Thanksgiving was wonderful, spent with our friends and neighbors. Unfortunately, our special guest was unable to make it. Jeremy was summoned by the sheikh for dinner at the last minute, so we made do without him. We're hoping eventually that we'll meet him, but it sounds like he is settling in fine and enjoying himself immensely. Sadly, our friends' mother and grandmother passed away on Thanksgiving and we were all sad to hear about it. Imelda's aunt, Medina, just left the Phillipines to come stay with Imelda's family and her mother died within days. Medina is a lively, sweet lady who is only one year older than I am. I am trying to figure out a way to rub some of her energy onto me, but she has the secret all wrapped up, it seems. But we did have a terrific time with turkey and cranberry sauce and all the fixings except pumpkin pie. We were sad about the pumpkin pie, but I was afraid it would stress me out too much to try to make one from scratch. The only nutmeg I found was the NUT itself. :) I did manage to find allspice so I plan to try my Christmas cookies if my kids get the stuff to me on time.
We've been out to the farm every day but Thanksgiving, shoeing or working with horses. Nelson got hurt shoeing a horse yesterday, so today may end up being a rest day for him. I rode yesterday for the first time in a week....I let my knee rest up, saw the doctor and got some good drugs, and it's improved nearly 100%! I am so thankful for that. I am a little sore today, but had such a grand ride on Esteem yesterday that I can't complain and I can't wait to do it again. He has quite the personality and is just plain FUN to ride. Yesterday we rode around the date groves and he didn't spook at a single thing! Not the sprinklers, nor the peacocks, nor the quail, (peacocks and quail like to suddenly fly up out of the grass or the middle of the trail), nor the big noisy water pumps, dogs, traffic....nothing seems to phase him. We did a couple of laps on the track and then walked a short distance with Shakeel and Raj who were out exercising a couple of horses. Esteem was a little annoyed each time he thought he was going back to the stable and we went elsewhere. I had gone back once to deliver the husky to Sian because she had followed me home and to take Esteem's pulse (38-40 depending on if you do or don't count the last beat on the 15th second), and then went back out to the track. He is used to being FINISHED when he comes in and had a bit of an attitude, but I adjusted it and then he was fine, no shenanigans. He is just so much fun. I am beginning to think I might really be able to do that 60 km later this month! Inshallah!
Yesterday was windy and cool, blowing a lot of dust. I still have dust in my ears, I think! I got to talk to all of my kids on the phone yesterday, including Mykayla, who informed me that she is drawing a picture for me and Papa. I asked her if it was just for me and was politely informed that it's also for PAPA! Don't be silly, Nana! Gee, I miss that kid! Anyway, we took the back way to the stables yesterday and saw all kinds of fun stuff: lots of camels and goats and sheep, some oryx at a nearby zoo, the camels exercising on the race track in Al Shahaniya....fun time! I took a lot of photos which we'll post on Facebook later this week.
More to come so stay tuned!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving!
Another Thanksgiving has arrived with us in Qatar. This year we do have a turkey although we aren't cooking it until tomorrow. I am hoping to figure out how to make a home made pumpkin pie although I may have to substitute squash or maybe I'll try a sweet potato pie....I've never had one, let alone made one, but sweet potatoes are easy to come by here. Wish me luck!
Life has been hectic and crazy. My classes are going well. I have fabulous students this semester. All of my reading and writing students (my core group) passed their mid-terms and only a couple of my listening and speaking students did not. I am very pleased. I have been much more strict this semester and very demanding, and my students seem to be thriving and learning. Maybe they are simply more mature (some of them are anyway) than the level 2 students I have taught for so long. I was teaching Level 2 before I came here, so it was getting old.
The plants are growing like gangbusters at our villa! Betty Boog (as we have named the bouganvillea that we were afraid might die) is blooming with leaves (although boogies don't actually bloom....the leaves turn pink, there are no real blossoms). I will post a photo tonight or tomorrow.
My knee, which simply couldn't take the stress of the stairs and then horseback riding, is coming around and feeling much better. Of course, I went to the clinic and got a nice shot and some pills for it the other day. I don't know why I waited to do it.....it helped so much when I came off Hattan in January. I won't wait next time! Now that I'm feeling better, I'm eager to get out there and ride Esteem...REALLY RIDE! We have decided that one horse is enough for us right now, although we will continue to work with Hamahm and try to bring him back to the endurance rides eventually. He needs some nutrition, some shoeing, some retraining to get him to round his back and move more comfortably for himself and for his rider. He is a sweet boy though.
