European Championship Vet In

VET-IN DAY Friday September 7 2007 It's a hazy, warm, muggy Portuguese morning as the teams assemble with their horses for the vetting in for tomorrow's championship ride. The atmosphere (so far) seems to lack tension, and the vet check flows smoothly, with officials directing horse and groom traffic, taking the entries into the vetting area team by team. After they pass the vet check they are fitted with an electronic timer around their neck, and their numbers written on their butts with the grease pens. A few horses are wound up enough at the trot out they have to do it twice (or three times), but that's mostly because they've been separated from their buddies. The American horses look good and rested after their long journey. The grounds don't look overcrowded; everything appears to be laid out here so that the crowds of people and assistance cars that must be around are artfully spread out and tucked away. I expect things will look much more crowded out on course tomorrow as we are following the road book with the other assistance and press cars tomorrow! Steph and I will go out later today and pre-drive some of the roads we'll be taking tomorrow. Directions and road numbers on maps and road signs aren't particularly intuitive here (but then, we could be just totally clueless, lost Americans, as Steph told the policeman who pulled us over last night as we took another wrong exit off a highway) and it will help to know some of our course ahead of time! People here have a little time before the 3:30 PM press conference to visit, get reacquainted and try to remember where in the world you last met, and grab chairs under the shade. Throngs of press follow some of the princes around like movie stars. The Marylot tack shop, who made a 3-day journey from Holland to get here, appears to be doing a booming business. As does the little mini-bar! A breeze is picking up, which it has done after noon the last few days, which, if it happens tomorrow, will help the horses during the hottest part of the day.

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Portuguese Working and Traditional Equitation Show

Thursday September 6 2007 PORTUGAL ARRIVAL The fun and chaos of a European Endurance Championship! Steph misses one of her flights due to insane security lines in London-Gatwick, there is no rent-a-car place at the airport that I rented a car from, I call the hotel and they have shuttle, and then they don't have a shuttle, the new hotel is so far out the taxi service is not quite sure how to get there or what to charge. I finally get to the hotel, throw everything all over mine and Steph's room (she will think a tornado hit), grab my gear, take another looooooooooong taxi ride to the venue (later one of the Swiss team said, “I think your taxi driver was just driving you in biiiiiiiiiiiiiig circles, for fun!”), and once I'm there I realize I have forgotten some of my equipment. But that's okay, because I'm here! On the grounds of Companhia das Lezírias, site of the 2007 FEI European Endurance Championship and Open Portugal 2007 Qatar Challenge. The first people I happen to see are my team of Dutch friends, their horses having just arrived on the grounds after staying a few days on some nearby polo grounds. The riders and crews got to stay there too: “Oh, it was dreadful,” said Eric Lamsma. “Swimming pool,” said Charles Linneweaver. “Jacuzzis,” said Marc Van Wijk. Kind of makes you feel sorry for the lot of them, being put up in such a place. It's warm and windy and dusty here. Maggie McGuire, here with the British team, said the trail will be tough, especially the first two loops. “Very stony.” The British have some strong horse-rider teams, including Christine Yeoman and her gelding Farouk De Lozelle (I met her in France this summer, at Stephane Chazel's), and young Fiona Hamilton and Sharifah, previously riding as a junior, in her first open European Championship. “Hard ground and deep sand,” said members of the Swiss team. And the heat and sun will take a toll on many, with temperatures now looking to be around 90*. The Parade Presentation of Teams began at 6 PM, with a traditionally dressed rider on an Andalusian or Lusitano carrying the flag of each nation and leading the team riders and grooms and coaches into the grassy arena in front of a small crowd of enthusaistic people. There are 89 riders from 20 nations on the list of definitive entries. Steph had arrived in Lisbon somewhere around this time, but she spent the next few hours driving around totally lost. Meanwhile, an equestrian show began at 9:00 PM, a stunning display of horsemanship and equine athleticism. With great music – recorded and live Portuguese folk musicians and singers and dancers, the best riders of the Portuguese Traditional Equitation and the European and World Champions of Working Equitation performed in an arena under theatrical lighting. Leaping, pirouetting, dancing horses, single horses and groups of eight, horses and cattle, displaying traditional skills in working with a herd of cows. One of the most marvelous performances by one of the Andalusians was slowly cantering in a small circle, changing leads with every stride, with the rider holding his hat in one hand and a cattle-herding stick in the other. Wow and wow. Just watching the riders you couldn't help but wonder how many years and years of practice and study they've done to get to this point. Steph finally arrived right as the last horse walked out of the arena. Then began our epic journey home – we only took a few wrong turns on the highways (and you have to pay the tolls even if you do take the wrong direction!). It's late... my goal is to be in bed by 3 AM. We'll be up early tomorrow; the vetting in begins at 10 AM.

