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Re: [RC] They all only go on "with qualifications" - Heidi SmithIf this were the case, vets should just disqualify all the horses at the start because the rider MIGHT ride the horse beyond its capabilities. If the vet believes that a thinking rider can get the horse through the ride by riding it within its capabilities (even if the extent of its capabilities at that particular time is only to walk), then that horse is, by definition, "fit to continue" and should theoretically be allowed to go on. I beg to differ, kat. While certainly ANY rider might ride a horse past his capabilities, the difference between that and the scenario I cited is that a horse that is "fit to continue" should be able to make it to the next check without undue danger of death due to overriding even if the rider DOES push it. The rider riding beyond the horse's capabilities always runs the risk of being pulled at the NEXT one as well, even if that NEXT one is the finish--if he then arrives with a horse that is no longer fit to continue. The horse in my scenario had a pulse hanging at 68 (which was the pulse criterion back then!) and was dull. A GOOD and concerned horseman could have likely walked him in with no further damage--the day was cool, there was more water along the trail, and there was grass to graze. And I know the vet at the check took all those things into consideration. His mistake was projecting his own level of care onto the rider--she had neither the care nor the ability, whereas he had both, and in his hands, the horse could have likely been gotten that last 7 miles or so safely. But the horse was already compromised and could NOT continue to take the abuse that the rider dished out. The question I have to ask myself when I let a horse go out of a check is this: "Can this horse safely make it to the next checkpoint, even if the rider does NOT ride smart?" I don't have to predict what will happen beyond that. He may need to be pulled by the next vet in line, if the rider overrides. But at least I don't want to send the next vet a time bomb that I SHOULD have pulled. BTW--it has been my experience that the vast majority of riders DO care, and that if I explain my findings to them, they are more than happy to pull. They may not have had the skill or experience to see what is going on, but given a chance to understand what is happening, most riders DO want to do the right thing by the horse. I can count on my fingers the number of times (in 250+ rides) that I've had to really "lay down the law" to a rider and act like a policeman "enforcing" a pull. Virtually every other rider has come to the conclusion that the horse should be pulled. Granted, if the horse isn't just crashing at my feet, I've been known to send them back to try to "warm out" a mild lameness or to send them back for a few more minutes of hold time, even in cases where it is clear to me that the horse will not be going on--and given an awareness of the problem and time to think about it, the rider will almost invariably come back and say, "You know, maybe I should just pull." And I agree. :-) Educating those riders in that fashion is a large part of what a ride vet should be doing. But we are also there for that 1% of riders that just don't "get it"--or should I say we are there for their horses. Heidi =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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