Good lord amighty. Can we just let PV go and talk in generalities?
That way we MIGHT be able to keep this thread alive with some constructive discussion…
We all get the gist of the big pro-publicity-change-everyone’s-mind-or-at-least-get-the-word out. Now will you let it GO?
Your post was interesting except for the greek chorus chant…
I think Hopeful Hunter said it beautifully.
My thought, or question rather, not to be redundant,but… was what others have asked: “where is the line?”
Who hasn’t done something they’ve regretted, who hasn’t suffered the consequences of a mistake. Yes, you learn from those mistakes and, in some, in many, instances you get a second chance. However, sometimes, that mistake is so big… and consciously made and is so, so inexcusable.
Well, what’s a lifetime suspension for, if not for that? I don’t even want to know…
This was nothing less than greed, cruelty and self-absorption (is that a word?) of the worst kind.
I’m not saying this would be an excuse, but (and correct me if I’m wrong) nobody involved was in some sort of terrible, back-against-the-wall crisis, the kind where panic and desperation make an otherwise good and moral person make a terrible, terrible, one-time mistake…
No, there’s a time when it’s “you f***** up and you’re done.”
I can’t imagine being able to come, being able to stand coming within sight of a horse if I had participated in something like that. The desire to continue on riding and practicing a trade within the industry after that… there’s a big disconnect there… I guess. I’d ask, If you owned up to doing wrong, was it only because you got caught?
Oh now Harry, don’t rush the poor dear…
Now Sheila, THAT was cute! I think I like you…almost! 
It’s sort of an interesting phenomenon. Everyone has their own sort of level of “payment satisfaction”. For some maybe a very sincere apology, for some maybe a big check to an animal charity for some maybe a couple of alligator clips and a wall socket for him. But I suspect that the lines are drawn much cleaner and more exact than that. I beleive that you are either satisfied that he has paid his debt and should be let back in…end of story… no apology nesessary. Or you believe that there is absolutely nothing on God’s green earth that he could ever do, pay or say that would make what he did forgivable enough to ever welcome his re-instatement.
Thank you Snowbird and good luck there.
you mistake “defending” for some other emotion. or you have chosen to interpret my posts that way. or… jetsmom has decided to interpret the content of my posts…and then she decided to categorize those posts. "Defending"is the word she used. She then wondered why I felt the need to make numerous posts, instead of making one gigantic post that most people don’t read. She even was kind enough to point out that somewhere, somehow I could edit something. Even if I did not want to. I never did get an answer to my many dumbass questions that I thought were pertinent to the topic. However… I think she probably got her English Masters from HYPS… and I so am loving that little eraser thinghymajig.
WA, I bet in this day and age, phone calls would be really easy to trace if they are being harassed.
No damned if you do, damned if you don’t. You just don’t, period. Who knows if any criminal is rehabilitated? Stats in many cases proved otherwise. We can’t undo history. But we can keep people from slipping thru the cracks back into the sport.
Help me with this. I thought PV horses were banned from shows yet they do show:
http://community.webshots.com/photo/465247268/309906482pPSkeX
Did anyone else wonder about the ad on page 9 of the COTH 12/23/05 issue? Full page color ad; North Run and the Ethel Walker School congratulate Julie Welles. They note a special thanks to several folks including PV. Why would a school thank a horse killer??? YIKES!
…and don’t forget gang. Please post your thanks to all the wonderful horses and horsemen that touched your hearts, not your purse strings, along the way…In “Chicken Soup”. They all deserve our hearfelt thanks and recognition for keeping the true spirit of this sport alive and well.
Has anyone considered PRCA? I am sure they would welcome the chance to participate in something that defined animal cruelty so succinctly.
dawg, using your logic (and I do see it) anyone who does agree that abortion=legally santioned murder (which occurs for the sake of social convenience, whether societal or individual), will, in all likelihood, be taking a hard line on the reinstatement issue…You are only taking a wild guess at how anyone feels on the “choice” issue. In using that “card,” I think you have just given yourself a big bite in the foot. You might try taking it out of your mouth…
Those suspended committed the most utterly, gravely, wrong crimes–these were premeditated, deliberate acts aimed at defrauding for the purpose of financial gain. Along the way, they inflicted immense pain and suffering upon the innocent creatures they were charged with protecting and caring for.
All that being said, I’m not on the fence about whether they should be allowed to make their case for reinsatement–that’s the process we need to respect. What the outcome should be is another story; IMO, it rightly should be an uphill battle for them, but isn’t up to me or an internet lynching mob.
Now you all know I really am aged. The reason it’s rare is most of those with four digits have ceased to participate for one reason or another. Well, it’s easy to remember anyway.
What exactly do I win? I never win anything.
You need a fundraising reason for people to buy. There’s no legal fund so the only thing would be to donate to a horse charity. Maybe a scholarship for a young rider.
Where do I sign?
But it’s safe to assume he will
Why?
Lucasb - talk about the same thoughts! 
I wonder if Snowy has any bracelets left?