Though we can't give details, we have some irons in the fire, so to speak, in the form of a business proposal with an important personage. Who knows what may happen as a result? A better life, for sure! I am afraid we might end up having to move if it does work out as we currently live an hour away from the farm where our base of operation for this business would be. I just KNEW if we moved to Al Khor, things would take off for Nelson. Oh, well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. We really love Al Khor and I'd hate to leave, but this driving so much every day is killing us! Maybe we can keep the villa as our "weekend" place. :) LOL In any case, any positive vibes you can send our way are appreciated. This business proposal could mean a comfortable retirement for us someday.
Today is the first day of Eid Al Adha, when Muslims make the trip to Mecca. My students explained a lot to me, and from what I understand, this also celebrates Abraham's obedience to God when he went to the altar to kill his son, Isaac (?) at God's command. I find it fascinating how much history and scripture we share. It is always a comfort to find that we are not so different after all!
It's time for me to get moving as we have a lot to do today. I want to ride and Nelson has some horses' feet to work on. I will need to go shopping and find ingredients for this pie I want to make for tomorrow. I hope everyone has a fabulous Thanksgiving. We are thinking of you today and will make some phone calls tonight to see who we can surprise! :) On the other hand, you can give US a call and surprise us. This would have to be after 2 or 3 p.m. Michigan time! We certainly won't be home before then. :)
Living forward,
Maggie
Life has been hectic and crazy. My classes are going well. I have fabulous students this semester. All of my reading and writing students (my core group) passed their mid-terms and only a couple of my listening and speaking students did not. I am very pleased. I have been much more strict this semester and very demanding, and my students seem to be thriving and learning. Maybe they are simply more mature (some of them are anyway) than the level 2 students I have taught for so long. I was teaching Level 2 before I came here, so it was getting old.
The plants are growing like gangbusters at our villa! Betty Boog (as we have named the bouganvillea that we were afraid might die) is blooming with leaves (although boogies don't actually bloom....the leaves turn pink, there are no real blossoms). I will post a photo tonight or tomorrow.
My knee, which simply couldn't take the stress of the stairs and then horseback riding, is coming around and feeling much better. Of course, I went to the clinic and got a nice shot and some pills for it the other day. I don't know why I waited to do it.....it helped so much when I came off Hattan in January. I won't wait next time! Now that I'm feeling better, I'm eager to get out there and ride Esteem...REALLY RIDE! We have decided that one horse is enough for us right now, although we will continue to work with Hamahm and try to bring him back to the endurance rides eventually. He needs some nutrition, some shoeing, some retraining to get him to round his back and move more comfortably for himself and for his rider. He is a sweet boy though.
Though we can't give details, we have some irons in the fire, so to speak, in the form of a business proposal with an important personage. Who knows what may happen as a result? A better life, for sure! I am afraid we might end up having to move if it does work out as we currently live an hour away from the farm where our base of operation for this business would be. I just KNEW if we moved to Al Khor, things would take off for Nelson. Oh, well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. We really love Al Khor and I'd hate to leave, but this driving so much every day is killing us! Maybe we can keep the villa as our "weekend" place. :) LOL In any case, any positive vibes you can send our way are appreciated. This business proposal could mean a comfortable retirement for us someday.
Today is the first day of Eid Al Adha, when Muslims make the trip to Mecca. My students explained a lot to me, and from what I understand, this also celebrates Abraham's obedience to God when he went to the altar to kill his son, Isaac (?) at God's command. I find it fascinating how much history and scripture we share. It is always a comfort to find that we are not so different after all!
It's time for me to get moving as we have a lot to do today. I want to ride and Nelson has some horses' feet to work on. I will need to go shopping and find ingredients for this pie I want to make for tomorrow. I hope everyone has a fabulous Thanksgiving. We are thinking of you today and will make some phone calls tonight to see who we can surprise! :) On the other hand, you can give US a call and surprise us. This would have to be after 2 or 3 p.m. Michigan time! We certainly won't be home before then. :)
Living forward,
Maggie
Friday, November 20, 2009
No clever title
Hello all,
It's been a bit busy lately. I know it's been a couple of weeks since I've blogged, but here I am now. Where to begin? I don't honestly know.
