Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

A little time to write, just a bit. We went out to the stable early this
morning to try the horses out. Woke up to pouring rain (the kind that will
deafen you if you're standing in a tin roof barn) but it soon stopped, and
was already drying up by the time we went to breakfast. Sunny and gorgeous
when we got there. I brought a saddle with me (the Gaston Mercier - which is
very very light for travel and seems to fit most arabs reasonably well) and
provides a degree of comfort and familiarity which is quite welcome when
riding strange horses! My horse is 'Murphy' - nice horse, smooth gaits, a
little young and playfully rambunctious, but I think he'll be a good ride.
I'll just have to pay close attention during the first loop! We (Leo and
Paul and I) rode out with Paul Brown and Sultan Mizan for a while, nice
friendly conversation about Malaysia and Idaho and rides - maybe he'll come
experience Idaho style Endurance some day! We put the horses through all of
their gaits, nice horses - fresh from a day in the stalls and eager to work.

Afterwards we went to the seminar which was being hosted for the riders and
Endurance folks. Halvard Somerseth DVM, Jim Bryant DVM and Dr. 'Bala' DVM
gave talks on the vetgate and vet exam system with detailed discussions of
the veterinary parameters, another talk on electrolyte loss in endurance
horses, and another on ulcers in endurance horses. Sultan Mizan attended the
talk, and the hotel had yellow (royal) carpet spread everywhere that he
would be walking. The royalty here feels very different from the UAE
royalty. Humble, smiling, friendly - and one has the impression that people
really love their royalty. Sultan Mizan is a very 'normal' person, he seems
to wear his title gently, without any air of superiority. It's very
refreshing. Somerseth and Bryant are here to closely watch the ride, talk to
the riders, they want to support Malaysia in its efforts and give them every
chance possible to host the WEC. The 160km ride will be over 7 phases, with
50 minute holds after each phase. That's 5 hours of hold time! The theory is
that more rest time will offer more opportunity to eat and drink and cool
down. Their best shot and keeping the horses hydrated and working well.

It was a nice talk and such fun to see my Malaysian friends again! All the
familiar faces from the Edaran rides, they are such a friendly smiling
people. A few more foreigners arrived - Kevin James from New Zealand is
here, and John Crandell showed up too! He's been travelling to Dubai and
wanted to see what Endurance was like over here. He gave Paul Brown the
offer to help on the ground during the ride, gratefully taken! Brook Sample
is also supposed to be arriving to ride the 160km event. There are riders
here from Bruneii and Indonesia, supposedly Qatar will have representatives
here, and also the prince of Bahrain. Haven't seen them yet though.

After the seminar we had a nice lunch, traditional Malay musicians playing
in the corner, high ceilings and fans spinning, quite comfortable and
pleasant. We're headed back out to the village soon - technical breifing,
trot out, course inspection. It just started raining... hopefully it won't
last too long!

later-

Steph


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