Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

I think Marci got it right but way more eloquently than I could have said it............mb

On 7/8/08, Cunningham, Marci <mcunningham@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

After the comments made recently on ridecamp about the return of vet cards by ride management and how they are used by riders I have to add my two cents worth.  I laugh when I hear comments by riders about how their horse received all A's as that can lull a rider into a false sense of security.  One of the few times my gelding got all A's at the lunch vet check, he went back to the trailer and coliced.  I seldom ever look at the ride card after a vet check but instead depend on my own evaluation of my horse.  Scoring by vets is so subjective and people get their panties in a wad if their horse gets a B or even a C.  My highest mileage horse seldom if ever gets good scores on gut sounds and is often a C at lunch.  I am more concerned if he is eating, drinking, pooping and peeing than what a vet gives me as a score.  The key is in knowing what is normal for your own animal.  Using a vet card to evaluate a ride from year to year can be misleading due to all the other factors including weather that go into a particular day on the trail.  I recently completed a ride that had a 1 plus hour slower finishing time from the previous year due to weather conditions that were much hotter than last year over the exact same trail.  I am in favor of vets giving just an okay on the card and every rider should have a stethoscope and know how to use it for pulse and gut sounds.  I am a firm believer that it is the rider's responsibility to take care of their horse and that the vets are there to help everyone get through the ride.  Granted there are some idiots that need the vets to keep them from over riding their horses but the vast majority of endurance riders care about their horses and don't want to get them in trouble.  Before costs became prohibitive, many ride managers used to send out ride results and ride cards to each participant and I have lots of ride cards in my scrap books, but I recognize them for what they are worth which is only the paper they are printed on.  

 

Happy Trails,

Marci Cunningham in hot Bakersfield