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[RC] LD - Bruce Weary DCTsk, Tsk, Cindy. You are "borrowing insult" where there is none, regarding some imagined maligning of LD riders. Heck, I'M an LD rider at times. Can you please forward to me any diparaging comment you have found in print that directly assails LD riders themselves? The dispute is over allowing factors to remain in place that either allow or encourage participants in an LD ride to possibly ride faster than horses at that level of acumen and conditioning might safely tolerate.The fact that they are riding faster to pursue a loftier goal, that of BC, doesn't negate the potentially damaging effects of speed on the rookie horse, as well as eliminating the speed factor entirely can do. As we learn more about the long term effects of endurance riding on unprepared horses (see Deb Bennett's recent article) it is reckless at best to think that any evaluation of the horse, BC or otherwise, tells the whole story, either that day or regarding the future well being of all horses. There are horses that have fulfilled all requirements of rides, earned a completion and then within hours became gravely ill, even euthanised. Still others have passed the same requirements, then gone home to be lame or off their feed for a few days due to how they were ridden. Still others go home to a shortened career or never to return to the endurance trail. These possible outcomes behoove us as riders to have a greater understanding of the horse's short and long term capabilities of the strenuous effects of endurance riding than that which and "educational BC evaluation", as Heidi would have you believe, can ever do. Heidi has asserted that those riders going faster are the very ones who NEED the education that the BC evaluation provides. Yes, but they need it BEFORE they expose the horse to the rigors of going faster, not after. I don't want my surgeon to cut me open, and then turn to his colleague and say "Okay, now what do I do?" Incidentally, only one person responded to me that they would boycott a ride completely if there were no speed based BC award available. She had a good reason, though. She felt that horse safety might not be a priority at such a ride. I disagree, because all veterinary safeguards would still be in place. All others said they would still attend. I think that means that the attendance and thus the financial support of the rides is in no danger, and that we have some wiggle room to find a way to protect the horse, eliminate LD as a racing venue, educate our riders, and still have time for a beer afterwards. Bruce Weary=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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