Years ago, I took my Lipizzaner mare, my friend Judy and my little Iberian bay mare to a Maj. Gen. Jonathan R Burton Dressage Clinic at Ft. Bliss in El Paso, Texas. We were joined by a student of mine, Pam, driving her own truck and trailer while I took us over in my big horse van.
As I pulled off the highway and made my way to the base, the van suddenly began groaning and making scraping sounds that were every bit as scary as the startling sound of a blow-out! I still had control, so I pushed onward to the stables and leaped out of the cab as soon as I could park.
We pulled down the ramp and sides and got our mares out quickly. They both had strange expressions across their faces.
I walked around the van, smelling a hot but not smokey odor... I looked under the box, but didn't really know what I was looking at. So, I went over to Pam's pick up and looked under it. I saw that her drive shaft was held up by a little cushioned bracket (I came to know as a "pillow block"). I observed that my van's drive shaft was tilted downward and there was no similar object supporting it.
We all rode in the Clinic and worked with our horses. Then I started searching through my boxes and bags in the cab of the truck. I found a hugely thick leather strap with a clunky buckle, a can of hoof dressing and a big piece of wire that I figured might serve me.
I pulled the drive shaft up with the wire and secured it to another shaft running along the length of the van's box. Then I covered the inside of the strap with hoof dressing and fastened it also to lift and hold the turning drive shaft. Then I started the engine, pulled forward and back a few times... it all held, seemed to be balanced... so Judy and I loaded the mares and set off for Las Cruces!
We made it!!
A few years later I was backing my old (very old!) Suburban out of my driveway when it made a hideous sound reminiscent of that horse van - drive shaft episode. I figured I was in real trouble (financially). I called my friend Judy (same Judy). Her husband immediately came out to try and fix my Suburban. Judy and I went in the cottage for tea and biscuits while he crawled under...
He walked in with a tiny stone in his hand, smiling. That stone had gotten itself into my brake pad or shoe or whatever and had made the sound that stopped my breathing for that awful moment.
My car was fixed. No big repairs. No bills. No problems. I taped the stone to the metal glove box as a reminder to
think of the simple things first!And to take a
Deep Breath!This is the way "
Stable Women" approach things:
Observe, Breathe, Do the best we can.
I hope July is treating you well,
Best Wishes, Katharine and
Dharmahorse