I'm sitting here with my leg up and my knee wrapped, sipping a little rum and hoping for some relief. I have done nothing specific except grow old. I think the 3 flights of stairs in the new villa and my recent horseback riding has simply caused it to retaliate. I don't have time to be laid up....I have teaching and riding to do! But, fortunately, there is a 10 day Eid holiday coming up that will hopefully allow me some rest AND some fun!
To fill you in, we have been looking at a couple of affordable horses (at least in terms of easy terms!). I posted a few photos on Facebook of both of them and will put one here on my blog. It's hard to decide between the two and there is still the possibility that we may end up with both in the long run, but for the meantime, I am claiming ownership of a sweet little grey gelding named Esteem. I don't have the particulars of his breeding as of yet, but I realized yesterday that it doesn't matter. He is a very fun horse to ride, very much like my daughter's horse, Max, the one Mykayla started riding last summer. He is sure footed and a little lazy, but he can hit a road trot at about 25 km/hour and never miss a beat. We had the best ride last night. I came home and posted this on my Facebook wall last night:
Maggie Mieske is thankful for rusty clouds and lusty insects singing at sunset, doves cooing and flapping madly in the trees above her horse's head, peacocks flying to roost, the desert breeze rustling the fronds of the date palms on either side....for the horse who never flinches, never shies, and the dusty view of the trail ahead between his ears.
He inspires the most awesome emotions in me. If I can sort out this trouble with my knee, I would very much like to ride him in the 60 km endurance ride on December 18th (assuming they don't push back the date again...it was the 4th, then the 11th, now the 18th). It's all good though because it gives me more time to heal. The funny thing is that my knee doesn't really hurt when I'm riding, nor when I am walking, especially after I'm warmed up a bit. But it stiffens and gets hard to use if I have to sit in the car, or anywhere else, very long (it's 40-60 minutes to the farm depending on traffic so that's a problem). I'm using a cold spray on it, ice packs, and today I'm trying some peppermint. I am afraid I am going to have to go to the clinic on Saturday or Sunday and see if they can help me. I do recall last year when I came off Hattan that they gave me an injection that really helped.
Another physically and mentally exhausting element of our life lately is negotiating this horseshoeing business. We have a couple of people who are serious about going into business with Nelson. One would like something exclusive (meaning Nelson couldn't shoe elsewhere) and one is just slow in coming through. We've worked up a business proposal and there is a lot of potential for Nelson to do a lot of good for the horses in this country and perhaps make some money on which we could someday retire. It's just hard waiting and thinking so much about the whole thing. Only Peggy and her daughters seem to be the ones looking out for Nelson's health, and they have been instrumental in getting Nelson started and his work seen, and in talking him up. As Peggy says, he's the "specialist." :) Sounds like a TV series! I still call him The Miracle Worker! So, please pray for him that he finds the right situation, where he can do the most good, and will be happy with what he does. I am really lucky that I love my job so much, and it's getting better and better every semester for me as I gain experience and know my students better. Nelson has not had the benefit of that satisfaction and happiness since we left and he needs it again. Our proposal involves apprentices and helpers (maybe bringing Joey over to be his right hand man if they can get along), and lots of other kinds of activities and ideas that might not only be fun, but bring in money to the business. Wish us luck!
What else? My flowers are doing fantastic! Betty Boog (as we call the bouganvillea that almost died) is growing like crazy! I'll try to get photos of her this weekend to put on Facebook. I'm currently trying to get my morning glories to climb the column by the porch. We can't wait to be able to afford more trees and shrubs.
We did find turkey for Thanksgiving and have a special guest coming, we hope, but whose identity I am not at liberty to divulge right now. We haven't had the time or money to have our "villa cooling" party (as opposed to house warming....Nelson's idea, hahaha!) yet, but hope to have a combination Thanksgiving/Christmas/villa cooling party in December. I hope we will still be able to have turkey. We also found a product that tastes like Miracle Whip at Lulu Market and they are supposed to carry Miracle Whip, too, but are currently out. I am sooo happy!
All in all, things are going well. They would go better if we could catch up on some rest, I think. Please keep in touch and we hope to hear from you soon!
