RE: [SPAM] Re: [RC] Safety Issue - Ride Managers alert - heidiDarn, 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. Frank, I agree that the responsibility ultimately lies with the rider. That said, every good RM wants to host a ride that is as good as possible, and I think this thread has brought up some excellent suggestions. As a long-time RM myself, I've learned a lot of this stuff the hard way over the years, and no matter how long we do this stuff, there is still something to learn. Some RMs have also never found themselves in the position of a front-running rider, and I think that it is a courtesy on the part of the riders to let RMs know how it looks from that perspective. My horses have "dealt" with bright lights shining in their eyes at the ends of 100s, with lime lines across finishes, etc. But if a simple word to the wise can help an RM to do a better job, then it behooves riders to speak up. We're all in this to have good rides that are also as safe and pleasant for our horses as possible, and the rider's end goal is the same as the RM's goal in that respect. A little bit of friendly communication never hurt anyone... 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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