Awareness of the outside world. The Hollywood Reporter: Soapy “Verticals” Helping to Keep Hollywood Employed in L.A. As Film and TV Projects Leave, Kilkenny, June 12, 2025. I began following Katie because she is the daughter of a friend. I continue to do so because she writes about interesting stuff. Verticals? Hollywood decline? I had no idea.
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Attitude warning: low-grade grumpies ahead.
Photo reposted from 2019. [Getting Our Hunter On]
The Hunter Place was at a show, therefore no second lesson over the weekend. [In Which I Ride A Horse, For A Change]
A big thing in this area is hunter flat classes. Just the flat class, skip the jumping classes. Personally, I don’t see the point. The only reason to ride hunt seat is to jump. Otherwise, you might as well ride in a more comfortable saddle.
Anyway.
Talking with the hunter folks got me to thinking. I could do a flat class. I’ve taken my horse places. He’s gotten around at a walk, trot, & canter. He’s a lovely mover. I wouldn’t look like a complete heathen idiot in a flat class.
Alas no.
On second thought, Rodney has gone places and done things. Alone. The times when a trip worked out has been when he was the only horse in the ring, i.e. a dressage test or a clinic.
The times we’ve been in the ring with a crowd, he’s blown a fuse. The only time we did okay was a two-horse class when we both stayed carefully on opposite sides of the ring. As soon as a third person joined us, hoppy, hoppy, hop. The one time he was in the ring with a herd of horses, I ended up retiring. [Thoroughbred Theatrics, Day Two, Group]
No second-chance career in flat classes for us.
Sorry, got delusional there for a moment. Sigh.
Onwards!
Katherine
Virtual Brush Box 
Could you ride other horses?
Jane
Hunter flat classes aren’t something I’m pining to enter. I was mainly – temporarily – excited about finding something for Rodney to do.
Just curious. Would Rodney’s aversion to being around other horses while moving, be possibly connected to an event when he was a race horse? Even if it’s a dim memory by now, horses are all about survival, and prefer “better safe, than sorry,” from what I can tell. I wish you could show him in flat classes. He’s such a handsome mover. MM
100% true. Previous Horse had track flashbacks. However, Rodney never raced. All of his issues are internally generated.