It's been a bit busy lately. I know it's been a couple of weeks since I've blogged, but here I am now. Where to begin? I don't honestly know.
I'm sitting here with my leg up and my knee wrapped, sipping a little rum and hoping for some relief. I have done nothing specific except grow old. I think the 3 flights of stairs in the new villa and my recent horseback riding has simply caused it to retaliate. I don't have time to be laid up....I have teaching and riding to do! But, fortunately, there is a 10 day Eid holiday coming up that will hopefully allow me some rest AND some fun!
To fill you in, we have been looking at a couple of affordable horses (at least in terms of easy terms!). I posted a few photos on Facebook of both of them and will put one here on my blog. It's hard to decide between the two and there is still the possibility that we may end up with both in the long run, but for the meantime, I am claiming ownership of a sweet little grey gelding named Esteem. I don't have the particulars of his breeding as of yet, but I realized yesterday that it doesn't matter. He is a very fun horse to ride, very much like my daughter's horse, Max, the one Mykayla started riding last summer. He is sure footed and a little lazy, but he can hit a road trot at about 25 km/hour and never miss a beat. We had the best ride last night. I came home and posted this on my Facebook wall last night:
Maggie Mieske is thankful for rusty clouds and lusty insects singing at sunset, doves cooing and flapping madly in the trees above her horse's head, peacocks flying to roost, the desert breeze rustling the fronds of the date palms on either side....for the horse who never flinches, never shies, and the dusty view of the trail ahead between his ears.
He inspires the most awesome emotions in me. If I can sort out this trouble with my knee, I would very much like to ride him in the 60 km endurance ride on December 18th (assuming they don't push back the date again...it was the 4th, then the 11th, now the 18th). It's all good though because it gives me more time to heal. The funny thing is that my knee doesn't really hurt when I'm riding, nor when I am walking, especially after I'm warmed up a bit. But it stiffens and gets hard to use if I have to sit in the car, or anywhere else, very long (it's 40-60 minutes to the farm depending on traffic so that's a problem). I'm using a cold spray on it, ice packs, and today I'm trying some peppermint. I am afraid I am going to have to go to the clinic on Saturday or Sunday and see if they can help me. I do recall last year when I came off Hattan that they gave me an injection that really helped.
Another physically and mentally exhausting element of our life lately is negotiating this horseshoeing business. We have a couple of people who are serious about going into business with Nelson. One would like something exclusive (meaning Nelson couldn't shoe elsewhere) and one is just slow in coming through. We've worked up a business proposal and there is a lot of potential for Nelson to do a lot of good for the horses in this country and perhaps make some money on which we could someday retire. It's just hard waiting and thinking so much about the whole thing. Only Peggy and her daughters seem to be the ones looking out for Nelson's health, and they have been instrumental in getting Nelson started and his work seen, and in talking him up. As Peggy says, he's the "specialist." :) Sounds like a TV series! I still call him The Miracle Worker! So, please pray for him that he finds the right situation, where he can do the most good, and will be happy with what he does. I am really lucky that I love my job so much, and it's getting better and better every semester for me as I gain experience and know my students better. Nelson has not had the benefit of that satisfaction and happiness since we left and he needs it again. Our proposal involves apprentices and helpers (maybe bringing Joey over to be his right hand man if they can get along), and lots of other kinds of activities and ideas that might not only be fun, but bring in money to the business. Wish us luck!
What else? My flowers are doing fantastic! Betty Boog (as we call the bouganvillea that almost died) is growing like crazy! I'll try to get photos of her this weekend to put on Facebook. I'm currently trying to get my morning glories to climb the column by the porch. We can't wait to be able to afford more trees and shrubs.
We did find turkey for Thanksgiving and have a special guest coming, we hope, but whose identity I am not at liberty to divulge right now. We haven't had the time or money to have our "villa cooling" party (as opposed to house warming....Nelson's idea, hahaha!) yet, but hope to have a combination Thanksgiving/Christmas/villa cooling party in December. I hope we will still be able to have turkey. We also found a product that tastes like Miracle Whip at Lulu Market and they are supposed to carry Miracle Whip, too, but are currently out. I am sooo happy!
All in all, things are going well. They would go better if we could catch up on some rest, I think. Please keep in touch and we hope to hear from you soon!
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Ride 'em like you stole 'em!
