[RC] In response to Howard's 99.9/.01% post - Laura Hayes
First, let me say that I have no idea what the
title of Howard's post meant. Maybe I missed something, but I had to the
content....
Howard wrote:>>The sad thing is that nothing is ever going to change because the
organization is always going to put the riders' interests ahead of the
horse. <<<
You must have a great big set of brass
balls, Howard. To pronounce in your great wisdom, with absolute
conviction, that "nothing is ever going to change" and that we "put the
rider's interest before the horse's" is more than a real slap in the face
to those of us who are part of this organization (and have been for decades) and
have dedicated a large part of our lives to caring for and looking out for the
welfare of the horses we ride and love.
There are more than a few of us who have worked our
tails off to make this sport better and safer - and who will continue to long
after you are done typing. WE haven't been sitting at our keyboards
exponding on the horrors and conspiracies of this sport on the computer to
anyone who can read- we have been out there in the sport mentoring newbies,
collecting data, formulating ideas, giving lectures and running CTR
for 4-H kids, hosting 'newbie' talks before rides, writing
educational pieces and trying like hell to make it better.
Howard wrote: >>>Nobody is willing to really stick their neck out
and seriously put the interests of the horse ahead of their
own.<<<
How dare you think you have all the answers and we
all sit with our thumbs up our butts. You have crossed the line,
Howard. I have "stuck my neck out" for the interest of animals all my life
-I have the scars on my heart to prove it, and I am not the only one by
far. Maybe you should refrain from using generalizations, and becoming so
emotionally involved that you have to slam everyone for everything. What
did you do this week to make this sport better besides sit at your
computer?
Over the years this sport has pioneered such
improvments as gates into holds, Cardiac Recovery Index, lowered pulse
criteria, and added 'fit to continue' to the finish criteria. Mountains of
research has gone into developing effective treatments (weighing, bood testing,
ect) and competitive and preventative measures such as electrolytes, feeds,
training, shoeing, travel. Volumes have been written and read by people
who care and are trying their best to make this sport safe for
horses.
All of the above growth has happened in only 30
years of this sport, as opposed to track racing and other equine
sports which are hundreds, if not thousands of years
old.
You have some good ideas, Howard, but maybe
discussing them in a more resonable tone would be more effective. If you
really do think that our sport is "never going to change" maybe you should
consider some other sport. In the mean time, I would appreciate it if you
stopped slamming those of us who really do care and believe we can make a
difference in the safety of the animals in this sport.
