Thursday, July 14, 2011

A CLASS ACT - KINDNESS ABOUNDS!

Maybe this summer wasn't supposed to be about riding, maybe there is some greater message that is swirling around in the cosmos that I am supposed to grasp because the power of your actions are so strong that I feel this "blog" is downright repetitive.  (Or maybe, just maybe...  I should never shave my legs before an Event... it could be that simple!)
Winning Valinor Horse Trials
photo by Emily Gilbert

There are stories from Groton House Farm Horse Trials that may never get told for it truly was an Epic weekend.   With the owners permission, I'm adding one story. 

Classy needed a ride and I had a space and Sugar loves company.   Now she and her owner are solid eventers and often (if not all the time) are in the ribbons...  the wicked pretty colors too.  They have qualified for the Novice Championships and the AECS.  It was the perfect fit.
Classy

If you could take a moment and plan your Event,  then think about all of the things that can go wrong and fix them before they happen, I am sure this was not one of them.  Shortly after entering the grounds to stabling and getting our stall locations, Classy went down in the trailer and became trapped, wedged in the stall with her hind legs bloodied and dangerously placed.

Within minutes, real horse folks... brave men and women worked tirelessly to extract her safely while others quietly removed Sugar from danger.  I am going to emphasize the bravery and be grateful that no one was injured as they quickly and efficiently moved around her prone body and hooves to dismantle the trailer.  It was truly one of the scariest things...  horse and people pitched precariously near disaster.  I held her head still while her owner stood nearby comforting her... until her thrashing threw me into the sides of the trailer.

Ok...  this post is about kindness yet again...  a repetitive theme...  Is it the community of Eventers or the world in which I choose to live?  Or both?

I got an email today... an update (for I still worry about her stardom)...

Classy is coming along fine, though slower than hoped for. One last healing area is nasty but making progress. She otherwise is wondering why we aren't out galloping but is happy for all the carrots.  You know that the outcome of the Area 1 champs and the AECs are not going to count because neither one of us will be there to contest them! 
I thought you would be insulted if I tried to pay you, so I am adding the full amount in to my donation to the horse ambulance and make it in honor of Fame and Frolic and Class Act. I hope that you will never need their services!

Photo by www.dexterpix.com
First it was the Good Samaritan who took Sugar home when the DWSB bled out, then it was the Chase Farm Crew, my Barn Owner and the New Barn Girl taking care of Sugar while I heal and you can't forget the loving support of my Dressage and Eventing Trainer... , the Devil Child and my Eventing Buddy and always my friends, family and neighbors. 

She was right on all counts...  and to include Fame and Frolic (aka Sugar) in her donation is truly a Class Act!

I am filled with tears of gratitude for all the good folk out there!  Life is, indeed, good!

3 comments:

eventer79 said...

Very simply, awesome. Also, I am in full support of not shaving before an event; the hair may provide cushion or insulation, either of which I may need at a moment's notice. ;-P

ClassAct said...

Reading your blog reminded me of something.

Up at NEE it took awhile for them to get to Classy and determine that they had to do surgery (typical emergency room), so by the time the surgical team of five was escorting Classy to the anesthesia room it was after midnight and this would be the fourth surgery of the night for them (2 colics and one other emergency). The attending doctor looked at the flagging faces and chirped, "GO TEAM!" They were heading towards me just at that moment, so I added, "You guys are all just a class act!" to which they all either laughed or groaned.

I watched the whole thing, even Classy going into and getting up from anesthesia on the TV monitor, absolutely sure that if I paid attention to everything, including the heart monitor and respirator, that nothing would go wrong. By the time she was up, had peed and was looking for food, it was about 3:30am. The attending doctor said he needed to check on a couple of patients first but then would be happy to drop me at the local hotel on his way home. When have you ever heard of a surgeon doing that?

When I checked out of the hotel, there was some confusion since they thought I was checking out the next day. I realized that it was because I had just checked in that morning. I am keeping my receipt with the 4:00am check-in time stamp on it for posterity.

Unknown said...

Eventers are just altogether a Class Act. Best healing wishes for all