Know before acting | The Salt Lake Tribune

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When Jerry collapsed on State Street ("Carriage horse recovering, city considering ordinance changes," Tribune, Aug. 19), I rushed to the scene as a horse owner with all the medicine he needed and the equine experience to help him. I was horrified when I saw a group of people dragging Jerry across the asphalt, dumping buckets of water on him.

They made Jerry's colic worse by dragging him and flipping him over again and again. They didn't even take the time to figure out what was actually wrong with him before they soaked him, tied ropes to his face, and started pulling. I knew immediately Jerry was colicing, and even though I had the medicine that would have made him better, I was brushed aside and ignored.

Heat was not the cause of Jerry's problem; it was a carriage driver who was incompetent and arrogant enough to ignore a person who could have helped. If a person were to collapse on the same street, you wouldn't throw water on him and drag him across the road. If you don't know how to treat horses, please stand back and let those with equine knowledge do what is needed.

Grace Best-Devereux

Salt Lake City