On A More Sombre Note

I won't apologise for bringing up this subject on the blog site, as it indirectly affects Bob's ride, and any other long rider in the future, and I feel that anyone who reads this site would be as shocked as I was when they read the following article.

Yesterday it was brought to my attention by CuChullaine & Basha O'Reilly of the Long Rider's Guild about a case involving horrific abuse of four horses in the Bitterroot-Selway Wilderness on the Montana-Idaho border. I will not go into details of the case, as I have enclosed below the website for the article which was covered by the Rocky Mountain Magazine. The web address is:
http://www.rockymountainrider.com/

I will prewarn you that this does not make enjoyable reading, but I hope that you will all read this article, even though it will probably upset you as much as it did me. However, it needs to be brought to public attention, so that cases like this do not arise again, and the two men concerned brought to justice.

At the present time not many cases of animal cruelty go to trial in Montana as very few authorities are willing to spend time and the public's money to prosecute unless the public raises an outcry, and this is the important point. I have today written to the prosecutor for this county(details of him are available at the end of the story), to register my feelings about this case. The more people who do this, the more likely these individuals will get their just deserts, and people will come to realise that horses cannot and must not be treated in this way.

You all know that when Bob was planning his long ride, of paramount importance to him was the welfare of his horses. He spent most of the previous year gaining as much knowledge as possible so that he was totally equipped to deal with any eventuality, and also set up a network to ensure that his horses would be checked regularly by vets and farriers, and plenty of hay, grain and water would be available along the way. He also carries a first aid kit for the horses, and had taken a first aid course prior to leaving. Bob would be the first to admit he is no horse expert, but he had done as much as was humanely possible to ensure Cody and Tigers would not be neglected in any way. He receives regular compliments from people he meets on how good the horses look, which is very pleasing.

However, now this case of cruelty has come to light, we all feel that this may have a detrimental effect on any Long Rider, and that the public may now question the integrity of authentic equestrian riders such as Bob. History has demonstrated that the lives of the Long Riders and their horses depend on the generosity, trust and acceptance of people we have never met.

That is why it is critically important that when a person says they are a Long Rider from the Long Rider's Guild that the public instantly knows that the person in the saddle is a shining example of noteworthy action and equestrian integrity.

The following extract is a quote from the Long Rider's Guild :
"If it is discovered that any member has acted in any manner inconsistant with the good faith observable between members, or is found guilty of any conduct which injures the good name of the Long Rider's Guild, or threatens to bring about the dissolution of the Long Rider's Guild. or has falsified his or her equestrian achievements, is discovered to have intentionally neglected or injured his or her horse(s), or is not willing to help other equestrian travelers by sharing information, The Long Rider's Guild reserves the right to expel that person from the Guild."

If you wish to find out any further information on the Long Rider's Guild, the web site is below:
" http://www.thelongridersguild.com/ "

I hope that many of you will act on this blog and register you disgust at this inhumane cruelty.

P.S.
If you wish to check out how the horses are doing, the web site of the Bitter Root Humane Association is:
http://www.bitterroothumane.org/
and click on "update on horse cruelty case"

Thank you all for reading this.