Horses of the outside world. Phys.org: Why letting museum visitors smell horse manure might be good for conservation, by Nagoya University, edited by Gaby Clark, reviewed by Robert Egan, February 25, 2026. Hat tip to G.
~~~
Continuing to post about my latest outing. [The Ride, AHJA Kick Off Show 2026]
First jumper class in 16 years.
First horse show without a ribbon in a while.
First time in a class of 23 in quite a while.
Been a while since I’ve been in a warm-up ring with folks going every which way.
As best I can tell, I was older than everyone in the class. Not surprising, the horse industry around here is so kid-oriented, that would be true of almost any adult. [Other People’s Horses]
I offered to go first in my class. I’ve gotten used to being first in the ring at the Saddlebred shows. No one else wants to, so they are happy to let me. Given my riding plan for this show, I did not need the strategic positioning of going later in the class.
Coach Deana did an excellent job of taking care of the administrative details. To start off, she entered for me, which was weird. I think that’s the first time someone has done my entries. At the show, she handled all the moving parts. All I had to do was stay out of the way.
Yes, Coach Courtney does that at ASB shows. I’ve never know anything else in the Saddlebred world. Hunter/Jumper is a sphere where I am used to doing for myself.
I did minimal warm up both the day before and the day of. Only as much as the horse needed. The day before I *wanted* to jump the entire course five more times. I also knew that nothing was gonna change at this point.
As I started my first class, Coach Deana noticed a problem with course. Ride in. Beep. Coach’s voice saying hold. Rider dilemma, listen to the buzzer or to the coach? I chose coach. The problem was that my class did not have oxers but several oxers still remained from the schooling session. Since I was the first to go, this had not been corrected. Before the class, while Goldy was grazing, I had seen that fence #3 needed to be adjusted. From where I had been standing, I thought the others were okay. Note to self, be more thorough, or have a good coach.
My classes were first and second on the schedule. Made for a gnarly morning, but I was done and put away before most folks got started.
When I went to get Goldy, he wasn’t in the pasture where I expected him. I called the Emotional Support Husband who was back at the barn. Later, he pointed out that the last time we did this, we didn’t have cell phones to communicate.
Another difference is that whiteboards at the in-gate have disappeared. Used to be, you gave your number, they wrote it down, and you went in that order. This show had something called rotations. A group of four to six riders would all do their first trip, then all do their second trip, then move on to the next rotation. Dunno if that is industry wide.
Actually, once I did the math, it’s been 18 years since my last jumper class. I had been saying 16 before the show and possibly loudly as I finished my first round. Then I thought it through. First jumper class in 18 years. Only two years more, but 18 years seems a much more alarming gap that 16 years. That’s a whole legal adulthood.
Last time I did this, most of the rest of the class hadn’t been born.
Tomorrow, the purpose of the exercise.
Onwards!
Katherine
Virtual Brush Box 