July 2020 FRC Member Newsletter

Member Memories
Finally, around 10 PM, some good news. Richard had found a farm where Star could go for the night. The
farm owner also had a small apartment where Tilly and I could spend the night with our dogs. That was a
relief, but while Richard had found someone to tow the truck, he was still working on finding a shop that
would be open the following day to fix it. We were also all still working to find a truck that could tow the
trailer to the layover farm, about 40 minutes away.
The truck was eventually taken away, and we sat by the trailer with Star, hoping to find a truck to tow the
trailer and transport us all to the layover farm. When we got word that a truck was on the way, our excitement
was met with frustration, as we were told that the tow truck wouldn’t allow us to bring our dogs with
us. Worst case, we decided, the dogs could ride in the tack room of the trailer, though neither of us was
very comfortable with that option. When the tow truck arrived, we piled the dogs in the back seat, distracting
the driver with some friendly chatter. Thankfully he must have felt sorry enough for us that he didn’t
mention the dogs, and they rode in our laps.
As we made our way to the layover farm, we exited at a small town near where the farm was supposed to
be. We called the farm owner to get exact directions, but there was no answer. The driver pulled over at a
dark tire shop in between a railroad track and an abandoned looking warehouse. We continued to try to
call the farm owner for over an hour and, needless to say, at this point the stress of the day was wearing on
us and we were ready to get Star tucked into a stall and us into bed!
Finally, we got an answer and directions. Apparently, reception was limited at the farm, so the calls hadn’t
been going through. Within 10 minutes we were pulling through a small, narrow tunnel alongside a river,
and into the driveway of the layover farm. We were greeted by the barn owner, a pack of dogs, and a
bunch of cats. It was now 2 AM.
I took Cash and Sparkles on a walk while Tilly settled Star into the barn. I heard a commotion down in the
barn with banging and some yelling. Uh oh, I thought. It turns out that the always calm Star had been uncharacteristically
set off by the farm’s free range donkey. The barn owner had a farm full of rescue animals,
and was not willing to put the donkey away for the night, and Star was kicking the stall and trying to jump
out of the window. Tilly was in tears and had no choice but to stand next to the stall all night to keep him
calm. I went to put our dogs up in the apartment and come back down to help her. However, after settling
Cash and Sparkles into the apartment, I exited and was stopped in my tracks by two large ferociously barking
dogs on the porch, lunging at me. I retreated to the apartment to try to call Tilly, but there was no reception
in the apartment. I was stuck for the night!
I attempted to sleep but tossed and turned until dawn when the barking dogs were gone and the coast was
clear to get out of the apartment. When I walked down to the barn, Star had calmed down, and I was glad
to hear that Tilly had found a mechanic to work on the truck. The mechanic would spend the day draining
the gas tank and cleaning the lines, then would deliver the truck to us at the farm. Our plan was to get the
truck and finish the drive to Ohio, still making it in time for the horse trials.
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