WEC/Romania

[Darolyn Butler <darolyn@swbell.net>]

Hi everyone, finally getting our wits about us.  Talk about a long shot,
.... that amazing Laura Stoicescu!!!!  Tried to get Laura to think about
doing the WEC last summer.  Way paid.... maybe this was the chance of a
lifetime.... & as kids will, (she's 18 years old).  She gave it no more
thought until a few weeks before the event.  This was her first semester
at TX A&M & to her, (and maybe rightly so), it seemed more important
than the WEC.  Now we all know how it feels when the ride date gets
closer & closer, & we say, maybe I should reconsider & go anyway.  Well
its one thing to pick up & go to a ride a few hundred miles away with
your own rig  & horses, but Laura was determined to go half way 'round
the world & find a horse in the mean time.
I had just returned from Brazil (clinic in Sorocaba) on Nov. 23.  Left
for the Carolina Ride on 25th, Returned on 30th, & Laura's making
serious noises about needing me to Chef d'Equipe for her at the WEC.
Monday thru Wednesday it was touch & go.... I'm afraid I didn't offer
much encouragement, but when it appeared the officials were going to
welcome her at this late date, I was able to find out Bill Smith's name
& number from Connie Caudill, and Laura gave him a call in hopes of
securing a mount.
Now... to find 5 people, who #1 had a passport, #2 could leave on Monday
Dec. 7 for a week, #3 & of course be willing to be a slave for a day or
two or three!!!  Not so difficult.... Laura's mother, Angela, Ann
Pfeiffer (of Animal Tacker), Sharon Saare, and Kirk Caudle, (the most
wonderful farrier, pinch hit pit crew in the world.)
1st snag, we all thought we would fly out of IAH, (N. side of Houston,
10 min. from my house, at 4 on Mon.  then found out at 8 AM that it was
at Hobby, hour drive south at 2:55.  Problem, Sharon didn't arrive from
Denver until after 12.pm ... no way.  Hour on phone, flights changed.
whew!!!!  Remembered at airport, no stethescope, no heart monitor,....
someone ran it over to gate from my house at the last minute.  whew!!!
No glitches to Atlanta, no glitches to Zurich, glitches to UAE!!! Ann's
visa had not been approved.... 8 hrs later, they got tired looking at
us... kept passport... let us thru.  Now at Base (Racetrack/Jizera
Hotel) we have about 18 hours until race time.  Must get badges, (4 hour
process), meet horse, vet check, weigh in (that was yesterday) uh-ho....
get pennies, trot out, shoe horse, fit tack, acquire feed for race day,
mix feed and assort so it will fit into one small car with 5 people &
extra saddle.  Prepare tack, fanny packs, & on & on.  Laura (and the
rest of us were suffering from jet lag & lack of sleep), but hey....
Endurance riders can do anything.
6:00 off to Final (and only for me Chef d'Equipe meeting...)  discover
Laura's "Rider's Penny" is not in sack.... ask them to give her one, off
to meeting.... meeting incredibly slow, (but I did get to ask all the
stupid questions people had asked days before), waiting on the slash
cards, car stickers & vet cards to be delivered.  Finally thru, grabbed
a bite to eat, went by to say goodnite to Laura, (she was at Jezira, we
were :30 min. away near Dubai), NO PENNY!!!! Back to the office...
finally at 10:30 received a #190, (not her #174.... just tell them Jim
Bryant said it was Ok!!!  OK.......
Bed at 12:00, whoops, forgot to leave wakeup call for Laura, can't get
thru to Jezira, answering machine, no problem, just leave a little
earlier.
Barn, 3:00 AM race day.... smoothest part of the day, saddled up, put
rider up, took picture, left to join caravan.... hmmmm... this is gonna
be okkkk..
Joined caravan, 1/2 of caravan split, that 1/2 lost,/...  Kirk struck
out on his own. hmmm... pretty good guy.  We eventually found ourselves
crossing the desert with a lot of other insane people in the dark, dust
and sand dunes.  What an adventure,  5 in a car/plus saddle, & not a 4
wheel drive.
Arrived VET Check... very     IMPRESSED!!!!  Restaurants, bathrooms,
private crew areas with horse showers & fans.... not too bad!!!   Riders
in, hoping Laura would be about 1 hour or less behind... not so, what's
wrong? Wave was suppose to be in shape for heat & humidity... big nice
Anglo, in from Australia 3 weeks before.  Finally she's in... BIG
PROBLEM.... we broke #1 rule about trying something new.  Caged, leather
covered stirrups, heavy & too much torc for ankles, on a fairly new
saddle.  Laura's crippled & in a #9 pain threshold.  Change stirrups,
massage feet & ankles, Ck #2, still a problem, more massage, change
shoes, helps a little... Ck #3, Danielle Kanavy's out, she's nice enough
to loan us her saddle,( its well broke in & helps a ton).  Ck #4 Laura's
holding her own. She leaves just as Valarie wins the race.... that helps
with adrenalin!!!
Ck #5... "I can't post anymore" she says... got lots of horse, but no
legs & ankles left."  "Ok," I sez," canter 3 minutes & walk 1 ... You
can do it!!!"    Sure she can...  & out she goes for the last 9 miles or
so.  And in she comes just a little after 10 PM.  Hurrah!!!!
She can't walk, or think real good, but she knows she's done it & she's
proud.   Darolyn goes with the horse to the final check & on to the
"hospital" for the final ok & lorry ride home, Kirk, Angela & Sharon
escort a weary Laura back to the hotel.  Actually, since our Hotel was
on the way, Angela & Sharon, were let out there & Kirk continued on to
the Jezira with Laura.  Since the car was so crowed, (we now had 3
saddles),  Ann had caught a ride hours earlier with the Portugal team,
who had decided to explore the desert for a few hours.  They passed the
same stuck jeep at least twice, and didn't arrive home until 2 AM.
Back at the Jezira, Laura spoke to Jim Baldwin, & Kirk a few moments,
toddled off toward her room  #407, but as she passed 402 she became
naseaus, threw up a wee bit, knocked on door for help, & whose room
should it be but the hotel doctor.  Now, you know what we all look like
after a 100 miler, & remember Laura can hardly walk due to the ankle
thing, & her throw up was almost black due to the fact that I had been
pouring KM down her all day, (very dark colored herbal Potassium
supplement), so Dr. devines that she is bleeding internally & has taken
an overdose of Ibuprofen.... (only 6 in 20 hours... come on doc, most of
us take that over two vet checks.  Wants to haul her hospital.  Kirk is
called, "Please don't!!  Let me call her mom or get Darolyn!""  He
rushes to barn where I have just pulled up in Lorry with horse, who was
a scrambler & has managed to fall down only 4 or 5 times during the trip
home, I'm worried sick about him, but then Kirk screeches to a halt,
yells at me that Laura's getting hauled off to the hospital, I jump up,
hit my head on fur down of Lorry cab & almost knock myself out.
Jump out & in to car, speed to hotel, too late... she's gone to Central
Hospital in Abu Dahbi.  GROANNNN!!!  Almost got in fight with Dr. cause
he sent her, almost with desk cause they wouldn't tell us how to get
there. Finally nice Allison, calmy called hospital, got us directions &
off we went.  Falsely hoping to intercept ambulance & get her back.  No
such luck.  1.5 hrs later we finally arrive in emergency room... Laura's
sitting up eating a pita bread sandwich, IV's in her arms & ankles
wrapped in gauze.  No amount of conjoling, arguing, crying could
convince them to turn her loose, so at 5:30 AM settled down on a couch &
chair for a nap.... Finally broke her out around 7:30... no mean feat
even then.  Back to Jizera, put her to be, down to our hotel, consoled a
worried mom, ate breakfast, collasped into bed.  Ann, Sharon & Angel
took car to go back to Jizera & left Kirk & I to sleep finally.
Marcello Grilo, (Chile Team Vet) had looked in on Wave on arrival, &
Dr.'d what I hope were superficially cuts, Dr. Baldwin checked him again
in the morning & said he seemed alright.

