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Fwd: RC: Our Sport/from Debi Gordon

In a message dated 4/1/00 5:45:27 AM Pacific Standard Time, DebiG54@aol.com 
writes:

<< Please don't assume that people who are at the front of the pack, 
 no matter how often they are there, put their horse's needs first.  It's 
just 
 not always the case. >>

Indeed - and the flip side is that not everyone at the BACK of the pack is 
one way or the other as well. Sometimes for some reason, every good rider is 
going to ride just to finish on a sound horse - young horse, old horse, rehab 
horse, children along.....Sort of breaks up the mold now, doesn't it?? s

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Return-path: DebiG54@aol.com
From: DebiG54@aol.com
Full-name: DebiG54
Message-ID: <5a.340c786.26175667@aol.com>
Date: Sat, 1 Apr 2000 08:40:55 EST
Subject:    Our Sport/from Debi Gordon
To: Tivers@aol.com
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In a message dated 03/31/2000 11:27:34 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
Tivers@aol.com writes:

<< If you want to see people who have put in the 
 time, and know their horses, and genuinely give a damn about their horses, 
 look to the front of the pack.  >>

Tom:

This statement bothered me and prompted me to speak up.  It's quite true for 
some people and in some circumstances, but the broad sweep of such a 
statement is disturbing to me.  Most endurance riders I've encountered in 12 
years of competition, no matter what their goal or where they fit in the 
pack, both "know their horses" and "give a damn about their horses."

I've been a front-runner my whole endurance career.  I train my horses and 
myself to be there and have reaped the rewards of good preparation and my own 
will to win.  But don't kid yourself, Tom, there are more than a few 
front-runners who DO NOT meet the description you've put forth.  The public 
face you and others see in the vet checks and at camp is not the same face 
that is on the trail running to win.  I've ridden with most of the top riders 
in this country and many "genuinely give a damn."  But I've ridden with men 
and women who will say and do one thing when the world is watching and turn 
completely around and do otherwise when the win is at stake.  Maybe you'd be 
surprised, maybe you wouldn't.  But the horses' welfare is not the top 
priority of too many top performers.  

I think I can pontificate just a little, because I've won a lot and set lots 
of course records and never had a horse require vet treatment.  That doesn't 
mean I've always made all the right choices, but I've always tried to 
remember to "give a damn" about my horse more than I give a damn about 
winning.  Please don't assume that people who are at the front of the pack, 
no matter how often they are there, put their horse's needs first.  It's just 
not always the case.

Debi Gordon
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