Taking horse welfare seriously

I am writing in regard to the Horse Welfare article in the February 2004 issue of Endurance News. I believe that if the Welfare of the Horse Committee is to be taken seriously by people both in and outside the sport of endurance, the information provided by this committee must be able to withstand critical analysis and scrutiny. This would not appear to be the case in the above mentioned article.

The article begins, "The stress of an endurance ride contributed to 11 known horse fatalities in 2003." The article does not support this statement. One horse died of cantharidin (beetle) ingestion. I do not see how this is related to an endurance ride. A second horse died due to an injury related to a fall. Unless this injury was due to overriding so the horse was tired or a result of the rider getting caught up in the moment and riding with poor judgment over rough terrain, this type of accident could happen to any one of us on the trail. My mare seriously injured her knee in a pasture accident. So, unless there is more explanation, saying this accident was caused by the stress of an endurance ride may be overstating the facts.

Endurance riding may not have caused another horse to tie up one week later and become laminitic. That horse only made it to mile 12 and was in the back of the pack. Perhaps the cause of these symptoms was present prior to the ride and the ride exacerbated the symptoms, but given time these symptoms may have occurred anyway. Again, without further information one doesn't know if these problems would have occurred regardless of the ride.

The horse that was lost at an endurance ride and was found dead, well yes, if the horse hadn't gone to the ride it would probably still be alive. Is that really something the Welfare of the Horse Committee can address or prevent, except by telling people to stay home and leave their horses in the pasture? Perhaps there is more to these incidents than the article stated; if so, I would caution that the committee put all the facts so people will take what they say seriously.

What I hope to get from the Welfare of the Horse Committee and the Veterinary Committee is as accurate information as possible so that I, the person responsible for my horse, can talk to a veterinarian in the most educated manner possible and make the best possible decision for both my horse and myself. I would hope in the future the Welfare of the Horse Committee can establish a reputation like the old E.F. Hutton investment company advertisement: "When the Welfare of the Horse Committee speaks, people listen."

Sheila Steen Larsen, AERC #11541

Cool, California

Author's comments: We applaud Ms. Larsen for wanting the most accurate information possible to educate herself and make the best decisions for her horse. As mentioned in the article, only individual detailed studies from the Veterinary Committee and the Welfare of the Horse Committee on each death can begin to touch all the factors involved. Several of these studies have been published and more will follow. The spreadsheet gave every member a grasp of the scope of the problem and we encourage every member to continue to read the published material to determine for themselves the relevance of each study. ÐJim Mitchell

AHA 50 mile clarification

I am writing to you regarding the article about the AHA 50 Mile National Championship ride in the February 2004 issue of Endurance News. My horse Merlin and I were fortunate enough to be the AHA 50 Mile Reserve National Champions. I owe my very modest success to my fellow AERC riders and friends Doug and Judy Sandlin, Roger Barrett, Tommy and Melissa Crain, and just so many other experienced AERC riders, some whose names I don't even know, that have offered their advice and support.

I can appreciate a little journalistic license, but in my interview I said Valerie Kanavy and I knew the closest rider that was entered in the AHA National Championship was 15 minutes behind us. We knew Karen Cummings was behind us and would be coming, but she was not entered in the AHA National Championship. On the last loop we were going slow, conserving our horses. I have learned from the aforementioned AERC members to have the presence of mind to ask the timer how close the other riders are, but more importantly, they have also counseled me to ride my ride and not to override my horse. I am still learning that second part.

I also said in my interview I am in the heavyweight division. The next closest AERC heavyweight was 20 minutes behind. Karen Cummings is a fantastic rider and her horse Lucky is very strong, and I had no doubt she would catch us, but Karen is a lightweight. There was no reason in the world to run Merlin any faster than I did just to keep Karen from catching me.

And I also said in my interview Valerie and I rode the last two loops together, but that I had no doubt Valerie and Emphatic could have left Merlin and I behind any time they wanted to, and that Valerie had even waited for me after the last vet check. Valerie had said to me out on the course the horses appreciate each other's company. Some more great advice. And I said there wasn't going to be a race off at the finish. That's another thing I learned from my fellow AERC members, and from Valerie on that very day--sportsmanship.

With all well-deserved respect to Karen, if Valerie hadn't waited for me, she would have already been in her trailer by the time I finished. I am in no way trying to diminish my friend Karen and her horse Lucky's admirable effort. I just thought your readers would like to know the story--without the spin.

Ed Kidd, AERC # M30193

Nashville, Tennessee

Your letters to the editor are welcome! Mail letters to the AERC office at P.O. Box 6027, Auburn, CA 95604, fax to 530-823-7805, or e-mail to endurancenews@ foothill.net.