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Get Ready For The Heat

Wednesday September 5 2007 Next up: Portugal, host of the 2007 FEI European Endurance Championships this coming weekend. And good news for heat wimps like me, and maybe some of the equine competitors: weather forecast for the weekend claims it will 'cool down' (my term) from the high 80's to 78 on Saturday, day of the competition, and 73 on Sunday. The humidity should be around 50% which might make it a bit easier for horses (if not me) to cool down during the ride. (And we'll choose to go with the MSN weather forecast because it is a bit lower than others!) Portugal is not new to endurance: in 1958 Portugal organized a 700 km ride from Lisbon to Madrid, with 63 riders. In 1999 the European Endurance Championships were held in collaboration with Spain, in the country border towns of Elvas, Portugal and Badajoz, Spain. 24 nations have pre-entered Saturday's 160-km ride, high calibre horses and riders from around the world, some of them having already participated over the course for the Pre-Ride in 2006. They will cross the starting line at 6:30 AM. The ride will be held on and around the grounds of Companhia das Lezírias and Barroca D'Alva. In the last ten years, Companhia das Lezírias, one of the important Portuguese agricultural estates, has organised top equestrian events – endurance, eventing, jumping, driving, dressage. It is also famous for its vineyards – making their own wine for 120 years, cattle and Lusitano studfarm. Barroca D'Alva and its equestrian center – owned by the family of José Samuel Lupi family since the early 1800's - has hosted national and international competitions in endurance, jumping and eventing, and is known for its rice and corn paddies, its bullfighting cattle, and its stud farm of Lusitano horses. And you can't mention Portual without talking about the Lusitano horse and traditional bullfighting on horseback. (Until 1960, Lusitanos and Andalusians were registered together under the Spanish Stud Book, when the breeds separated.) Portugal indeed has a long tradition over the centuries with the horse and superb horsemanship. For 700 years, until 1492, the Iberians – Spanish, Portuguese – repeatedly repelled invaders on horseback. Bullfighting possibly originated in Spain and Portugal around these same times. And with one thing leading to another, once the wars were over, and cavalrymen had nothing to do, the bullfighting on horseback was born – or so the stories go. While wars on horseback and bullfighting on horseback necessitated specific, skilled, honed riding education and traditions for horses and riders, these skills were eventually undoubtedly the foundation for riding schools, from which the modern day Spanish Riding School of Vienna and the Royal School of Portuguese Equestrian Art grew. And the latter developed because of Nuno Oliviera - born in Lisbon in 1925 (died in 1989) – the world famous classical dressage rider and teacher, “one of the last great international riding masters.” Horseback bullfighting today - “toureio equestre” - is done primarily with Lusitanos, and still now, as hundreds of years ago, demonstrate the athletic ability and agility and bravery of the horse facing a bull charge. We of endurance.net and enduranceeurope.net are looking forward to a taste of Portugal, (food and wine included!), and some skilled horses and riders and horsemanship of a different kind this weekend in the European Endurance Championship.

