[RC] WC Freiheit The Real Winner Not Mack (long) - Jonni
Don posted: >>>In honor of the
indestructible champ WC Freiheit "Fred" who was never pulled for 6 years and
during that time completed 15 50 mile rides averaging 9th place and 7 100 mile
rides averaging 5th place including winning both the Old Dominion 100 and Tevis
100 in 1995. A very distinguished record and the real winner not
Mack.<<<<
The only think I found really impressive
with Fred's record was the wins at Tevis and OD. The rest of his record is good,
but there are probabaly many horses with matching records less the OD / Tevis
win. Here are some other horses I found at random, with long careers in
endurance:
RAZDA- 16 years of competition, over 5500 miles, 112
starts, 110 finishes. Mostly mid pack, but a few top tens.
DR
THUNDER BASK - 16 years of competition, over 14935 miles, 275
starts, 270 finishes. Lots of 50?s, 26 100?s, multi days.
WAZIRS KARAHTY- about 9 years of competition (has pre-1985 info) 3395 over
all miles, 55 starts 54 finishes, 8 100?s, many, many top tens, some
within weeks of each other.
MC RAMS Z- 14 years of
competition, 6235 total miles, 104 starts, 102 finishes, 42 BC?s, 15
100 milers. Only 7 rides was the horse NOT top ten.
RT MUFFIN- 17
years of competition, 9155 total miles, 128 starts, 126 completions.
21 100 milers, 66 BC?s. In 1991, he finished 10th on Tevis, and a month later
won the No. American Nat?l Championship 100 miler. 2 rides the horse was top 20,
But, he has about 100 rides that he came in FIRST.
To me, THOSE are some
very impressive records.Note the last two were both ridden by Darla Westlake. I
think that says a lot about her management and skills to have TWO horses with
such impressive records.
Don also posted: >>>I would
hope that AERC has or will design a rule that will help to moderate this buying
and selling of horses at races if the sale might lead to mismanagement or injury
to the horse.<<<
It is none of AERC's business who
members sell horses to, or what happens to these horses. While many of us feel
our horses are family, others feel they are part of their business, and a
commodity to be bought and sold. There are many riders who start horses and then
sell them to riders who are looking for that ready to go winner. AERC has no
need to get involved in that.
The Welfare of the horse Committee
has been put in to place to educate riders who may be lining themselves up to
injure (or worst) a horse they are competing. . If you or someone else feels a
horse is being put into potential harms way by a rider, then you can contact one
of the committee members, and express your concerns. But really, if this
committee had been in place back 1995 when OD and Tevis were won by the same
horse and rider team, do you think anyone would have felt the horse was being
put in potential harms way by being sold after Tevis? Come on, give me a
break....
Endurance horses are some of the strongest, toughest most
durable horses out there competing. But, they are still horses, which can also
be very fragile. Taking a wrong step and landing wrong can damage tendons or
even break a leg, other horses can play hard, kick them and cause injury, they
can get a digestive upset from something as simple as an extreme weather change
and colic. As much as we all try to take the best care of our horses,
things can happen to them, that can end their endurance careers and often make
them nothing more than pasture pets. No one has come on to the list and said
exactly WHAT happened to "Fred" that he was no longer competed. How do we know
it had nothing at all to do with his endurance career? All we have hear is
personal assumptions, and nothing at all from those who owned and campaigned the
horse.
Don obviously feels the horse was mismanaged, he has the right to
his opinion. Not every horse can do the same level of competition in this sport.
Not all of them are RT Muffin's who can go weekend after weekend, winning ride
after ride, and not need much time off. I actually figured that "Fred" was
getting time off between campaigns just because of the ride season in that
region was during the months he was taken to rides. But that assumption was only
made by looking at the dates of the rides attended each year.
Like it or
not, this is a sport that involves "racing". Some riders race, others just ride
the miles. Some horses can race, some can ride mile after mile for years, while
others are better off going around in circles in an arena. We each seek what
program is right for each horse, with our own personal goals in mind. And if we
decide to sell that horse because it is good at what we ask of it, or is not
good at what we ask of it, that is our right. No organization needs to be
involved in the sales of our horses.
And a side note, why do I think there is something
more to this, that Don has taken such a personal interest...... this subject was
gone a few weeks ago.
