Deaths of horses could radically change our sport if PETA gets a hold
of us. Look at what happened in eventing!
While people rest easy thinking this could not happen to endurance - I
am sure the eventing people were thinking the same thing. I will only
take one person outside to get "incensed" enough to start to
investigate and then start the legal and public relations pressure.
With dead horses at just the WEC and Pan Am would be sufficient - much
less when they start digging further and find the other 5 or 6 this
year and the 5 or 6 last year. Once these folks get their claws in you
they don't let go - just ask the eventers. What was it I read about an
LA Times writer at the NC asking a lot of questions on risk?
People who
are outside of my sport ask me about it...when horses die at the Worlds
and Pan Ams, the rest of the world wonders just what we are doing out
there? As much as I would like to place the responsibility of the horse
totally on the rider...it simply is not realistic. The sport has to
protect itself, and the horse, by using whatever safeguards it has
available. If you look at AERC history, you can see the evolution of
this concept by way of lower pulses , stricter completion criteria,
better educated vets and treatment availability. I am now advocating
putting in gate and gos or more holds to protect the horse. Granted,
this may change how we play and may be an "inconvenience" at some
rides, but I am willing to accept it if it saves me from witnessing
another horse death. I would hope that most of my fellow riders would
agree.
