Horse Shows – Page 91 – Virtual Brush Box

Ringcraft

In my saddle-seat lessons, we have been working on show ring strategy. This is not a skill about which I have had to obsess in the past: In Eventing, the flat work (the dressage test) is a necessary evil to be survived before being allowed out on cross-country. In Hunters, the flat class is anContinue reading “Ringcraft”

Remembering Etta

A year ago today, the world lost a wonderful person and I lost a dear friend. Etta was fierce in her defense of her students, be they riding or academic. There were times that she got her students through dressage tests and around courses on willpower alone. She never let anyone, particularly the students themselves,Continue reading “Remembering Etta”

Sense of Smell, Sense of Place

Now that the horses are living in, we are discovering the wonderful world of shavings. It’s amazing how fast a new bag of fresh shavings time warps me back to horse show stabling. Even the smell of pine in a lumber yard will do. Leather is another classic horse smell. I get a little punchyContinue reading “Sense of Smell, Sense of Place”

Horse Hunt Weekend: Day 1

Saturday, we were scheduled to see a local horse [HHP]. The seller wasn’t scheduled to show us said local horse. I accept that crossed wires occur. A reasonable answer might have been, “When I hadn’t heard from you, I made the assumption that you were no longer interested in —–. I have made other plans.Continue reading “Horse Hunt Weekend: Day 1”

Showtime

No saddleseat lesson this week but I still learned something. The truck did not start. Since it had been plugged in overnight, this indicates a deeper problem than a simple lack of charge. When I called Stepping Stone Farm to cancel, the trainer said she might not be available next Friday. Students were still decidingContinue reading “Showtime”

Jump Crew

Well, this has been a happy little corner of the universe lately. I’ll aim for more cheerful today. After lunging, Hubby jumps Rodney over a few cavaletti, partly for training but mostly because it’s fun to watch him jump. Although I haven’t done courses, Rodney seems about average in knowing that the jumps have beenContinue reading “Jump Crew”

Whoa There Cowboy

I was having a seriously bad day on the cross-country phase of a Horse Trials [Reverse]. My horse had come out of the start box on his hind legs and had subsequently acquired a number of stops at a variety of fences. I was furious. I was fuming. I was determined that we were gettingContinue reading “Whoa There Cowboy”