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[RC] Mariposa Protest - Bruce WearyDear Debbie--I understand how you feel, and I imagine many of us feel outrage at the thought of the mistreatment of this horse, or any horse, for that matter. Nick Warhol was at this event, and is to be commended for his little known spectacular efforts toward saving the life of the horse in question, and offering to help pay for it. We are fortunate to have him as our AERC Secretary and riding comrade. He can give better detail as to the events of that day, but suffice to say that the horse was overridden, and by a person who was completely unfamiliar with how far and how fast a horse can run safely. As a first time rider, he somehow got it in his head that trying to win the LD race was a feasible thing to do. I have seen this dangerous aspiration in other riders with little or no more experience than this fellow. From what Nick has told me, I am willing to believe that this rider did what he did out of sheer ignorance. I do not believe he intended to have blatant disregard for the horse's health, but rather held the fundamental idea in his head that to win, he had to go faster than anybody else. And that is what he tried to do. His ignorance precluded him from having any further thoughts than that. It doesn't excuse his responsibility one iota. But it does explain what happened that day, just as it has in other venues, and that there is some room for improvement in the current structure of our sport that might help curb the frequency of such events in the future. Situations like this will generate discussions about how to safely indoctrinate the beginning rider, who currently becomes a possible candidate to win an endurance ride by simply showing up with a horse, a saddle, and a check for the entry fee. No qualification necessary, no aptitude test, no mandatory mentoring. While many of us don't think the LD should be seen or treated as a race, there are those staunch supporters who would insist on reminding this rider that it is indeed a race, however there are those who cannot resist the temptation, and are inexperienced and unknowing enough to be a danger to themselves, their horses and other riders. The fact that something is a race or competitive event stirs the juices in many folks, and sometimes causes them to cast caution and good sense to the wind, if they have any at all. After all, winning is the brass ring, and as Americans, we are winners. Some thoughts about ignorance: "The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance--it is the illusion of knowledge." Daniel Bourstin This rider operated under the illusion that he knew what he was doing. Something we have all done at times. "Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance." Will Durant We can't know something until we know it. And we can only be responsible for what we know, or should have known. " I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn't learn something from him." Galileo What can we learn from this dangerous situation, and how can we apply it to protecting horses in the future, and safely paving the way for new riders to enter, stay, and enjoy our sport? We can indulge our protective love for animals and express is as anger--let's face it, it feels good to do so--or we can get constructive about where to go from here. I don't have all the answers. (Please don't tell my wife that.) But our membership of nearly 7,000 clear minded members surely can come up with some great ones. Bruce Weary DAL, Member HWC =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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