23/08/08 - Quarantine in Aachen - Paralympic Training
Well things were going really well for us here in quarantine. Sam (Victory Salute) has become really well known here, firstly for being the
biggest horse to do quarantine here in Aachen. He is 18hh and bigger than all the Olympic horses that were here.
Unfortunately he is now well known for another reason. Two days ago we had him tied up in the passageway between the stables.
He rubbed his face on the gate (which was closed). Somehow the brass ring from his halter was caught through the bars in the gate. It is a big solid six foot
steel gate. He then panicked and lifted the whole gate off its hinges...and ran down the passageway carrying the gate under his neck.
Everyone rushed to help him...he ran up and down the passageway and miraculously he soon stopped and stood there while we were able to cut his halter
with a knife and free him from the gate. It took four big men to lift the gate (heavy!!!!) so that we could get the pressure off him enough to cut the halter.
We still don't know how the halter managed to get the brass ring hooked into the gate...it was a normal gate with sold bars, no bits sticking out???
His front legs were hitting the gate as he ran around with it, and his neck and back would have taken a lot of strain lifting the gate.
So we thought he would not be in a very good shape afterwards. We iced every part of his front legs we could. He was checked out by the vets and the next morning
we were amazed to find his front legs only had a little heat in them. The more amazing thing was when he trotted up totally sound!!!
Three international vets inspected him and watched him trot up. They were also shocked to see him looking so good.
The next afternoon I rode him very lightly...he was still sound. So yesterday and today he has been worked normally and he is fine!
We all had our heart in our mouth for a while there...but it seems he is fine and he is working really well.
There are 49 horses here all together. It is interesting watching all the other teams. It looks like there are a lot of grade 4's (which is my section) so we
will have good competition. They are mostly all riding twice a day. Working the horses quite hard. They are also working them under lights, as it will be in Hong Kong.
Sam is working well so we are not putting too much pressure on him as he is already fit.
Anyway, thats my update for now...I am glad I can report it all turned out ok.
from Georgia
