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Hola! I am getting over the jet lag and the
sheer exhaustion of 10 days in a foreign country/endurance ride, and have been
thinking about what I learned at the World Equestrian Games. There were
many things I learned that I will not share here, maybe in person if I should
see you at a ride, but not here lest I be misunderstood. Ask me
sometime...
I went to Jerez (pronounced Her-eth) to crew for
Cia Reis and Catch a Wave, but ended up volunteering for barn duty (which
included sleeping there some nights) and took care of other team horses as
well. Even after 21 years in this sport, there were some eye opening
experiences.
What I Learned in Spain At the World Equestrian
Games
1. Never, never put a cell phone in your
shirt pocket and enter a porta potty. The chance of the phone
dropping out of your pocket into that small hole, is HUGE.
2. Never, never take Jeannie Waldron's
cell phone in the porta potty - she won't find it amusing when you have to tell
her what happened.
3. There is something very defining
about the moment that you decide that there is nothing you can do
about the cell phone in the porta potty and you just sit down and do what you
came to do....
4. No matter what anyone says about the
best size of horse, the VAST majority of horses at the World Level are BIG and
TALL.
5. Horses on the New Zealand and USA teams
had beautifully shod feet.
6. Horses on many teams had really badly shod
feet (I am a farrier, and took particular notice).
7. Never go anywhere in Spain without
a roll of toilet paper.
8. Steph Teeter is REALLY tall.
9. Podium saddles are quite popular in
Europe and the Middle East.
10. Some countries have a long way to go in
this sport.
11. Do not believe the guide books that say
there is only a 5% chance of rain in Spain in the month of
September.
12. Sleep on westward transcontinental
flights, even if you have always really wanted to see the movie.
13. It is easy for an addict to get used to
the espresso served as coffee in Spain, and withdrawal is a real
drag.
14. There are many, many great people in this
sport. It was a true pleasure to meet so many wonderfully interesting
people from all over the country who came together for a single cause. I
was proud to be an American.
15. Good sportsmanship abounds. Riders
and crew that were forced to 'retire' early were out enforce to help those still
in the race. With the exception of one group, all were there to help the
eventual finishers. Larry Kanavy, in fact, was a great asset to our
team. I was proud to be an American.
16. The Aussies really know how to dress the
part. They had several outfits as well as matching equipment, and went
everywhere together. We were proud when they did well.
17. Grace Ramsey still cracks me up after all
these years.
18. The planning and organization it takes to
get 6 horses and riders to this type of competition is incredible.
19. When you get home don't make it really
obvious to your husband that you really missed your horse the most.
20. Don't take Jeannie Waldron's phone in the
porta potty and remember to carry toilet paper. Those two things beared
repeating.
Maybe I can really write a story sometime about the
experience, but for now, this is all I can process in my caffeine withdrawal,
jet lag induced haze!
Laura Hayes AERC#2741
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