Like so many other Olympic workers, Red's feet are sore and his back hurts. He's putting in long hours with at most one day off a week. It's not surprising he needed to see a doctor, since he can't afford to be out of commission during the Games.
But this Olympic worker is somewhat unusual. For one thing, he's only 8. And he has four legs.
Red is a gelding, one of 14 horses who are part of the Utah Highway Patrol's Mounted Police squad. Just like their human counterparts, the horses sometimes need medical attention.
A handful of volunteer veterinarians, who came from as far away as New York, on Monday showed off their "office," the livestock judging shed at the Utah Fairpark, and their skills, which include acupuncture and chiropractics. Besides four veterinarians, the medical team includes one physical therapist and a veterinary technician. They're available around the clock.
Red, who belongs to UHP trooper Paul Brown, did fine when the mounted police squad was fledgling and using the equipment that he was used to. But his luck changed when the horses were issued equipment like saddles and bridles that were alike as a sort of uniform. His saddle simply didn't fit right. And though he's tried to be a good sport and plod on, a thermal scan shows where he's torquing his body somehow to try to compensate for what pains him. His left rear knee is more hot than the right knee, for instance. One foot is out of kilter.
Dr. Kimberly Henneman, veterinary coordinator, speaks to him softly, rubbing his face gently. Brown holds his rope and Henneman pops his neck. His eyes flare for a second, then his whole body seems to relax. His sigh is as gentle and definite as a leaking balloon.
Few of the horses are actually sick or injured. But Lt. Kenneth Peay notices that most, like his 4-year-old, Hawk, are "tired and cranky." They have sore muscles, too. Their work period began in the days ramping up to the Games; they won't get a real break until after the closing ceremonies.
Hawk's back is sore because he's having a growth spurt, and Peay, in his own words, is not a small load to carry. But the vets popped his knee and back "and he liked it," Peay said.
Trooper Mike Murphy rides Justice, a 6-year-old gelding.
The horses have been invaluable during the Games because of their effectiveness at crowd control, said Murphy and trooper Troy Giles, who is also an emergency medical technician. For one thing, throngs may ignore orders to move given by an officer on a motorcycle or in a car ? confident that the officer won't run over them. With a horse, they say, the crowd automatically moves back 6 to 8 feet. There's no guarantee a horse won't step on you, so folks maintain a little distance.
Veterinarian cardiologist Debbie Hadlock came from Long Island to help out because she saw how hard the animals worked in the aftermath of Sept. 11. She figured they'd be working hard at the Olympics, albeit doing happier work, and could use help.
Part of her job is to screen the animals' cardiac status ? a job she's had to do the low-tech way. She brought a CardioPet EKG machine but can't use it because there are no phone lines in the livestock judging shed.
E-MAIL: lois@desnews.com