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Haras Des Iviers Arabian Studfarm

Saturday September 1 2007 HARAS DES IVIERS A few stories back, we had a look at Leonard Liesens' good endurance horse Orfeo Des Iviers: thoughout his 9-year endurance career with Leo he participated in a total of 2 European Championships (Spain/Portugal and France) and 4 World Championships (France, Dubai twice, Germany); made the Belgian team selection 6 times; and won 4 CEI 3-star endurance races, including 2 160-km races, and the 2000 Belgian Championships. They finished Top 10 in the 1999 European Championships in Portugal, Top 10 in the 2000 World Championships in Compiegne, and won the 140-km in Compiegne in 2003. Orfeo's sire, Pedant, is still alive, and standing at Haras Des Iviers in Belgium. Leo took us to see Dr Manu Scohier and his veterinary clinic/farm, and his parent's Haras Des Iviers Studfarm, a beautiful place tucked away in the south of Belgium (in fact, one of their paddocks is in France). Started by Mrs Scohier back in 1978 to produce Arabian show horses, the farm now produces top purebred Arabian endurance horses. Manu's office walls are covered with picures of the successful get of their oldest sire Pedant, including Orfeo, with Leo riding. There's even a picture of Steph on the wall, crewing for Orfeo and Leo, in Dubai in 1998! Pedant, a former winning flat racing horse, has produced a number of successful endurance horses throughout his career, including Orfeo and his full sister Opalina Des Iviers. With both of them having won a CEI 2** or 3*** race, this qualifies Pedant as a 4-Star breeding Stallion, a system devised by the French to rank endurance stallions by the quality of their offspring. Pedant still looks good at 27 years of age. He's a 15.1 hand chestnut, quite sociable – he walked across his pasture to visit with us. They are trying to figure out a way to collect him for AI breeding, to protect Pedant from the risks of live breeding at his age. They tried collecting him on a dummy... but he's decided he won't have any of that. Opalina des Iviers, 15, is a broodmare on the farm now, with a foal by her side. She won a 160 km race at Arlon, Belgium, in 2002. There are two other breeding stallions on the farm, a 4-year-old gray, Pamir El Milora, a son by the Australian stallion Milora Park Blue Fire (now standing at the French National Stud) and out of Movoska (a mare by Persik); and 21-year-old white stallion Waracz. You can still see the charisma that carried Waracz to national halter championships in his younger days in Europe, Sweden, and Scottsdale. Manu sends the older endurance prospects off to be broken and trained and qualified to Jack Begaud in France and his trainers; he also sometimes exchanges stallions with France. This exposes the Des Iviers horses to a bigger audience than what would normally be possible inside just the small country of Belgium. The quality and success of the breeding and training programs is obvious looking at the impressive equines in residence on the farms - babies, yearling, 2-year-olds, and up. See their website at http://www.iviers.com/ , and more photos at http://www.endurance.net/merri/Belgium11/BE3/BE4/DesIv02/index.html .

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Kara Leylek Akhal-teke Stud

Thursday August 30 2007 Kara Leylek Akhal-teke Stud Did you ever, when you were little, hear something, or see a picture of something, that ended up shaping the course of your life? That's what happened to Michele Van Kasteren when she saw a classic picture of Kambar, a shimmering golden Akhal-teke racehorse from Turkmenistan in the 1960's. When she saw that picture as a little girl, she knew from then on she wanted an Akhal-teke. Kambar was actually a palomino color, though in Michele's photo, faded from time, he looks like a silver horse. You can still see his magnetic sheen, whatever his color, and he's a magnificent, fit, lean equine specimen. (This “magic photo of Kambar” seems to be responsible for starting the addiction of many Akhal-teke enthusiasts.) When Michele finally had enough money to buy her first horse (an Akhal-teke, of course), she looked at 3 or 4 places until she found him. I asked how she knew that was the one she wanted, and she shrugged. “You just get a feeling.” It was Peter Van Kasteren who sold her her first Akhal-teke long ago, “and he came with the horse!” They are married now, and have 40-something purebred Akhal-tekes on their farm in southern Belgium. While Michele always loved the Akhal-teke, she wasn't always into endurance. She took riding lessons when she was young, then got into eventing. Later on, when Peter took her to her first 120 km ride, she found out how painful endurance can be, if you weren't conditioned for it. “I went back to eventing!” “What?” I said, “But you eventers are crazy!” “Yes, but eventing doesn't last all day!” Eventually, however, Michele began competing