Re: [RC] re: April and Bravery - richardson . carla
Amen, Natalie! Good to hear from a rider who actually *knows* April and her horse.
Carla Richardson
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From: Natalie Herman Date: Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:33:17 -0700 To: <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Subject: [RC] re: April and Bravery
>>>April was brave, I think, in telling her story publicly. What's even braver, though, IMO, is to offer lengthy and detailed opinion, and then admit: "And for the record, I am one of those people who "did not attend" the ride and "do not know April and have never even met her".Bruce Weary<<<
Well, was not at that ride, but I DO know April and her horse(s) and have seen both at several rides (most I rode, one I was managing). She is local to my area, so I have watched her for some time... And also as one who learned the hard way (by almost overriding my own horse...on an "any horse can do an LD" LD no less, my second ride ever...) but NEVER EVER pushing for speed after that lesson...(and my horse didn't even need treating...I am sure April learned plenty from having her horse hang on an iv...which luckily she wasn't afraid to get treatment right away...cause you know the stigma THAT puts on you...). Anyway.... she cares greatly for her horses and takes wonderful care of that stud. She trained for this ride and did not just ride balls out from nowhere... as she says, he was doing GREAT all day (pulsing in fast, etc) and though she might have gone faster at the end than he should have, it wasn't like she beat him down the trail (she just stopped holding him back and asked him to go with leg...not exactly taking a whip to the horse...) She got caught in the excitement...we prob have all done it at some point. She learned from it and I doubt she will do that one again (though she will prob be right up in top ten again at some later point, as she will do her homework and has...) She admitted her mistake, she apologized for it. Though I also agree that we don't have to be "sappy" about it, it sure won't make anyone else want to "fess up" if they see ppl berating others for fessing up and "putting a spin on a press release" (um, what?? all it was, was a post about what happened...) instead, we'll go back to having ppl hide their tired horses behind trailers, avoid treatment, and most likely not ask for help in how to do better next time, cause they think they'll get chewed out for making a mistake. This doesn't mean that one shouldn't get admonished for stupidity, esp if they don't see that they DID do something stupid, but when one says I did dumb, sorry, won't happen again, we should say 'I am glad you saw your mistake and also hope it will not happen again' and end of story...not tell them they are trying to make themselves look better by putting out a press release before they get called out or something... Anyways..what are we all going to pick apart this winter, when there isn't any riding to pick apart?? Helmet debates are out too now...we will run out of topics soon... (though I am glad she's deciding to wear one...I have nagged her about it before... :) but it isn't a law, so it is her choice right now...) Nat
“Riding a horse is not a gentle hobby, to be picked up and laid down like a game of solitaire. It is a grand passion. It seizes a person whole and, once it has done so, he will have to accept that his life will be radically changed.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson.
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