Didn't know or understand schedule that afternoon, thought one of the
Ladies  would come back after us & take us to awards.... notttt...  they
called & woke me at 2:21 to tell us, ( Kirk & I) to catch the 2:20 bus
as they wouldn't have time to come get us & get back by the 3:30 bus
leaving the Jerzira.  Call the desk, hold the bus, run to bus with shoes
& make up in hand.... whew!!!
Got to Jezeri,... literally dressed, melted & poured Laura into her
clothes & into the bus for the ride to the stadium... hmmm. looks
familiar... exact same route to hospital night before.   She was still a
little green around the gills, thought sure I would loose her under hot
stadium... fanned her til arms got tired.  Finally we march, sit, offer
food & drink....not so bad....neat dancing girls, horses, camels,
fireworks.  I told Laura,  those Sheiks were probably saying, "They'll
forget all about that timing glitch, once they see all these
fireworks!!!   NOT!!!! ;-)
Back to Jezira, nice pool party, placing awards presented, She's 54th,
she's also asleep.  She's mad a me next day for not waking... wait, I
just barely heard them above the noise, just barely made the diaz myself
to get it.  Left early, (at 3 AM before the baptizing started in the
pool).

Played catch up Saturday, got airline tickets straightened out, found
time to do a desert safari, (Laura felt great then), rode camels,
visited an Oasis for dinner... tra laa... back to hotel, packed in
record time, put Angela & Ann on bus, kirk & I (in car) dropped big
saddle bag by Jizera for laura to bring (she was on flight 6 hours
later) & off we went.  Non eventful ride home.... lots of sleeping,
arrive 5:30 pm Sunday, luggage is one flight behind, not a big deal,
went to eat, collected luggage, call at 11:00 from Laura's mom.  No
saddle bag!!!  It had been put in a private car of a friend who was
going to take her to airport... he was fogged in, didn't show, she
caught bus & saddle & all that gear is still sitting in Dubai.... Anyone
have any ideas?????  Please e mail me privately if you do.

End of Romanian story.... wouldn't have missed the trip... but might
have changed a few things in the bargain.  Great show there... I agree
with most.. just cultural difference in booing issue... we were not
offended... in fact I was very impressed when immediately after
Valarie's win, 3 of the top guys, locked arms & made a very purposeful
trip over to Valarie's camp to congratulate her.  Everyone treated us
just fine!!!