Well, at least that seems to be how many of the riders at yesterday's ride seemed to ride. The winner of the ride from Al Shahaniya Stud averaged around 25 km an hour. There were others who went faster that were pulled. I have to admit that these horses all looked strong and I don't know their histories, but I am sure many of them are veteran endurance horses. I liked what I saw for horseflesh (and this time saw very few underweight or skinny horses). Al Shahaniya and Al Shaqab teams dominated the top 15 spots that pay money (I don't have final results for the entire ride as we were exhausted, called it a night and went home early, which was about 10:30 p.m.). I can say that of the first 15, Al Shahaniya won 3 placings (1st, 5th and 6th) and Al Shaqab won 6 (3rd, 4th, 7th, 8th, 11th and 12th). It looked almost as if Al Shaqab were pairing their horses and perhaps they were, but they did not all arrive at the same time, though they were within 1-3 minutes of each other. They also had 15 horses entered! :) Al Shahaniya had only 4 in the 80 that I could count. None of this is official, of course, just placings as of the time Nelson and I gave it up and went home. It's about an hour and 15 minutes from Al Khor.
My biggest complaint and issue with their methods here, in addition to the speed, is the ICE WATER. They literally pour buckets and buckets of ice water on the horses, not only on their necks and shoulders, but over their back and hindquarters as well. The less organized teams with less experienced grooms (or perhaps it was less well-disciplined because I know those grooms have been doing this a few years) literally rush the horse, 4 or 5 at a time, and start throwing water at it. ICE water. I wanted to throw a groom or two myself right into those barrels of ice water. And then they panic and wonder why the horses are jumping around and their pulses won't come down! One groom was in such a rush that he grabbed his rider's horse as he came up, the rider jumped off, started to loosen the cinch (some of them actually know to do this), and the groom started trotting off with the horse....the poor horse was so discombobulated by the rush of activity, conflicting messages from groom and rider and people rushing at him with buckets, that he literally fell to his knees! He was ok (and he was one we helped crew and so did not get the massive amounts of ice water and not over his hindquarters and also managed to show the grooms how to scrape the water they were pouring off the horse...this lasted for that one horse...they did not repeat what they had learned, although I saw the rider do so when he came in again). Unfortunately, we were busy with other horses when he came in and he got the ice water treatment from the grooms (in spite of reprimands from the rider, too). Pulled for lameness. Gee, ya think? What really bugged us the most was watching the horses come in SOUND and then go lame when the ice water treatment caused them to cramp up. It makes me want to scream!
So, what else can I say? It is soooo hard not having a horse to ride. But, we met more people yesterday, and even better, saw more that we KNOW already. It was nice being there and being recognized and greeted as old friends. Everyone couldn't believe I don't have a horse to ride yet. Well, who knows what the future will bring? I am hopeful, but if I have to ride for someone else, they will have to let me use Nelson as my crew/groom. :) We ought to put on a clinic about crewing (and we did sort of on the spot yesterday, but it went in one ear and out the other, it seems). There is so much they still don't know here, simple, common sense things-things that have been researched and that work. I sure wish we could get Susan Evans Garlinghouse, DVM, here to teach them how to properly use beet pulp before a ride to keep a horse hydrated and out of the vet tent. I didn't even venture over there except to say hello early in the ride. Later, we saw a line up of horses waiting to get in for treatment. I think because it was a night ride and had been a beautiful, warm day (if not hot...probably mid-high 80s), people were not prepared to need blankets or rump rugs. It cooled off to the mid-70s, but there was a good brisk breeze blowing that was already cooling horses off during the ride. They should know better this time of year that it could be quite cool at night! They certainly did NOT need ICE for the water, no way, no how! I also did not see any electrolyting, which seemed odd to me. Doesn't mean it wasn't happening, but I never saw it. And all of the horses I saw are allowed NOTHING to eat or drink before vetting in, not a carrot or slice of apple to get the gut sounds going, nor a swallow of water. I know they believe that allowing a horse to eat and drink will drive up its heartrate. And it can. However, I am not talking about buckets of water or feed....I'm talking about enough of something to get a horse to relax, to get its head down (which lowers HR), to get its guts working, to simply start thinking about the vet check as the place to relax and replenish. Our routine with Malik of an apple, loosen the cinch, walk up to the check, maybe grab a bite of grass and rub his head on Nelson, works successfully for us every time. Most of these horses are not looked at as individuals (perhaps the small stable of 3 or 4 horses maybe) with individual needs and quirks. What works for one may not work for another. But they are quite rigid in their ideologies here and change does not come about easily.