in endurance on their Akhal-tekes when Peter took a break from riding. She started riding in international rides 3 years ago. The two things that pique my interest in the Akhal-teke is their unique conformation, and that shimmering quality of their coat. While the many strains, or sire lines, of Akhal-tekes can be quite different, from a sleek greyhound look to an almost warmblood-type, I see in most of them the distinctive head and neck, head carriage, and floating way of moving. The metallic sheen in their coat is due to the unique structure of their hair follicles (unlike other horse breeds), a smaller, opaque core and larger, translucent outer covering, which refracts light – changes its direction - and focuses the light like a crystal. On some of the golden horses – like her stallion Myr – it's almost hypnotic. “Riding him in the sunshine is like truly riding gold!” said Michele. Michele still calls her Akhal-teke passion and breeding farm her 'hobby,' but with over 40 horses, it must be a full time job – and she already has one of those. In good weather seasons, (this was not one of them – with all the rain Belgium, and western Europe, has had, they missed a lot of training, and therefore a lot of rides) this is a typical day: Get up 3:30-4 AM, go for a ride, then go to full-time work as a lawyer in Luxembourg, ride at lunchtime (on a horse or two she keeps at a friend's near work), return to finish up work, drive the 60 km home, and then ride another horse or two at home. “The latest I got finished riding was at midnight!” That is dedication, or, perhaps, obsession - something I seem to find in many of the Akhal-teke people I've met so far. The Van Kasterens are on their 3rd generation of breeding Akhal-tekes. I asked which of all of them was her favorite, but Michele couldn't pick one. “They're all unique.” They aim to have 5 or 6 foals a year, keep two of them to raise and train and campaign in endurance. They have 5 in endurance competition now, and a herd of Akhal-tekes from yearlings to 5 years old, and a herd of mares turned out with their black 20-year-old stallion, Sugun (means “deer” in the Turkmen language). Throughout his career he performed in eventing and endurance, and showing. Sugun looks quite content with his lot in life right now! Most buyers like the buckskin or dun color, but, the Van Kasterens breed for performance, not for color. And while the Van Kasterens compete with their horses in endurance, they don't specifically breed just for endurance, but performance in general, whether it be dressage, jumping, endurance or eventing, believing that the Akhal-teke is a very versatile horse. Michele prefers to breed the mares young, get 2 or 3 foals out of them before breaking them in and starting them in endurance, since most Akhal-tekes don't fully mature till they are 7 or 8 – what we all like to think of as the beginning of the prime age for endurance horses. And, in general, the Akhal-teke is very easy to break, says Michele. “You just throw a saddle on their back. They turn their head back at you, say, 'Huh? What's that, a saddle? What, you're up there on my back? OK.' And off they go.” Of course it's probably a little more involved than that, but it goes with what others have told me of the Akhal-teke, that they are intelligent, quick to learn, and gentle. The Van Kasterens never have problems with them, such as bad feet, or colic – they've always been reputed to be tough horses throughout their existence. As people in a minority, the Van Kasterens sometimes feel like they're fighting an uphill battle in endurance (and other sports) with their Akhal-tekes, when people try to say the Akhal-teke is not so successful in horse sports. But Michele does offer a simple, valid argument. “Just look at the numbers of Akhal-tekes there are in the world compared to the Arabian.” (One figure sited is 3500 Akhal-tekes in the world while another says 1500; and as of June 2007, there are over 996,000 registered Arabians in the world). Looking at it that way, the odd Akhal-teke completing 100-mile rides – such as Sabel, in this year's Tevis Cup - is quite an accomplishment, just for the fact that the Akhal-teke was IN the ride in the first place. Without seeking them out, the Akhal-teke seems to keep finding its way into my endurance wanderings. It just goes to show again that there many sides to endurance around the globe: the serious endurance racing and the casual family atmosphere endurance riding; the purebred Arabian and the alternative breeds like the Akhal-teke and the mule; the shaikhs who ride and the homeless who ride (and I'm not just talking about me here!), the $1,000,000 Arabian and the $500 Arabian that would have gone to slaughter, $100,000 live-in horse trailers and the people that ride across country to get to the endurance rides (OK, so that doesn't happen so much now). There is a place for all of it. Endurance variety – the spice of life!

