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[RC] [USA: Kathy Brunjes] The Horses are Here! - Endurance.NetHi allthe horses have arrived...plane was delayed, and we spent all morning getting the barn ready and ourselves ready to receive them. Zulu rounded us all up at 1:00 pm to go to the airport - 26 riders/grooms to receive 24 horses. Lots of press and photos being taken - we waited anxiously for the plane - a cargo jet/Malaysia Airlines - only had the horses and the grooms on board. We watched the crates of equipment come down and then the first box of horses could be seen. US horses were in the first box - but not my horse...the first box contained Cheryl Dell's Reason, Jan Worthington's Leon, and Meg Sleeper's Revielle. John, Flavia and I had to wait for 3 more boxes before our horses were on the ground. A little tense unloading - the Peden Bloodstock grooms didn't unload in the sequence they were instructed, and the mare got out first - Theatric should have gone first, and so when Flame bolted out of the box, Theatric went a bit nuts and started rearing while the professional grooms were trying to unlock his gate. I couldn't hold him, and he was crashing against the chest board and the gate was only half open - The grooms were swearing and sweating, I was sweating and when the bolt finally came undone, Theatric flew out of the box onto the tarmac, slipping and skidding across the runway - the groom threw the lead line at me and I had him - he was sweaty and wild-eyed - it took me a few minutes to get him under control - the whole situation was a bit bizarre - there were no mats downand horses jumping out of the boxes all over the place...very strange, since Tee unloads quietly - but it was over in a few minutes, and then we had to walk around the runway while they got the vans ready to take the horses to the venue. Our horses loaded first and they all walked quietly onto the vans - John and I rode in the van with Flame, Sonny and Tee - Meg and Jan rode with their horses. Yvette Vinton's horse, Teese, rode with the US horses (Canadian). Uneventful van ride to the venue - then the inspection of the horses and clearance to the stables, and they were "home". We had all the equipment to unload and inspect and sort out. We walked the horses and fed them and were just getting ready to go back to the hotel when our fluids arrived - we were given permission to give the horses fluids after hours (barns close at 7pm), so we stayed and ran fluids until 9:00 pm - we all were so tired from the exhausting day! we were falling asleep in the stalls holding the IV bags...Flavia came by my stall and said she couldn't believe I was sleeping with my arms wrapped around my horses left front leg and my forehead on his forearm - there I sat on a pail, sound asleep. Stewart Dell was sleeping in the aisle and Grace was sleeping in Revielle's stall while Meg and Flavia and Cheryl were going around checking the bags of fluids and running the IVs for us. What a night! In the meantime, Jim Bryant , DVM, .arrived about 4 hours after the horses - so we met him at the hotel at 10:00 pm - good to see Jim - he had quite a trip taking care of all 6 horses for us . We all piled into our pickup truck (10 of us) with Becky, Meg, Alfredo, Flavia and me in the back - halfway home, to add insult to injury to the whole long stressful day, it started to rain - there we are in the back of a pickup soaking wet. What a ride! Heather - the food isn't nearly as good as last year - it's more "westernized" here at the Permai Inn - more choices like spaghetti and mashed potatoes (!) and less Malaysian local dishes. Too bad. Our hotel is beautiful and brand-spanking new....we have been taking our meals at the little cafe near the lobby, but now we have a brand new restaurant to eat it...literally made over night for us. More details to follow - we are taking our lunch meals at the venue now - and have our grooms' rooms made up for naps and showers during the day. Things are beginning to take shape. More later...got to get to bed - Meg and I have feeding duties in the morning for everyone, and it's after 11:00 pm now...shuttle leaves at 6:30...yikes - we'll have breakfast at the venue tomorrow. Kathy -- Posted By Endurance.Net to USA: Kathy Brunjes at 10/20/2008 11:31:00 AM
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