Hello John Thunder, since you failed to respond to my
private post I suspect you may be partial to a more public forum. I asked
you who you are and since there is no record of you in the AERC database you
must have been at the finish as a crew person or you have other agendas. I
mentioned to you that safety is a very valid concern and when I was the RM at
the Ft. Valley I was probably the first to require helmets. That was after
the previous year when the horse went over the mountain and had to be
helicoptered off. There is a very inherent risk in this sport and
organizations can only do so much. If what you say you saw offended you so
much why don't you just go ride the hack horses you saw on the road, if you ride
at all. tom sites
