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[RC] Sallie's Story--The Horse is Never Guilty - Bruce WearyHi Sallie--You are the poster-child for why AERC makes certified vets and treatment available at rides, and advocates early treatment, no matter how the emergency arises. It is abundantly clear that potentially dangerous factors escape us because they are either undetectable or unforeseeable. You rode properly, and tried to keep your horse at a safe pace. His natural herd instinct told him, at some level, to "keep up with the herd." He may have felt abandoned, even threatened, at some level as an animal of prey. I have seen more riders dumped and runaway horses as a result of the effect of herd instinct than any other factor. Regardless, his emotionality drove his adrenaline higher, and stressed his body systems, so that he began to become ill in spite of your best efforts to manage him. I can't think of anything else you could have done at that ride to avoid the situation, without the benefit of hindsight. You presented early on to the vet, and submitted to appropriate treatment without hesitation. You did not leave him unattended as he recovered, and the passers-by were supportive and nonjudgmental, which AERC has been promoting for some time now. And, in the end, you got the brass ring. You got to take your horse home and look forward to enjoying many more trails with him. Still, we don't know all the factors that may have led to his problems. It was enough to smell the smoke and call the fire department. Some folks would prefer, without knowing the facts, to presume that you must have ridden him into metabolic distress (as evidenced by the need for life-saving IV treatment), and face the prospect of harsh sanctions for having done so. In cases of abuse, measures can be taken against the rider. But in those cases, it is always the rider who is wittingly, or unwittingly, guilty. The horse is never guilty, and never deserves to have treatment withheld--certainly not for how it might look to onlookers who haven't evolved to the point of understanding how important treatment is. I know, because I have been guilty of such judgement early in my career. I feel I am a better rider now, because I am in a better position to not only help my horse, but someone else's, if need be. I can tell you that your story contains many of the most common factors we on the HWC see in situations that lead to horse deaths. I can only think of a few cases where the cause was clearly overriding the horse. Still not excusable, but it puts our safety record and policies in an even better light to know that of the few deaths that occur at rides each year, the large majority are not foreseeable or due to abuse. Until horses can talk, a caring rider can only do the best he knows how, and call for help without hesitation at the first sign of trouble. Congratulations to you for being a prudent and caring rider. You are proof our programs are working. 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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