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Re: [RC] what's the point... - Sisu West RanchYou will get no argument from me that going to an endurance event produces a stress on a horse. Going to a trail ride does the same. Packing in the wilderness stress horses. Herding cattle stresses horses etc. We have an obligation to do our chosen horse activity in a manner that is as safe as possible, but if we beat ourselves up everytime a horse becomes ill, we can end up afraid to do anything. There are risks in owning and riding horses. The endurance community does a good job of minimizing the risk, but until a lot more is learned horses will become ill, especially when they are asked to be athletes. Calling every illness "endurance related" implies that if the horse had not been an endurance horse it would have been fine. That is not the case. If I had not taken Ranger to an endurance ride, I most likely would have taken him to an organized trail ride. Horses do colic at trail rides. If he had coliced at a trail ride, I would not have had vet help for some hours. By the way, I conditioned my horses and thus stressed them by riding many miles long before I started distance riding. I entered, completed, and got a second place at my first CTR. It was 50 miles, with an 8 hour ride time. I did no extra conditioning before the ride. That said, I have learned a tremendous amount by doing distance riding. All of my horse usage is now safer than it was before I started endurance riding. Can I claim that some of the good health of the 7 horses in my pasture is "endurance related" perhaps canceling some of the "endurance related" risk of illness?? The endurance community can be proud of the way we care for equines. What we need to do is to build on our strengths and make the sport safer for us and our horses. The glass is not half empty, it is half full and getting fuller. Ed Ed and Wendy Hauser Sisu West 2994 Mittower Road Victor, MT 59875 (406) 642-9640 ranch@xxxxxxxxxxx =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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