This is exactly why I can no longer support AERC.
This latest protest is such a farce and is a very sad commentary on where AERC's
priorities are. It is not about judging people. It is about injustice to
our horses who make this sport possible.
Was he that ignorant? Well, I don't know but at
some point, he decided to spur the horse in an abusive manner because the horse
could no longer keep up the speed that the rider wanted. So he KNEW the horse
was slowing down, yet continued to spur and whip. At that exact point, he was
abusive, not ignorant. Bruce, If you saw someone walking a dog, and the dog laid
down in obvious distress, then the person started dragging the dog to make it
move, would you consider that to be ignorant or abusive?
Please, PLEASE, I beg of the board to STOP making
excuses for this kind of non-sense!
I don't condone violence to solve problems.
However, when AERC punishes unsportsmanlike conduct that does NOT involve the
horse, and ignores abusive treatment that causes a horse to receive 40 liters of
fluid, and that horse has obvious spur welts and cuts, there is a major
problem.
The Jarrett protest is STILL in effect and
will be for a while. All because he ran his mouth! (according to the
protest) Never touched another person, didn't have the horse get 40
liters of fluid, just couldn't keep his mouth shut! This kind of inconsistency
is insane!!
AERC is more concerned with avoiding lawsuits than
doing what is right. Who wants to be a part of that? If this person who rode the
horse was a member for the day, then they should have been banned from riding
for a long period of time. If they had completed, they would have gotten
a completion award, a placing, and an official time, just like any other "real"
member. And, IMO if AERC doesn't have the backbone to punish those who
deserve it, then they should get out of the business and require RM
to report such abuse to the local authorities and let them take care of it.
Maybe those who see such things happen, should stop
filing protests altogether and just call the proper authorities, be it the
police, animal control the SPCA or whoever. The P&G and legal team just
ain't cutten' it.
Your ride fees are going up to cover drug testing,
but we have yet to see if our "new" policy has any teeth. Why pay extra for drug
testing if no one follows through with punishment? There is still no legal
fund, as far as I can tell and as long as the legal team is "in house", I
believe that the threats of lawsuits will trump the horses welfare at every
given chance. As it has been, so far. The precedent has been set. If you are
only a day member, you can not be punished for breaking the rules. This person
who rode the horse will be allowed to ride again and there really is nothing
anyone can do about it. Did he learn a lesson?
Did he learn not to ride like an ass, or that
he can and get away with it?
P.S. to Kat, while you are disappointed that Patrick only received a slap on the
wrist for self acknowledged blatant abuse towards others, does it not just piss
you off even more that the board is ignoring knowledge of blatant abuse of
an animal?? That sounds like a criminal charge to me.
