Home Current News News Archive Shop/Advertise Ridecamp Classified Events Learn/AERC
Endurance.Net Home Ridecamp Archives
ridecamp@endurance.net
[Archives Index]   [Date Index]   [Thread Index]   [Author Index]   [Subject Index]

[RC] Mariposa Protest filing results in EN - Lynn White

Debbie Ekhaml?s entry on the Mariposa ride protest
brought up several good points.  One thing that she
missed, however, was that the rider did not break any
of the AERC rules and therefore can not be ?Banned?
from further participation.  He was simply ignorant of
how horses get tired and he probably got overzealous
with his spurs.  He?s likely one of those people that
have seen ?Hildago? way too many times and think it?s
a true story.  Yes, he probably did deserve to have
his ass kicked.  But our sport is governed by rules
and not subjective emotion or ass kicking. Our culture
is based on forgiving mistakes and learning from them.
Everyone does really stupid things and I would be
willing to bet that just about every endurance rider
has or will cross that line of over riding their horse
at least once. 

When a rider stresses his/her horse to exhaustion and
requires veterinary treatment, it?s nobody?s business
besides the rider, the vet, and ride management.  When
we start excusing abusive behavior towards other
riders at organized events, we begin down the slippery
slope of allowing mistreatment of people because
someone thinks this or that.  I for one would not want
to be a part of an organization like that.  

I think the probability is quite low of ever seeing
this rider at an event ever again.  It?s likely his
vet bill quelled any remaining enthusiasm he might
have had for endurance riding. Besides, everybody
pretty much knows who this guy is and ride management
can and should have a talk with him BEFORE he starts
at a ride (He should get the proverbial ?yellow card?
that they give aggressive soccer players). Chances are
he?ll just load up and go home if he feels like
everyone is watching how he treats his horse?but one
never knows. Some people are just oblivious. 

Our sport is not idiot proof, and there will always be
participants that slip through the cracks however thin
these cracks might be.  AERC has minimized equine
deaths through rules, but there is no way deaths or
near deaths will ever be completely eliminated.


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
http://mail.yahoo.com 

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

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!!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=