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Fete de la Ruralite - Rural Fair

Sunday August 26 2007 Fete de la Ruralite – Rural Fair Sunday, just down the road in the village of Faulx-les-Tombs, Belgium, was a Fete de la Ruralite – a rural fair. The focal point of the fair was a Belgian Ardennais horseshow. I'd gotten my first glimpse of the Belgian Ardennais, or the Ardennes, at the Libramont Fair a few weeks ago, and here was a closeup look at the attractive, big, strong working farm horse. The breed originated in the Ardennes region of Belgium, France, and Luxembourg, perhaps 2000 years ago, and is one of the oldest of the European draft horses. The Ardennais is still used today for farm work and logging. You could see that the handlers – most of them weathered old Belgium farmers (all wearing white) - regularly used their animals for work. Many of the horses had their tails docked, presumably to keep it out of the way during work. Many of the mares had foals at their side that roamed freely with them. The average height is 15.1 to 16.3 hands, and the average weight 1500 to 2200 pounds - so, smaller than a percheron, but as compact and muscled and powerful. They come in all colors, though black is excluded from registration. The horses were judged on conformation and movement, judged by 3 studious men with a knowledgable eye. The breed is known for being docile, willing, and easy to handle, though I was surprised to see that a fair number of them seemed to be spooky, jumping at things like some Arabians I've ridden. But then, these farm horses probably aren't used to such a place, a busy fair, with people everywhere, miniature horses pulling carts, hay-bales flying through the air (a human throwing contest). The horses were not the only attraction at the fair. The big social tent, next to the show ring, was packed with people, first for a lunch, then afterward for copiously flowing wine and beer. “Everybody comes here to see and be seen,” said Leo's neighbor Eddie. “The local politicians are here.” A local marching band played (sitting under the tent). A little miniature horse was very busy giving little cart rides – with a companion Australian Shepherd clearing the way for him, nipping people in the legs when people didn't move. Saddled ponies gave rides to kids. You could join in the hay-bale throwing contest, watch the shoeing process of a Ardennais, take a mini-cart ride or a ride in a carriage pulled by two Ardennais horses, or get your face painted. There were fruit and vegetable stands, artist booths, an ice cream vendor, a candy vendor, and later in the day, a fantastic 4-piece New Orleans jazz band – here in the heart of Belgium! The crowd grew as the pleasant sunny day went on. Leo borrowed the key to the old church built in 1850, on the street overlooking the fair. It was beautiful inside, original stonework, nothing gaudy, just simple and cool and nice. We opened a side door and the 5 of us climbed up cobwebbed stairs to the balcony below the belfry – which I am pretty sure hadn't been visited since 1850! The 'floor' was 6 inches of bird and bat guano, with a smattering of desiccated bird and bat skeletons. We creaked open a door to the little outside balcony – scaring the feathers off a nesting pigeon – and had a great view of the fair below. Leo dared to climb a very tall aluminum ladder even higher toward the belfry (I wonder how long the ladder had been there!), but I preferred standing on the solid guano floor. What great character the church had! We ended our afternoon at the fair with a beer (or two) with the local Belgian community, sitting next to the arena where the Ardennais were still showing, with the 4-piece band jazzing away beside us. Nice way to spend a Belgian afternoon!

