Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

FWIW, I agree with Joe on several issues.  Having vetted the staggering
total of one whole ride <g>, I really liked being able to ask the riders how
they thought the horse was doing.  Almost everyone was really up front and
concerned about their horse's well-being, and the one rider who was trying
to pull a fast one and swear the horse was just fine was transparently
obvious.  I appreciated having the input from the riders, plus it sure
minimized the adversarial side of vet vs. rider.

If it were solely up to me, I also agree with advising/warning a rider to
slow down on the next leg, especially one I know would pay attention.  I
think that's one of the unspoken perks of being a successful rider with a
good reputation for taking care of their horse.  As talented as I am at
standing on soapboxes and foaming at the mouth<g>, I'd probably make it
plenty clear that if they didn't slow down, their horse would not complete
and that the horse could potentially be in deep trouble requiring treatment
that I would take great glee in charging them out the wazoo for.  On the
other hand, I do think I'm there in part to help them safely complete if I
can, and offering veterinary advice to help them do so is part of the job
description, IMO.  I think there's lots of gray area in between, "why
dontcha  go see if he wants some more water" and "you're out".

Mebbe that opinion will change ten or twenty years from now, but that's it
for now.  :-)

Susan G, DVM



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