Killing In The Name Of...

The USEA has been under fire, lately the fight has been taken up publicly by the insightful and talented Denny Emerson, for courses that are shorter but much more dangerous. Another death on course last weekend sort of rammed the point home. It's scary how immune we are getting to the shock that used to happen when a horse or rider was critically injured or killed on a cross country course. Type in "horse dies cross country" in your search engine and see how many different names immediately pop up now.

I do not ride eventing anymore, though it was the sport I fell in love with at the same time my young heart fell for horses. Olympics was all I wanted. Then I had a rotational fall on the horse I was jumping cross country and my dreams of eventing were done at 15.

Thinking of cross country now isn't just a matter of safety for myself though, it's my horses. As a mother and animal owner, I've known the horrible feeling many times when something whose care was in my hands, was badly hurt.

The idea of training and working  closely with my horse for that long, to ask him to trust me, to listen to me, and him complying with my wishes and killing himself in the process on these cross courses most riders are lucky to even finish these days, is more than I can bear. Instead, I get my adrenaline and competition in Jumpers and am happy to stay there.

Of course working with horses you have to be a little hardened. Accidents happen all the time. They could happen on a pasture turnout just as easy as they can happen under saddle. Lake taught me that, breaking his leg in my pasture. You have to be able to separate yourself some or you'd be emotionally destroyed in the long run, it isn't okay to give up pursuing the vivacious nature of life and sports just because there is risk.

So how much do we love our sport versus how much we love our horses?

I was incredibly lucky to be able to get Bandon and start him on my passion, taking a horse off track and re-training for jumping, after Whisper turned out to not be sane enough for the task (my dearest Whisper ran through a barn wall once, among other things, she had problems). Getting him while I was able to still keep Whisper, I could continue to love her and pursue my sport.

What about those who can't do that? Who have one chance with one horse to do what they love. Should they be able to replace the horse that doesn't serve the purpose for them in the sport they want success at? Absolutely. There are thousands of examples of horses that were sold that went on to a new love affair with a new rider.

What about those that clean up after people? The ones who get the slaughterhouse bound horses and cry at the cruelness that is people who throw away horses. Most of these beautiful hearted people don't even ride. They have pastures full of permanent residents with various problems. Are they wrong to feel horses should be life-long obligation? Nope. The clean-up crew for life's irresponsible have rite to be bitter and hold their values that horses are for life not for sport

Horses are big wonderful expensive fragile things. Horse sports are hard and full of passionate people, who also have a rite to love competing and desire to succeed at it.

In a perfect world we'd all love all of our horses, the ones who taught us, the ones who carried us through shows but can't any longer, the ones that are up and coming superstars. In reality, horses are hugely expensive and MOST won't make the cut at the upper levels of any of the sports.

With all of this on the table, why (for God's sake!) are we allowing course designers license to kill our best?!