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C H R O N O F H O R S E . C O M M AY/J U N E 2 017 81 is unavailable, and it's been not working for a number of months. I mean, if you needed basic care you could get it." Like stitches, I ask? "Maybe stitches," she answers, not at all convincingly, and laughs. "I was thinking more if you needed some Advil," she adds, only half joking. PRACTICING SOME VETERINARY SKILLS AFTER ALL Obviously, medical attention for horses is even harder to find. After leasing a mare at the Racing Club de Dakar for a few months, she decided to purchase her own horse, a Selle Français by Kashmir Von Schuttershof named United Love De Safray, or "Kaz." "My trainer here, Pape Seck, who also runs the club, is Senegalese but goes to France quite frequently buying horses, so I gave him money to buy me a horse," Holly says. "I thought the horse was going to arrive in March of 2015 because I wanted to continue the competition season but, of course, nothing works as normal in Senegal." Part of that delay was because her new mount arrived via boat, a 12-day journey that occurred after an effort to drive them to Africa through Spain and Morocco was thwarted. "So the horse doesn't arrive until July!" says Holly. "And he was so skinny. It was a really challenging experience. en he colicked really bad in May of 2016, and the vet never came. ere is no surgery option. I brought Banamine and some [Dormose- dan], whatever I could bring with me, but if the horse needs surgery, you don't have that option. I was on the phone with my vet in New York asking what to do. ank- fully he got through it, but it just showed me how challenging it was." With Kaz recovered, the duo have been competing in the 1.20- and 1.30-meter classes in Africa. "I actually compete in the 1.10, 1.15 back in the United States, so it's been an interesting experience to jump these bigger jumps. I'm always amazed at the people here—they have no fear," Holly says with a laugh. "ey don't count strides; they kind of just go balls out and jump the jumps! It's amazing there aren't more accidents here." Holly was introduced to the Dakar equestrian scene by Jennifer Taylor, a fel- low American working for the regional UNICEF office. Both Taylor and her daughters show in the jumpers and in dres- sage, and Taylor was adult champion in the Senegalese National Jumping Champion- ships for the 2014-15 season. "When Holly arrived in Senegal—a former colleague connected us—I was happy to have a compatriot to share the horse scene, so I took her around to vari- ous clubs and introduced her around," says Taylor. "We both have that need for a daily horse fix, so she rode at my barn and then joined it. Our coach, Pape, is awesome and kicked me right out of my Holly White (right) used one of her trips back to the United States last year to ride Czelda Fitzgerald on the winning Windy Hollow Hunt team at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show's Hunt Night with sisters Emily Wiley (center) on Google Me and Jane Wiley on Yahtzee.

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