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Compiegne 140-km Teams Trophy

COMPIEGNE 140 km Teams Trophy Thursday-Friday August 23-24 2007 This time my view of this important European ride, the 140-km Compiegne Teams Trophy, would be from the inside – behind the scenes, working as a crew for Leo and his horse Orfeo. I'd be one of the myriad people scurrying around at the vet gates and the crew stops, madly tossing and sloshing water, running with buckets bottles and grain and hay and blankets and crew gear. It was a great location for my first European crew experience: Compiegne, site of the World Endurance Championships in 2000, and the European Championships in 2005. If France is the European axis of endurance racing, then Compiegne might be considered the centerpiece of it all. Many people speak of great French rides: Florac, Ribiers, Compiegne; but invariably when they say “Compiegne” their eyes light up with a special fondness. Organizer and manager Nicolas Wahlen speaks of Compiegne the same way – he's very proud of his masterpiece, and rightly so. It's a technically challenging course, with tracks and riding lanes through state forest land - hilly terrain, sandy ground - and it brings top horses and riders from around the world to compete. In fact, said one rider, it might be more important than the European Championships for the sheer number of top French riders: at the European Championships there will be only 6 French riders; here there would be over 60 entered in the 140 km Teams Trophy. There would be a total of 84 entries, with riders from France, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Australia, Bahrain, Great Britain, Luxembourg, and Brazil. One of the requirements for these European endurance races seems to be that you get little sleep, and so, our journey actually began the night before we left for Compiegne, when we were out way late partying with Cavalia horses. (The Australians and Kiwis take care of all that; they don't even let you delude yourself about sleep. Their rides start often at 2 AM.) Leo and his son Julien, and Leo's horse Orfeo, had left early Thursday morning for Compiegne, and Caroll and I followed in the afternoon. We had a nice short drive of only 2 hours from Brussels to Compiegne... all under gray skies, and some rain. We tried to pawn the rain off in Belgium, but no, it was raining in France, too. Caroll was clever enough to stop at a sporting goods store and insist we buy rubber boots – which came in very handy on my first footstep outside the car on the venue grounds. It was a sea of mud! Looked like it had been raining here for a while – like maybe 3 months! But I happily sloshed through every mud pond (purposely) in my new boots. Caroll's car almost got stuck in thick gooey mud in the stable area, with wheels spinning. After the weekend was over, it looked like we'd been 4-wheeling instead of endurance racing! We spent the afternoon setting up our gear – trunks and buckets and horse blankets and grain and hay and water – in the grooming area and the rest area under our tent where Orfeo would spend his holds eating and resting. In the late afternoon, near the vet gates, in front of the grandstand of the equestrian stadium, the rider meeting was held in French and English. We imbibed at the refreshment tent, and greeted acquaintances. I'm getting to know some of the faces in this part of the world, cheek-kiss-greeting them like I know what I'm doing. But I've never been able to keep straight how many kisses you give: I think with the French it's two, the Belgians one, the Dutch zero unless they really like you and then it's three... I'm not sure what a French and a Dutch person who really like each other do when they greet. A large catered feast was held in another big tent – it was one big eating party with an astounding variety of food. The cooks had no problem keeping up with cooking and dishing out the hot main courses to the large numbers of people. We got to bed late, as usual – had to visit with a lot of people in the food tent and help empty some wine bottles! The morning start was at quite a reasonable hour, 6:30 AM, and so we were up at 5, and in the car by 5:15, headed to the venue about 7 km away from the hotel. We downed a quick breakfast provided for the riders and crews, then slopped through the mud to the stables to get Orfeo ready. We greeted the other members of Leo's team, stabled nearby; and once Orfeo was saddled, we crew followed him and Leo to the starting line. It wasn't raining, but was heavily overcast, and very muggy. 