Virtual Brush Box

A Sign of Progress?

Since Rodney’s back injury [Daddy Dearest] is directly under the front pressure point of a theoretical saddle, I continue to poke away at the accumulated scar tissue. Weekday therapy is heat [Therapy] and massage. On the weekends, Hubby flexes his he-man fingers of strength to break up adhesions. When we brought Rodney in Saturday night,Continue reading “A Sign of Progress?”

Suiting Up

I am currently showing in the Academy division, aimed at lesson students on lesson horses. The heart and soul of saddleseat is in the performance classes: Three-Gaited Country Pleasure, Five-Gaited Show Pleasure. In these classes, riders wear the traditional long-jacketed suit with a color-coordinated derby. Hence the term “suit classes”. If Academy riders plan toContinue reading “Suiting Up”

Back In The Saddle

Lesson this week. Yeah! Rode a new horse. Eeep! Trump is good-looking to the point of being flashy and committed to working with his rider to the best of his understanding. However, he may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer. Reminds me of Rodney. After my whining earlier about not riding [Grateful], you’dContinue reading “Back In The Saddle”

New Rule

The good news: Mathilda is getting stronger. The bad news: so is her willfulness. The blacksmith was here on Tuesday. Just because she could hold her own weight didn’t mean she wanted to. She was on her worst behavior for shoeing since her injury. We finally had a kerfuffle that sent the people running forContinue reading “New Rule”

Best Laid Plans

From the archives. Early ’80s. Photographer unknown. File this under – If you can’t laugh at yourself… Update Photographer: Deborah Rubin Place: Difficult Run Pony Club Horse Trials, Spring 1985 So they tell me. I’ve blocked the whole thing from my memory.

The Point Is

My state saddleseat association has a year-end points system that confused the stew out of me at first. Having spent the spring wrestling with it, I can appreciate the internal elegance. The deal is that every show gets an A, B, C, or none designation. Points are determined from this. C show: first is 8Continue reading “The Point Is”

My Confidence Has Increased

The Mental Game Moving past yesterday’s snit, the spring saddleseat shows have been good for me in more ways than simply keeping me amused until I find a new horse or figure out how to ride the one I have. Previous Horse went to a few shows in his retirement years. We even earned hi-scoreContinue reading “My Confidence Has Increased”