BY RACHEL KOOIKER
Some claim that you can only fight it off with Emergen-C® and vodka. Some people swear that you can catch it simply by watching the live feed. Others maintain that if you sleep in your tack stall, just once, you’re doomed.
No matter what you’ve heard, or believe, if you’ve been to the Congress at least once, chances are you’ve contracted the dreaded Congress Crud. We’ve got the medical scoop and top tips for prevention to help you cut through the crud this October. We’ve harnessed a nurse who’s dealt with the crud herself to walk us through what might be Columbus, Ohio’s most-dreaded illness.
Meet Your R.N.
Meggen Morrow-Baynes has been showing horses for more than 25 years, with about 20 of those spent on the Quarter Horse circuit. She competes in amateur all-around events with her mare, A Sleepy Margarita. She is not only very involved in the Western Pleasure industry through her role as the Vice President of the Michigan Quarter Horse Association and a member of AQHA’s Equine Research Committee, but in her professional life, she’s busy working as a Registered Nurse while finishing up a Master’s Degree in Nursing. Baynes will finish with a concentration as an Adult Nurse Practitioner.
About that Infamous “Crud”
Baynes recalls being warned during her first Congress experience. “During my very first year showing at the Congress, I was warned of the crud by my trainer at the time. I remember thinking ‘Yeah right, I’m not going to get sick.’ Sure enough, I came down with it before we even left the show! The last year I showed at the Congress, I had to turn around and head to OKC for the World Show, like everyone does, with the crud. Now, I hear people or see people on social media talking about the Congress Crud, and they all say ‘I just need antibiotics,” which drives me crazy!”
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