There is an old joke in the hunter/jumper world that if anything goes wrong with your horse below the knees it is the horseshoer's fault; above the knee, the trainer's fault. And thus you, the rider, are free of all responsibility.

I have yet to see a horse fill out an entry form, sign a check and drop it in the mail. The truth is that all horses, given a huge pasture with plenty of grass, water, salt and equine companions, would be quite content to never see another human being. It is only our pleasure that creates equine competition.

We cannot push the responsibility of a horse's death off on the crew, the trainer, the horseshoer, the veterinarian, the ride manager, the sport or even your spouse. During an endurance ride the responsibility for the horse's welfare and life rests with you the rider, period.

Before entering a ride . . .

Before you enter any ride it is your responsibility to:

1. Select a horse of proper age, conformation and temperament to do the job.

2. Provide proper diet and adequate conditioning to complete the ride.

3. Make sure the horse is up to date on worming, shots, tooth care and that the general health is excellent.

Before starting a ride . . .

Before you start any ride it is your responsibility to:

1. Tell the vet the truth at the vet-in. Point out the strange lump that you have never seen before, mention the unusual drainage from the eye or nose, etc.

2. If, during the night prior to the competition, the horse does not eat or seems unusually uncomfortable or anything else does not seem quite right, take him back to the vet and discuss the situation.

During a ride . . .

Once you start the ride it is your responsibility to:

1. Pay attention to little clues and be alert to signs that things are not quite right.

2. If you feel something is wrong, stop, get off the trail, check all vital signs and carefully evaluate the situation.

3. If you determine not to continue, relay the information about the vital signs to the next vet check via other riders or the drag rider.

4. Don't give the horse anything offered by other riders. Please believe me. You will be offered everything from an innocent candy bar to very potent drugs. No vet can properly treat your horse if you have already put a possibly out-of-date, incorrect drug in your horse.

5. Stay where you are, as ride management is having enough problems finding your location, and further progress will only further deplete you and your horse.

6. Know that help will eventually come, but will probably take many hours. On my Lake Sonoma [West Region] ride, if you get yourself in trouble after the first vet check it will take five to seven hours to reach you. A couple of years ago I was pulled on a ride in Northern California at 2:00 in the afternoon -- the trailer to take me out didn't arrive until after midnight. No one was at fault; circumstances just took that long.

After a ride . . .

After the ride is over it is your responsibility to:

1. Evaluate your horse -- is he lame, sore, overly tired? Evaluate what you can do in the future to prevent these problems.

2. If you are repeatedly disappointed in this horse's performance, maybe this is not the proper horse for you. Sell him and get one that is a steady, quiet finisher or fiery top-tenner. Please don't keep forcing an inadequate horse to do what you want to accomplish.