I know. You, the reader, are going to think I never talk about anything except to complain about it. And to be frank, that wasn't my intent when I started the "Mac's Musings" link. But when I see or hear of something that really gets under my skin, something that I think needs addressing, the net, thankfully, gives me the platform to do that on. And, as the ending to each musing says, these are, after all, "just my musings"
So what am I heated up about this time? Well, this time it concerns horses and competitions. No, I don't mean going to horse races to bet my mortgage away, nor do I mean the use of horses as work animals on farms. I should also state that I am not one of the so called "horsey set". To be frank, I'd most likely fall off one if I tried to ride it. So what's the problem?
New Zealand has had a proud history of competitive horse riding. Indeed, the world's best competitive riders (Mark Todd for instance) and some of the world's top horses come from here. Ever heard of a legend called Pharlap? No, it's not Australian no matter what our Aussie cousins would have you believe. It was a Kiwi horse, bred and born right here in New Zealand. So, all in all, we have a proud history of horses and competitions, of competitors and the way they are trained and ride in competitions.
This past weekend, in the tiny hamlet of Huntley, in the North Island of New Zealand, the south pacific masters games 2002 equestrian endurance ride was held. Now, before we go any farther, put a mental capital letter on that title. Why? It wasn't some little village's competition, it was the South Pacific Masters games competition, in which, this competition is called the Equestrian Endurance Ride. So, what have we? Pretty prestigious event wouldn't you think?
1. "The South Pacific masters games" covers New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Tonga, Samoa, Niue, the Cook Islands, and the list goes on and on.
2. The "Masters Games" are those games organized for those normally over the age of 40, and divided into age groups for competition purposes.
The "Equestrian Endurance Ride" is a particularly difficult event. This particular one is run not only over country road surfaces, but through paddocks (fields to our friends in the more northern climes), and is over 40 kilometers (25 miles) long. The rules state that in competitive rides 40 kilometers and over there must be a veterinarian in attendance to take care of mishaps such as a horse breaking a leg, and thus needing to be put out of its misery in a sane and humane manner. And another example of the need for a registered practicing vet? To care for horses who suffer from lactose build up in the muscles which causes severe pain for a horse and must be treated immediately by a qualified vet, etc. etc. We could go on with the list, including, even more importantly, the fact that a qualified veterinarian must pass every horse as being physically fit to run the race. Sound reasonable? I think so.
And of course, there should also be qualified first aid or medical help there to care for the riders in case of a mishap. That goes without saying doesn't it? Possibly even an ambulance would be worthwhile having around, just in case?
Well, it appears that the folks at the Waikato Endurance Riding Club (who I am reliably informed were the organizers of this international event) didn't feel that EITHER of those were necessary!! "What?" I hear you cry. "No qualified, registered, practicing vet or qualified, certificated, and practicing first aid person at all?" Nope. NOT ONE! But wait!! There's More!!!!! (apologies to the sellers of ginsu knives)
I have been told by one competitor (who thankfully withdrew her horse and went home before the competition even started rather than expose her horse or herself to that kind of senseless danger) that there was good reason not to run this race. This competitor, who trained specifically for this particular event, decided to have a look for herself. Imagine her surprise when she saw that the "accommodation" provided for the riders and their charges was an open field, covered in cowpats, and ONE portable toilet. When told this, I thought "Hmm.. a pretty hardy lot this group. Not my thing but hey, I guess it's theirs." I just hoped that an attack of dysentery didn't hit their campsite that night. Wouldn't that have been a sight, not to mention the potentially injurious health risk with no medical help in sight.
Someone else had told her to have a walk over the course so she thought, "Sure, a nice quiet walk. See what the course looks like, how difficult it will be for the winning horse and rider to win this competition". So she set off, only to find that there was a patch of approximately 10 kilometers of country road (5 out and 5 back) that was, though classed as a gravel road, literally strewn with very large sharp stones, just the thing for giving almost any mount what is known as a stone bruise (picture yourself running over sharp stones. Get the idea?). Plus there is the problem of running a mount over such a hard surface and thus causing stress to hooves and leg bones and joints.
Getting concerned yet? Wait for the next bit. How about running your prized mount over a field literally COVERED in rabbit holes and running the risk of breaking its leg at high speed? Ahh.. the chances of hitting one? Well, this same competitor (who as I said, I am happy to report had sense enough to take her mount out of the competition and take it home) had her OWN leg drop into one UP TO HER KNEE. Big enough? When told about this field and the big hole which she herself had just made, the response from the person in charge (who also proudly said she was taking the place of the missing vet by the way) was "Oh, we're marking that one". Well, that did nothing for my friend's peace of mind as she had NOT told her at that point where it was. Oh, and did I forget to mention, this same person who was "going to mark that one" was also the president of the club that organized the event? Or, that when one competitor showed up with a horse that was bandaged on one rear leg, and limped in both a walk and a trot, this same "vet stand-in" PASSED it for competition?
I am proud of this country. And I am proud of the sporting achievements of its sports minded people in almost any sport. But this has to take the cake. This was THE most disgracefully run competition I have EVER heard of in ANY country in the world with the possible exception of bullfighting or dog or cock fighting. This was a disgrace, and it is my hope that someone in the New Zealand horse fraternity will take up the banner of indignation and do something about it so it never happens again.
Like I said at the beginning I'm not a competitor, nor even a horse kind of person. But to think that ANY animal is potentially mistreated in this way, especially by those who profess to know what they are doing and who are running an international event and thus advertising this country to the rest of the world really gets under this old one's craw. Come on New Zealand Endurance Association, or who ever else might be able to do something about this. Please, for the sake of your sport, its competitors both animal and rider alike, do something to prevent this from happening again in future and make it a mandatory thing that those involved this time get educated on the RIGHT and PROPER way to host an event.
I feel so strongly about this, that I'm asking if you know anyone in the horse circles in New Zealand, send them the link to this page so they can read this. I'll bet they won't hear about it through the normal "grapevines". *sighs* but.. as always they are...
Just my musings...
Mac
