In the Rolex Vet Box with Kilrodan Abbott and Team

The reader-submitted stories and photos keep pouring in from Rolex week.  This is a special feature by Kirsten Collins, as she relates the scene from the Vet Box after Kilrodan Abbott’s cross-country at Rolex.  Thanks to Kirsten for sending this in, and thank you for reading.  If you have a Rolex memory to share, send it to [email protected].

 


 

In the Vet Box with Team Eddie

 by Kirsten Collins

A few weeks ago EN posted my story “I Stalked Kilrodan Abbott.”  A photo of Kilrodan Abbott from Rolex 2011 was the winning entry in a photo contest, and because of that photo of “Eddie” I happily found myself at Kentucky Horse Park again, with the opportunity to closely observe the wonderful Kilrodan Abbott and his team.


As Peter Barry rides Kilrodan Abbott over the finish line, he is met not only by his groom Colleen and their crew but also by a vet team and several excited admirers.  He hops off of Eddie and practically into the arms of Phillip Dutton who gives him an enthusiastic congratulatory hug.  As soon as Peter is out of the tack and the vets finish Colleen is pulling everything off of Eddie, haltering him, and leading him briskly to the vet box.  I shyly flash my media pass at Peter, and to my relief he walks over and accepts my congratulations, too.  He beams as he invites me to give Colleen a hand.  By this time Colleen is emerged in her work and has things under control, so I stand out of the way and instead snap photo after photo.

 

Colleen exudes a quiet competence as she executes her efficient, well-practiced routine.  After dousing Eddie with ice water, two crew members scrape the water off before it can trap any heat on the horse’s body.  Meanwhile Colleen quickly snips the tape from Eddie’s galloping boots and removes them.   Following several more ice water baths and scrapes, Colleen walks Eddie in a large circle around the area.  From a distance even a casual observer would notice that Eddie is recovering nicely.  He is sponged off again as a vet takes a look at him.

 

 

Eddie rubbed both stifles and was bleeding a tiny bit.  He also got a dime-sized rub on the left fore, but suffered only hair loss.  From my proximity I was in the perfect position to eavesdrop and heard a vet mention to Peter that his horse was in excellent condition.  The crew is instructed to hold ice packs over both stifles, but is also cleared to head back to the barns.  Peter heads off to the competitor’s tent and returns with a handful of apples and carrots.  Eddie gets the carrots, and he and Peter share the apples.  Colleen picks up each of Eddie’s hooves and removes first the studs and then the bell boots.

 

 

Eddie now enters the final phase of his cool down.  Colleen fills a huge tub with ice water and carefully places both of Eddie’s forelimbs into the tub.  He is submerged nearly to his elbows, and he handles this by calmly nibbling grass.  Meanwhile, Colleen holds an ice pack over Eddie’s left stifle while Peter’s son Dylan holds a pack over the right.  His body nearly dry, Peter covers Eddie in a cotton mesh sheet.  All around horses and crews are busy working and Colleen absorbs this data silently.  She knows exactly how many minutes she wants her horse to soak.  She has an ear on the loud speaker and an eye on the other competitors, keenly aware of all that is happening both around her and on the course.  At one point a member from another crew mentions that Eddie seems to be encroaching on their designated space, and Colleen calmly replies that they will be there for only a few more minutes.  As the other crew’s horse crosses the finish, Colleen smoothly pulls Eddie from the soaking tub, hands him off to a crew member with instructions to hand graze, empties the ice water tub, and easily leaves the area in plenty of time before the other horse arrives.

 

Throughout the entire process Peter, Colleen, and the entire crew are calm, relaxed, kind, and gracious.  These also happen to be some of Eddie’s attributes and I doubt very much that this is a mere coincidence.  I can’t keep a beaming smile from spreading across my face as I watch as Colleen and Eddie walk quietly back to the barn.

 

Peter and Eddie completed Rolex with an 11the place finish and also netted the Bank One Trophy for Highest placed Rider/Owner.  (I’ll be honest:  I’m a little ticked about their dressage score.  Eddie wasn’t obedient, he was supremely obedient.)  In all phases, Eddie showed up for work, handled every single test presented to him, and coolly got the job done.

 

 

I chatted with Peter after stadium.  He talked about how long he’s had Eddie and about their relationship.  He mentioned how Eddie came into his life, and one thing he said keeps replaying in my head:  Peter stated “I like Eddie.  Eddie likes me.  We’re a team.”  And isn’t that what this life with horses is all about?

 

Go Team Eddie.

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