> 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. <snip … > 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.
Well, yes and no. I also had the experience of getting very good
scores from a vet who is really sharp, only to have to take him back to her
minutes later because he had a case of colic. Then a few years later, I had a vet
who I didn’t think much of warn me he wasn’t right, I mostly blew
her off, but did pay more attention as we left the check. Ended up turning
around and pulling.
I agree completely with knowing your horse, but the vet isn’t
exhausted, and I look at them as a team member. At least up here, we’ve
got some really great vets, and I’d be crazy to not take full advantage
of that resource. Ideally, they shouldn’t be there to yank you from the
ride, but they may well see something you don’t. And early on when you
might not know very well what’s normal for your animal, it’s
especially important to fully utilize the vets.
Something I learned a lot from was working as a vet scribe all
day. I’d recommend it to anyone, especially if you can work for a really
good vet. After the rider leaves, ask them why they gave this score or that
score, what made them comment on lameness, etc. I learned a lot that way, and
it really helps in knowing your horse.
