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Rusty jrusty@xxxxxxx
Finally someone who speaks the truth! Thank you Darlene for being brave 
enough to say what many of us believe. I know that know one person is 
perfect and however a horse that had four grown men holding up at PAC 99, a 
horse death at PAC 2001 and at
PAC 2003, all the same rider, interesting.





> [RC] Horse deaths - Darlene Anderson
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> At personal risk of the "ridecamp backlash" I feel it's important to make 
> a few comments, for better or for worse.
>
> First, I send my heartfelt sympathy to the horse who gave it's life in the 
> name of this latest competition, Rockin' Adios.
>
> I watched Dr. Dane Frazier give a moving speech to the riders of the 2003 
> Pan American Championship and predict to the riders, at that time, that 
> one of the entered horses would die as a result of this race, he 
> challenged the riders to better past Pan Am completion rates. I've heard a 
> similar speech given prior to the 2000 Tevis cup, but it seems that the 
> riders, to some degree, believe they are above such statistics, even 
> though the statistics clearly prove otherwise. It saddens me to know we 
> proved Dr. Frazier's numbers right...again. I was impressed with the fact 
> that Dr. Frazier had the "cajones" to say the things he did to some of the 
> most impressive riders in the United States. It's about time someone did!
>
> Without throwing out personal flames or taunts, the research I've done 
> shows that Ms. Butler-Dial has not finished one single Pan American 
> Championship since at least the 1997 Pan Am in Bend, OR. That's 6 years of 
> very bad luck? I could not find the results for the PAC's prior to that. 
> This person has well over 23,000 AERC miles to her credit and should not 
> be blaming the ride vets for doing damage to her horse. She has enough 
> miles to accept some responsibility for contributing to her horse's 
> demise, however small the part may have been. She brought four horses to 
> this event and only one finished.
>
> The vets are there doing the very best they can, most of the time only 
> becoming aquainted with any particular horse for the few minutes they see 
> it at each vet check.Ultimately it is up to the rider to know what is 
> going on with their horse and share that insight with the veterinarians. I 
> see so many riders making the vets play guessing games at vetchecks with 
> regards to their horses! This is ridiculous behavior.
>
> Dr. Mike Foss let me help out in the barn with treatments at the Pan 
> American in Vermont, 2001. There were fewer treatments at this particular 
> Pan Am than many previous. Dr. Foss could only comment that the riders and 
> the weather must have been good that day. Ms. Butler-Dial's horse (leased 
> out) was referred to a surgical facility at the 2001 Pan Am, and only she 
> can tell you why, but I assure you it was not because of a ruptured 
> stomach...that time around. I spoke with her in Reno at the AERC 
> convention early the next year and she herself told me that that horse was 
> euthanized due to a rectal tear that could not be repaired.
>
> This is another tragic event that has occurred, but I have a hard time 
> feeling very sorry for the riders, I feel deeply sorry for these 
> magnificant animals that are giving their lives to us, literally. The 
> horses deserve better. Our SPORT deserves better.
>
> Darlene M. Anderson (target firmly in place)


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