84 riders left the starting line right at 6:30 for their first 32-km loop. As the crew, we didn't go out driving on this loop. It would be too rushed, said Caroll; better to stay here and make sure we're organized, and be ready for Leo to come in off this first loop, which would likely be pandemonium. Besides, Orfeo wouldn't be drinking on the first loop anyway. We expected them to come in to the first vet gate at about 8:30, and we spent most of that time making sure everything was ready. There were just a few people around – for the first hour – and the atmosphere was quite relaxed – no indication of the tumult to come. Cool jazz – Louis Armstrong - was playing on the venue speakers. Around 8 AM crew cars started arriving from the first loop, and humans began trickling into the grooming area, people greeting people, waiting, visiting, all of them (us) draped in crew jewelry: horse blankets, halters, lead ropes, heart monitors as necklaces, stethoscopes, saddle racks. We carried water bottles, water buckets, grain buckets... and we waited. There was lots of cigarette smoking going on... nervous crews? The first 5 riders came in at 8:23, (3 of which were eventually eliminated), then 3 more riders a few minutes later, then a cascade. A throng of purposeful riders and horses and crews, all going different directions, and I was right in the middle of it! Here came Leo and Orfeo... I successfully got his saddle off without forgetting to undo the cinch or something (it was easy, he had no breast collar), or dropping the saddle in the mud! Orfeo didn't want water, or hay, or cooling off... he wanted grain, we found out later! However, it was time to cool him down, get his pulse down to 64, and time the long walk to the vet gate just right. There was a crowd at the vet gate, but Orfeo entered and stopped the clock, with plenty of room inside to wait for the team of vets. When they emerged, Leo said Orfeo's pulse was 48 – not bad for an old horse. Back at the rest area, under our tent, Orfeo scarfed his grain. When it was gone, he went straight for the closed bucket where he knew more grain was, about yanking Julien off his feet. Caroll mixed Orfeo some more grain. I made a sandwich for Leo. They had 40 minutes to rest and eat. Caroll cleaned Orfeo's legs off while he ate, Julien held him and the grain bucket, and I cleaned the sand and mud from the girth and slobber from the bit. “It's a war,” said Leo of the race, shaking his head. “Always passing, passing, this side, that side. It's very, very, very competitive. You can't relax riding in a big group.” Then it was time to resaddle Orfeo, and they were off, headed for the out gate, and we the crew were off in the car to meet them on this second loop of 33 km. Caroll's car was crammed with water containers and extra horse gear, and her back seat was really not quite designed for a third person! Going by the road book (Julien reading, not me!), we found our way to the first appointed crew stop, which was very busy already with lots of people setting up, cars parking on the sides of the roads and on any available grassy spots. We pulled out our prepared water bottles and bucket we'd need; and Julien and Caroll went up the trail a bit with the bottles, and I stayed back with the drinking water for Orfeo. Soon, here came the leaders, and not too many minutes behind them, Leo. Orfeo wouldn't drink, and in fact stuck his nose in the bucket and lifted it up in the air, spilling most of the water on his face and chest, expressing his disdainful opinion about drinking at a time like this. At the crew stops, all the crews stake out their little territories, strategically placing themselves at a specific spot where they think will most benefit their riders, and set up. Then they wait: hanging out, visiting, yakking, loitering, and seemingly enjoying the atmosphere (though the mood here at Compiegne isn't quite relaxed) – but the instant the first rider is spotted, the call goes up and everything changes. Murmurs shoot through the crowd and it suddenly turns into a beehive that's been whacked, with all the frantic activity – people swarming, running with buckets, waving at riders, yelling at riders, people sprinting alongside and after horses; horses stopping to drink, horses darting through the crowd, empty water bottles flying, horses shooting through and out of the beehive, dodging people and cars and each other. We jumped in our car raced on to the next crew point, and there I stood with Sabrina Arnold's parents this time, back out of the way, giving the leading horses and crews plenty of room. Sabrina and Leo arrived together, and again Orfeo wasn't interested in drinking, only had a swallow or two. It was cause of slight consternation from Orfeo's rider and crew. After they cantered off, we crew raced back to the venue and waited for them to arrive off this second loop. Close to 3 dozen riders came in within 2 minutes of each other. Leo and Orfeo were just 8 minutes behind the leaders. Per instructions, I waited to pull saddle to give Orfeo an undistracted chance to drink – but he wouldn't drink – so Leo finally loosened the saddle and I pulled it off. We doused Orfeo in water – head, neck, shoulders, and while his heart rate was still in the 70's, we started the long walk to the vet ring with him. I watched from the sidelines as he was trotted out... wait, was there a bobble there? Oh no - he was asked for a second trot out! Orfeo was a bit lame! Though it was inconsistent, there was something there, and he was pulled! My crewing career was over after only two loops! (As were 9 others on this loop, and 4 on the first loop.) But, that's endurance. “Too bad, it's a shame,” said Leo. “He's so fit and strong, and he wants to go, but his legs just aren't what they used to be. His legs can't keep up with his will.” Loop 3, while the other horses went out on the 20-km trail and their crews out on the road, we packed up our things and loaded them into two cars, drove everything back to the trailer and unloaded there. Alain Porras on our team was eliminated by lameness on this loop, leaving us with 2 girls representing Team Omega. By the time the leading horses were headed out on loop 4, we were done with our work and now found ourselves as casual observers. Caroll helped crew for some other Belgians, and Leo and Julien and I went out on the loop to take pictures. Cantering past us in first was Spain's Maria Alvarez Ponton, on her gelding Julius De La Drome, who'd finished 3rd in the 160 km at Compiegne last year, followed by Nicolas Vazquez on the mare Orsane D'Angelique, and Alex Luque, on his horse Atiklan, who finished the 160 km ride at San Galmier a month ago. At the end of the 32-km loop 4, the 3rd member of our team, Geraldine Brault vetted out for lameness, leaving only Sabrina Arnold of Germany left. Sabrina had been moving up steadily all day, from 23rd place, to 22nd, to 15th, and was now in 8th place. Our dispossessed crew now had time to sit and watch the race, visit people, have a beer or two, take a picture here and there, and catch the riders going out on the final 21-km loop. Fifteen riders went out within 3 minutes of each other, galloping out the gate in hot pursuit of the one ahead, with Nicolas Vazquez leading the charge. It looked like it could be a very close finish... what kind of strategy do you use on a last loop when you're all so close? It would likely all come down to what their horses had left, instead of what the riders had planned. Just over 45 minutes later, a wave of excitement brought people to their feet and running to the rail of the finish for the first rider coming in: French rider Julien Lafaure on Jasmina Cabirat, who moved from 15th to first place. But the effort was too much for his horse, who did not recover and vetted out on metabolics – a tough break. One minute later, Spain's Maria Alvarez Ponton trotted across the finish line; due to Lafaure's elimination, she became the winner of Compiegne, followed four minutes later by Nicolas Vazquez. Six minutes later, Sabrina Arnold approached the finish line with a few lengths' comfortable lead over Sophie Arnaud; but Sabrina misjudged the finish line, slowing her horse some 30 meters short of the electronic timer. Sophie was the first to realize Sabrina's mistake, and urged her horse to a gallop, and just passed Sabrina right before the finish line. Tough luck for one horse and rider, great luck for another. There were a few mildly contested sprints for the finish, but anti-climactic after the rousing race out of the last vet gate. Several horses looked quite spent as they crossed the finish line. Two more finishers vetted out at the finish line for lameness. 46 of 84 finished, with the winner Maria Alvarez Ponton averaging 18.09 km/hr. The team she was on, Germ Tonic, finished 3rd, with 3 riders across the finish line. The French Tomas Team finished first, and the Royal Team of Bahrain took second. Dinner, certainly one of the highlights of Compiegne, was another big, boisterous, monstrously catered affair. Orfeo got his own good dinner of grain, hay and silage, and some carrots I borrowed from his next door Belgian horse neighbor. The next morning, our ride experience at Compiegne complete, we finalized our packing, while dozens of trailers full of new horses and riders were arriving for Sunday's 119-km Young Horses Championship, for 7 and 8-year-old horses. There would be 107 entries with high stakes; many riders could expect good offers on their horses that finished near the top. 56 of 108 would end up finishing, with the winner averaging 18.8 km/h, and 7 of the horses eliminated at the finish. We would not be staying for the Sunday ride, because our Compiegne adventure was over, and we were headed home. My first experience at crewing, European style, even if it was just a taste, for the first 2 loops, wasn't bad, especially since it was at Compiegne. I can see how it grows on you, both the crewing, and the fabled venue and occurrence that is Compiegne!

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