that I feel the
same today as I would have in March. I have a different perspective. What
if MY mare had died when I got home? Would someone have filed a protest?
I was doing MUCH less than my mare was capable of on any other day, yet
she would not pass her CRI. There were comments from the tent when the vet
told them why she was pulled like,"OH my God, that's HORRIBLE!" (I heard
them.) Photos taken of my mare 5 minutes later show an alert, active ,
uncompromised animal. I have other horses I could have taken to rides
afterward, if she had died. Would that have made me heartless? Is there a
respectable mourning period? Other riders with MANY more years
experience lose horses under WAY more suspicious cicumstances, and no protests
are filed.My point(I think:) ) is that these protest readings are colored
quite differently based on our past experiences. (Hope I can still buy a
horse from you, if you have what I need ;))
