Riding Journal
Awareness of the outside world. “Jane, you ignorant slut.” It’s a horrible line. I’d be appalled by it today. I’m all for language change in the service of inclusion. Yet, this line still amuses me. Partly, in the skit Jane Curtin was capable of feeding Dan Akroyd his own eyeballs; partly, nostalgia for back when SNL was funny. Yes, get off my lawn and take your post-modern comedy with you. The Hollywood Reporter: Jane Curtin on ‘SNL’ Sexism and That Infamous “Ignorant Slut” Line, by Marisa Guthrie 2019.
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Holiday adventures! (Outdoors and in semi-quasi-indoor covered rings by ourselves, masked when not on horses, yards and yards from other people other than a few fleeting instances.)
Thursday & Friday. Stepping Stone Farm. Trotting in the big ring! Cantering in the small ring!
This has become a happy working space for both horses. Rodney will even stand tied to the trailer while Milton works in the round pen. As long as they are in line of sight. If Milton so much as walks behind the trailer, Rodney goes Up Periscope and wants to know where he is.
Saturday. Full Circle Horse Park. Walked hither! Walked thither! Covered ring! Cross-country course! Jumping ring! Sandbox! Milton trotted in the covered! Milton trotted around a jumpless course!
Jumpless course equals standards set up along a course with no poles between the standards. Milton had a grand time. We can’t decide if he maybe likes the idea of jumping with a different rider, or if he thought it was cones, which we know he likes. Rodney was getting spun up, so I dismounted temporarily to see if that would break the cycle. While I was off, we trotted in-hand around the jumpless course.
Rodney! Looked! At! Everything! Horse being lunged! Dog being walked! This over here! That over there! He’d lead for a while and then stop for Milton to catch up and take point. Compared to last week, he less twisted; I was more patient. Milton looked but with knobs on 8 instead of 11. [The Trip]
Sunday. Horses said enough was enough and drummed up a gentle, all-day rain. Just enough water to keep us from riding, with just an touch of cold in case we got a wild hair about riding in the rain. Napping and snacking was the order of the day for all concerned.
Two years ago, we took the horses out one by one. [Weekend Voyages Milton, Weekend Voyages Rodney]
Last year, we rode together at home. [Team Ride]
This year, rode together out in the wide world.
Callooh! Callay! My beamish boys!
Ahem.
An epic struggle to achieve normal. On one hand, taking horses on a road trip to walk around another farm is about the least challenging adventure we could propose. On the other hand, much time, effort, and horsemanship has gone into getting here. I’m proud of us. Yay progress!
In other news,
Milton say, let’s hear it for muddy rings! I say, you have to admire the artistry.
Rodney say, let’s hear it for hay!
Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine Walcott
Virtual Brush Box 
You are wise to celebrate your progress. You’ve come a long way. Congratulations!
Thank you. It was a fun weekend.