Re: Duct tape part 5

["Dyane Smith" <sunibey@sisqtel.net>]

Nina, good story!  It really is another world and I grew up in different
countries.  How is Goat?  How does he handle flying?
Dyane


----- Original Message -----
From: <Coujurs1@aol.com>
To: <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Sent: Monday, February 28, 2000 10:45 PM
Subject: RC: Duct tape part 5


>   Okay, left out on the second loop and the ever changing terrain.  <g>.
> Goat was behaving pretty well now, and soon we caught up with Betty Baker.
> Betty had an escort in the form of Asama, the 3 cell phone guy.  He would
> periodically yell out and ask what Corky's heartrate was.  All the loops
> except for the first were 30+ kilometers in length.  Betty and I (And
Asama)
> cruised along pretty good.  And soon arrived back to the Vet area.  I got
> called upon to weight (now this is why woman don't box (much) we will
weight
> in public with a saddle but forget about it without it).  I had someone
hold
> Goat and started untacking to the repetitive voice of the official saying
> "you need to weight", I started to tell him that I spoke and understood
> English and if he wanted the horse untacked any faster...of course after
> untacking, I had to weight (sorry) wait.  They had someone on the scales
> already and he was a bit under the 75 kilos, but not under the allowance.
> They told him to add weight to be sure he was at the correct weight later
in
> the ride.  I got on the scales (arms now dragging the ground) and was 3
kilos
> + over, I asked if I could dump some weight and they said sure!  But I
didn't
> want to risk it, plus untaping the lead plates would be a pain, and that
> electrical tape was hard to come by, still no duct tape.
>   Goat vetted through fine, and he and Conquistador decided to swap food,
> since Quister wasn't interested in his.  Goat of course was interested in
> pretty much anything.  By this time we had figured out the out gate, the
> first VC we thought we had to run the card before leaving and did so.
>   Off on the 3 rd loop.  Goat and I were pretty much by ourselves for a
> while.  Of course we rounded a corner to a herd of camels, around 50 or
so,
> loose on the track.  Uhoh!  Hopefully the camel training would help.  Yep,
> Goat just kept on trotting and the camels looked scared of him.  I rode
right
> through the middle of the herd without a bolt out of him.  Just after
passing
> through, two SUV arrived to save the day and herded the camels off of the
> trail.  It really got hot on this loop.  And at one of the water stops,
some
> nice man gave me a bottle of Gatorade (or so I think that is what it was
<g>)
> and that helped quite a bit as I started to melt from the heat.  I rode
most
> of the end of this loop with a nice young man.  He was a cousin of Sheikh
> Mohammed's (I think).  He instructed his crew to hand me water bottles.  I
> kept slowing down to get them and he would tell me not to, to let them run
> and catch up so I didn't think he was trying to cheat me by making me slow
> down to get the water.  I explained that didn't matter, if someone was
> helping me, I sure wouldn't fuss over a few seconds wait.  At one point,
> someone drove up and handed him a cell phone and down the trail he rode
> conversing on it.  Not something you see everyday back home.
>   Arrived back at the VC, Goat was a little draggie, but vetted through
fine.
>  Ate his time away in the VC and off we went again.
> On this loop (to be my final one) he started acting tired.  Would move
out,
> but wasn't quite the same horse.  All that crap he did on the first loop
was
> taking it's toll.  Valerie Kanavy's incredible crew was out on the trail
> everywhere, and John Alexander took care of Goat and I.  We came upon a
hill
> (yes it's true Virginia!  A hill) so I thought what the hay, and got off
to
> tail.  Forgetting that Goat has never done that, he would take a step look
at
> me, take a step.  But since I had already dismounted (a chore in itself) I
> decided to lead him up the hill.  The vet's that were out on trail drove
by
> and I explained what I was doing and they drove off.  I caught back up
with
> Valerie and her clan.  And we rode into the VC together.
>   Goat came down pretty quick and took him to the vets.  Duane trotted him
> out and he just wasn't right.  The vet checking him wanted another one to
> watch him.  Duane trotted him again and they went to have a conference.  I
> interrupted them and told them not to bother, I wasn't going back out.
They
> looked at me kind of surprised, thanked me and sent us on our way.  This
was
> pretty tough, it was Goat's first non-completion.
>   I never did hear about when the awards ceremony was, watched the BC
> judging.  Didn't hear till later that Sheikh Mohammed was first BC and
Hassan
> Ben Ali won second, they awarded 3 places, don't remember who won the
third.
>   We went back the next day and watched the children's race.  It was quite
> interesting.  They don't have sponsors per se.  At least not one.  They
are
> followed all the way by 4 wheel drive vehicles with coaches in them.  Plus
an
> ambulance for both the horse and the rider is nearby.  The ride was won by
> Sheikh Mohammed's son.
>   My flight back was pretty uneventful (after killing the screaming brat
> behind me, kidding!).  Customs wasn't the nightmare I assumed it would be.
> And to the phone I went to find out when and where to meet Duane.  Called
a
> contact with the airline Duane and Goat were on. Seems they took off from
> Sarjah fine, but no one had though to talk with Detroit about landing.  So
> they were having another lay over in Germany.  ARGGHH!  So I called to
fuss
> to my Mom and she, of course as mom's do, had a solution.  Nina Murphy (no
> relation <g>) had called to see if we were back and offered to do anything
> she could.  So I called her and she arranged to meet me at a Marta station
> and put up, I mean put me up for a day or so.  Thanks ever so much Nina!
> Duane finally called and said they would be in on Sunday (this was Friday)
> and Goat would have to be quarantined till bloodwork was back.  Hopefully
> they weren't testing him for the sexually transmitted diseases that they
had
> originally said they needed.  Ah excuse me, he is a GELDING, kind of like
> being married, no s-e-x ( I spelled it in case children are reading).
>   And yes the story is coming to a close, WAKE UP.  Finally after being
home
> for 2 weeks, we get a letter from Lufthansa airlines, saying they had a
piece
> of luggage with our address on it, was it ours?  If so yada yada yada.  I
> attempted to call Germany, and failed miserably.  So called Atlanta
Lufthansa
> Cargo, asked him to call.  They called early the next morning and said the
> luggage was a trunk like we described...where did we want it sent?  I
paused
> a bit, thinking maybe this rocket scientist could get this one on his own,
> nopey!  So I say, "how about the address ... on it?".  He says "Sarjah?".
> ARGH!  I asked him why I would want it sent there, they never got it there
> when I needed it.  So I told him my address to send it to.  It finally
> arrived, I tried to find out from the Fed Ex guy how much it cost to ship
it,
> all he would say is a lot!  So my duct tape is finally home...which is
great
> since I needed it this past weekend!  (uhoh sounds like another story!)
>
> Nina and Goat
>
>
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