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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 > > > =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= > Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. > Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/RideCamp > =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= > >
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