Two more crazy stories about yesterday and then it's back to bed for a nap for me....I can feel a little bit of a sore throat coming on (dust and wind yesterday) and am just so TIRED!
Shortly before we arrived at Endurance Village, a Land Cruiser was tailgating us, flashing his lights to get by and zoomed on ahead.....right into a roundabout where he proceeded to go up on the right side tires into a perfect Dukes of Hazzard wheelie stunt, or whatever you want to call it. He held it for at least 20 seconds, maybe longer, I'm not sure and we were sure he was going to roll it over. Then we realized that this was no ordinary driver....he MUST have done this before. Later when we told our story to others, they told us YEAH, happens all the time. Well, that was my first eyewitness account. Speaking of eyewitness accounts, on the way home, I saw another spectacular sight in the dark. I'm still not entirely sure what I saw: it was a flash, a huge flash and when I looked, at first I thought it was so bright, it must be a flare from Mesaieed, but we were far away from there by then and it was behind us. Then I thought fireworks (in the middle of the desert above the power lines?). Then I noticed it was falling downwards. It seemed to be burning up as it went and then, just as suddenly, was gone. Nelson never saw it, which is a pity. He says he only saw a bright flash out of the corner of his eye. I wondered if it might be a meteor? Nelson said "falling star." But I've never seen a falling star like this one. This was CLOSE. And BRIGHT. I'd welcome any thoughts or ideas on that one!
So, today I must finish grading essays (I did get 3 done on our way to the ride yesterday in the car and only have 10 more to go now) and get some sleep. It's review week and mid-term exams are next Saturday. How exciting! Stay tuned!!
My biggest complaint and issue with their methods here, in addition to the speed, is the ICE WATER. They literally pour buckets and buckets of ice water on the horses, not only on their necks and shoulders, but over their back and hindquarters as well. The less organized teams with less experienced grooms (or perhaps it was less well-disciplined because I know those grooms have been doing this a few years) literally rush the horse, 4 or 5 at a time, and start throwing water at it. ICE water. I wanted to throw a groom or two myself right into those barrels of ice water. And then they panic and wonder why the horses are jumping around and their pulses won't come down! One groom was in such a rush that he grabbed his rider's horse as he came up, the rider jumped off, started to loosen the cinch (some of them actually know to do this), and the groom started trotting off with the horse....the poor horse was so discombobulated by the rush of activity, conflicting messages from groom and rider and people rushing at him with buckets, that he literally fell to his knees! He was ok (and he was one we helped crew and so did not get the massive amounts of ice water and not over his hindquarters and also managed to show the grooms how to scrape the water they were pouring off the horse...this lasted for that one horse...they did not repeat what they had learned, although I saw the rider do so when he came in again). Unfortunately, we were busy with other horses when he came in and he got the ice water treatment from the grooms (in spite of reprimands from the rider, too). Pulled for lameness. Gee, ya think? What really bugged us the most was watching the horses come in SOUND and then go lame when the ice water treatment caused them to cramp up. It makes me want to scream!
So, what else can I say? It is soooo hard not having a horse to ride. But, we met more people yesterday, and even better, saw more that we KNOW already. It was nice being there and being recognized and greeted as old friends. Everyone couldn't believe I don't have a horse to ride yet. Well, who knows what the future will bring? I am hopeful, but if I have to ride for someone else, they will have to let me use Nelson as my crew/groom. :) We ought to put on a clinic about crewing (and we did sort of on the spot yesterday, but it went in one ear and out the other, it seems). There is so much they still don't know here, simple, common sense things-things that have been researched and that work. I sure wish we could get Susan Evans Garlinghouse, DVM, here to teach them how to properly use beet pulp before a ride to keep a horse hydrated and out of the vet tent. I didn't even venture over there except to say hello early in the ride. Later, we saw a line up of horses waiting to get in for treatment. I think because it was a night ride and had been a beautiful, warm day (if not hot...probably mid-high 80s), people were not prepared to need blankets or rump rugs. It cooled off to the mid-70s, but there was a good brisk breeze blowing that was already cooling horses off during the ride. They should know better this time of year that it could be quite cool at night! They certainly did NOT need ICE for the water, no way, no how! I also did not see any electrolyting, which seemed odd to me. Doesn't mean it wasn't happening, but I never saw it. And all of the horses I saw are allowed NOTHING to eat or drink before vetting in, not a carrot or slice of apple to get the gut sounds going, nor a swallow of water. I know they believe that allowing a horse to eat and drink will drive up its heartrate. And it can. However, I am not talking about buckets of water or feed....I'm talking about enough of something to get a horse to relax, to get its head down (which lowers HR), to get its guts working, to simply start thinking about the vet check as the place to relax and replenish. Our routine with Malik of an apple, loosen the cinch, walk up to the check, maybe grab a bite of grass and rub his head on Nelson, works successfully for us every time. Most of these horses are not looked at as individuals (perhaps the small stable of 3 or 4 horses maybe) with individual needs and quirks. What works for one may not work for another. But they are quite rigid in their ideologies here and change does not come about easily.
