Duct tape Part 4

[Coujurs1@aol.com]

  By now I bet you were thinking I would be ready to go into the ride!  
Wrong.  Okay almost ready.  I forgot (DIMR) about our "trip" around part of 
the trail.  Ashraf asked us to show up fairly early Friday the 21st, and he 
and "Crazy Abdullah" would show us the trail.  Okay, I should have known 
better than to get into a car with anyone with the moniker Crazy.  Although I 
think I am certified myself, if not certifiable.  Now, all the vehicles over 
there have an alarm that sounds when the car gets over 130 KPH.  It was 
sounding as we drove over the dunes!  As we objected, quite loudly, Abdullah 
says "you die someday".  Not exactly calming words.  Abdullah was the fellow 
that ended up winning the President's Cup.  We only saw the first loop, and 
declined to go back and see any more of the trail since we didn't want it to 
be "that day".  Some of the others went back out on the trail with them, and 
they did drive more sedate. 
  Okay raceday.  Up at 2:30 am and out to the barn.  Goat was napping when we 
walked in, but wasn't too p.o.'d since we brought food.  Typically male, way 
to his heart is through his stomach.  Time seemed to fly by, and soon it was 
time to head down to the start line.  It was quite a distance from our barn.  
I got the cell phone and called Mom.  Pretty cool to be able to call on the 
way to a start line.  
  The start was set to be at 5:50 am,yes strange time.  But the fog was real 
heavy and they kept putting it off.  Our vet check area was in the perfect 
spot (they assigned VC areas, all under cover).  We were close to both the 
arrival timer and the vet area.  We worried the day before, because in the 
morning the area was perfect, but come afternoon the sun shined in on over 
half of our area.  No problem we hear (the entire time we heard that, I think 
it is the country motto) it had an awning that rolled down, in the front and 
the back of the crew area.  Boy do they get it together on ride day!  They 
also hauled in shavings, so the horses wouldn't have to stand on the hard 
sand!  Since they delayed the start, I got off and lead Goat over and talked 
him into wetting down the shavings.  
  Here we were warming them up, and having to watch where we rode because of 
the TV cameras, they were everywhere.  You could see yourself on the huge 
screen they had set up in the edge of the VC area.  Finally it starts getting 
daylight, and they announce that it is almost time.  There is a building that 
houses the computers, arrival computers as there are computers everywhere!  
And there are runways of sort, not very long, with windowed booths (sort of 
like toll booths) on both sides.  You depart and arrive through this area, 
and as you arrive you hand them a credit card like thing.  More on this 
later.  Okay they finally tell us to start easing through the exit area.  
Then all line up on the start/finish line.  Instead of a stampede start, they 
had us start walking and then said go.  There were cars, cameras, and people 
everywhere!  We started out down a track that was around 40 yards wide and 
got more narrow as it progressed.  All the vehicles were on the outside of 
the track.  It was a more sane start than I predicted.  Everyone sort of 
eased into the next gait.  For some unknown reason, Goat actually settled 
into his "powerstroke" trot.  Don't tell me he is actually going to be good 
for an entire ride?  Nopey!  Anyway, we are moving pretty swiftly at the 
trot, and passing horse after horse and they were all cantering!  Looked over 
to my left (because Goat kept doing that) and there was a camera truck.  The 
guy was sitting on top in a mounted chair, and was focused on us.  I don't 
know how long he stayed there, Goat kept shooting him dirty looks (yes he can 
too).  Found out later that this was being broadcasted into the Vet Check big 
screen.  I have a great picture Duane took of us on the big screen!
  Well, as soon as the trail opened up, Goat was no longer on his best 
behavior.  My fault I had told him as he was trotting what a good boy he was, 
and he had to show his bad side.  Although in his defense it wasn't all his 
fault.  Some of the cars decided that the ones in front of them were going to 
slow and came on the right side of the flags, I'm pretty sure that was 
considered trail.  And they were jumping the dunes, spinning sand and 
generally being a PITA to us.  
  You were only supposed to crew at the water stops, they were set up like 
every 3-5 K.  They had huge garbage cans full of water and they had box after 
box of 1 liter bottled water!  As you rode up, someone (everyone) would hand 
you a bullet of water.  Our "Chef" Art Priesz was there, and told me to be 
sure and drink plenty of water myself.  I took a sip and he said "more!"  
Mom?  <g> I do need to be reminded though!
  So off we went cantering side ways down the trail, till it finally opened 
up some.  Christie Janzen caught up to me and made a comment about Goat's 
legs going every which way <g> more so than usual.  The first leg had (or so 
we were told) the most deep sand.  This is the loop we saw with Crazy 
Abdullah.  And we got both vehicles stuck while checking the trail out.  You 
go out and then loop around back on a different sand trail.  On the way back 
we came across a few camels being trained, Goat looked at them sideways and 
decided that he wanted to get to the VC to eat more than he wanted to spook 
off of them (yes, as a matter of fact I do know what he is thinking <g>).
  We arrive back sooner than I wanted too, and had finally started going in a 
semi straight line.  I jump off, hand my time card to the nice person in one 
of the booths, they swipe it (scan it) and hand me it and a piece of paper 
with my arrival time, and when Goat has to pulse down.  Then the crew came 
out of the wood work!  They were everywhere.  Taking all his tack off, (wait, 
let's leave something on his head!), sponging, taking pulse.  My saddle was 
taking to the crew area, and put on the just made saddle rack (they built it 
overnight when we told them we wanted one, but still no duct tape to be had). 
 Goat came down pretty quickly as he usually does, although he isn't used to 
that many "helpers".  You walk through another booth area, hand your time 
card and paper work, they swipe your card again, someone walks up with your 
vet card (they figured we couldn't keep up with them so ride officials kept 
them in the vet area) and on to the vets you go.  They did all the pulsing, 
and if you weren't down, you could only represent once.  The vet area had 
covered places for the vets to stand with fenced (PVC fencing) trot out 
areas, each vet had a separate trot out area.  Goat did fine, and I got his 
vet card and all of the little pieces of paper.  You went through another 
section of the booth area, and they took everything, kept your vet card and 
swiped your card again.  Then gave you a print out of your time, time to 
leave, lapse time on the loop, position of the sun and what you would name 
your first born!  Okay not the last two.  But a very impressive set up.  This 
is the first thing I have seen that can beat Nancy Gooch, but in fairness to 
Nancy there were a ton of different people, and at our rides sometimes it's 
just Nancy!  And if asked she could tell you all of the above.  BTW Nancy is 
the clipboard lady in all of Howard's stories.  
  Okay there was a 30 minute hold, Goat pigged out, peed and rested.  I 
actually made myself eat, I am the nutrition queen.  If it is not chocolate 
covered, fried or salted (or comes out of a lambs belly now) I pretty much 
don't eat it.  So I had some good junk food, courtesy of a quick run to the 
supermarket the night before.  And soon it is time to go again. 

Nina