Seems a shame to me to be able to negotiate 99.9 miles (or 49.9 miles) of
endurance trail and in a race to the finish a horse suddenly finds
something with which it can not deal.
I, too, hate riding into a blinding light after having spent hours in the
dark...but, if a horse and rider can find a way to deal with all that is to be
found in this sport, seems to me that they could stop their bitchin', buck up
and finish the ride SAFELY. If WINNING is so darn important, seems to me
that the rider would fix whatever problems (and I mean WHATEVER) problems a
horse has, and ensure that a RACE TOT HE FINISH is done safely, and within the
abilities of the horse and rider.
Darn, ride managers have it tough enough without having to lay a red carpet
at the finish. Just a well-defined finish line and the RIDER CAN CHOOSE
WHAT TO DO NEXT.
Proper decisions during an endurance ride are the purview of the
rider of the horse and that ability doesn't stop at 99.9 miles when the rider
wishes to race in.
