We headed to the breakfast room to get a quick bite to eat. Typical buffet of meats and cheeses, along with some delicious pastries and rolls. A new favorite was crossiants with apricot filling, still warm from the oven.
We got to the stabling area and the van was there, but there was a glitch - one pony did not have a Coggins test and they would not let him off the van. Apparently Coggins tests are not routinely done in Germany but the show specs required one. After a few phone calls it was determined that the pony did indeed have a Coggins test and it was on it's way to the show and he was finally allowed to get off the van.
Cooper looked happy to be done with the trip. He had what looked like bites on his neck which we thought were caused by his neighbor during the trip. We are still not sure exactly what caused that. He seemed happy in his stall and was eating his hay.
About an hour later, Cooper suddenly seemed uncomfortable, stopped eating and could not be coaxed to eat even a carrot. I thought he looked colicky and so found the Team Veterinarian, Lisa Casinella, who had arrived the night before. She checked him over and kept a watchful eye on him while we got settled. The USET vet trunk with her supplies as well as my thermometer were on Michael's truck along with the rest of our equipment and had not yet arrived. Soon Cooper was shivering even though it wasn't very cold and he had a sheet on. I borrowed another blanket (mine were in Michael's truck, too) and Fran took Lisa back to the hotel so she could grab the thermometer and stethoscope she had brought with her.
Cooper turned out to have a fever of 103.5 and a diagnosis of shipping fever. Lisa got permission from the competition vets to give him fluids and antibiotics, got him started on the fluids,(Chester Weber bravely climbed the stalls so we could hang the fluid bags from the rafters) then filled out the myriad of paperwork required by the FEI for medication use during the show. I was worried about Cooper, unsure if he would be able to compete, and a bit stressed by it all. Cooper had always been a good traveler and this is first time we had to deal with anything like this. Lisa did a great job getting him back on his feet.
Later in the day Cooper developed a cough, but started to feel better as the fluids took effect him. He gradually started to eat and drink again and his fever gradually started to come down. His health and safety were my first concern. Still unsure if he would recover in time to compete, we unpacked our equipment and scoped out the facility.
The farm was beautiful, with many old and historic buildings. There was quite a good golf course (this from Fran, a golfer). Our stabling was excellent, new looking tents with large stalls, bedded deep with sawdust. The USA was lucky enough to have a tent all to ourselves. Several wash areas with concrete footing were nearby. Security was tight on the grounds. Lizzy Staller, the USEF Director of Driving. got our photo credentials for us, and we could not get in the stabling or in the camp area without them. I've been to 6 World Championships (three grooming for Lisa Singer, one as a spectator, and two driving myself) and I've never seen access so restrictive in the camp area.
When we first arrived, it seemed like there would be plenty of room where each country would make their camps. But soon, it got more and more crowded as everyone arrived and it became apparent that there was not. The rain continued and the grounds crew brought load after load of gravel and spread it to keep the mud at bay.
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| The path through the camp area got more and more narrow each day |
The hazards were directly across from our stable but had not been made official by the Ground Jury so all we could do is look at them from afar.
By the end of the day, Cooper was feeling and looking better, and though he still had a fever, it was down to 102 and Lisa was happy with his progress.
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