Two more crazy stories about yesterday and then it's back to bed for a nap for me....I can feel a little bit of a sore throat coming on (dust and wind yesterday) and am just so TIRED!
Shortly before we arrived at Endurance Village, a Land Cruiser was tailgating us, flashing his lights to get by and zoomed on ahead.....right into a roundabout where he proceeded to go up on the right side tires into a perfect Dukes of Hazzard wheelie stunt, or whatever you want to call it. He held it for at least 20 seconds, maybe longer, I'm not sure and we were sure he was going to roll it over. Then we realized that this was no ordinary driver....he MUST have done this before. Later when we told our story to others, they told us YEAH, happens all the time. Well, that was my first eyewitness account. Speaking of eyewitness accounts, on the way home, I saw another spectacular sight in the dark. I'm still not entirely sure what I saw: it was a flash, a huge flash and when I looked, at first I thought it was so bright, it must be a flare from Mesaieed, but we were far away from there by then and it was behind us. Then I thought fireworks (in the middle of the desert above the power lines?). Then I noticed it was falling downwards. It seemed to be burning up as it went and then, just as suddenly, was gone. Nelson never saw it, which is a pity. He says he only saw a bright flash out of the corner of his eye. I wondered if it might be a meteor? Nelson said "falling star." But I've never seen a falling star like this one. This was CLOSE. And BRIGHT. I'd welcome any thoughts or ideas on that one!
So, today I must finish grading essays (I did get 3 done on our way to the ride yesterday in the car and only have 10 more to go now) and get some sleep. It's review week and mid-term exams are next Saturday. How exciting! Stay tuned!!
Friday, November 6, 2009
One week to mid-terms!
The semester has been flying by. I can't believe we managed to move and make it this far without losing our minds! Mid-terms are a week from tomorrow. Where did the time go? I guess moving kept us so busy we never really noticed! And, of course, as soon as we moved, people started calling for Nelson to shoe their horses! Where? In Doha, of course. So, we spent about 6 days in a row going back to Doha every afternoon/evening to shoe horses. It's freelancing, but they are paying Nelson's prices and are happy with his work. It takes an exorbitant amount of time to shoe one horse because they are so badly messed up: rarely do angles and length of toe match and Nelson has to spend quite a bit of time balancing and correcting. So be it. The results are fantastic though. It's easy to look good when the feet are so bad to begin with! There is an endurance ride/race today that we are going to. The plan is to help out our friend, Avril, with pit crewing as she needs us, and to hang out, schmooze, meet people, take some pulses, maybe consult a little bit here and there. Nelson and I are hard to miss. It's getting more and more difficult though being without a horse. I threatened people last week that if someone doesn't find a horse for me to ride, I am going to take Nelson away. :) They are not sure what to think. They have asked me if I am a farrier also, because Nelson and I discuss quite a bit together. He has always asked my opinion and what I see. It's part of being married, I suppose, but we have always made a great team whether it was the shoeing business or endurance riding or traveling the world together! I think we'd win The Amazing Race if we could ever get on it! :) Hahahaha! Anyway, I posted photos on Facebook of some of the villa post moving in, but am going outside to take more this morning. We will go to the endurance ride/race this afternoon (it starts at 4:00 p.m.) and I will write a story and add photos tomorrow. Catch ya all then!
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