Saddlebreds of 2023, Other Horses

Awareness of the outside world. USEF: Megan Thee Stallion Dances With Dressage Horses In NBCUniversal’s Fall Campaign For Its Coverage of 2024 Paris Olympics. NBC Sports. Nov 23, 2023.

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Stepping Stone Farm

Lessons

From left, Nila [Mares and Me], Optimus [Lesson Notes], Bubba [SSF repost].

A lesson with Nila at the beginning of the year and one with Bubba at the end. The rest where with the awesome Optimus. 2023 was not my zippiest year. A kind beginner horse was about all I could handle. Hoping to be in a better head space in 2024.

Note. My phone camera has a weird setting for portraits that – as far as I tell – exists for the sole purpose of making everything blurry. Would rip it off of my phone if I could. I did not notice the phone camera was in this mode until I got home after. Hence the ears photo from my lesson with Bubba this year did not turn out. Used photo from the time before that, which was December of 2022. [Rubber Ducky, process notes]

Shows

One driving class with Roy, the rest with Optimus/Transformer. Mostly casual shows, therefore limited media.

[Bringing in the Year with Blues, Show Report, Spring Fun Show]

[Fun In The Sun, Show Report SSF Summer 2023] Both photos.

[Seeing Silver Linings, Show Report, ASHAA Summer Fun Series, September 2023]

[The Red Queen Returns, Show Report, Alabama Charity Championship Horse Show 2023]
[In The Warm-Up Ring, Guest Photography]
[More Show Media, Alabama Charity, Guest Photos]

[Academy Represent! Playing With The Big Kids, Show Report AWTA 2023-2024 #1]

Counting classes, because I can’t resist a list.
Barn fun show, two classes, no driving.
Summer #1, missed, was in Montreal.
SUmmer #2, did not show.
Summer #3, two ride, one drive.
Summer #4, two ride, one drive.
Al Charity, three ride, one drive.
Winter #1, four ride, one drive.

So that makes five shows (four casual, one fancy) & seventeen classes (thirteen ride, four drive).

ASBs rock!

Update. Transformer to cart. [A Last Look Back at 2023, Driving]

Onwards!
Katherine

What’s Up With The Home Team, Tack Update Rodney

Awareness of the outside world. Whatever: It’s 2024. Are You Registered to Vote?

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As a Thoroughbred, Rodney’s official birthday is January first. He turned 25.

So what has he been up to? Sorry to say that Rodney has been put in dry dock, put up on blocks, pick your vehicular storage metaphor of choice. At least for the winter.

A while back, maybe November, I put my saddle in the basement. We have a humidifier down there and the leather will do better there than out in the barn getting damp and cold.

It’s not irretrievable. I can go get it any time I want. The point is that it was not being used.

Will I drag it back out when the weather warms up into the Rodney zone? Or have I had enough of hitting my head against that particular wall? Time will tell.

The good news. Don’t really have any, sorry.

Look on the bright side. It’s not a big deal in the scheme of things. So many people have actual bad things happening to them. Horse is happy & healthy & sound. All true. Doesn’t change the fact that my saddle is in the basement. Ain’t no way I’m going to be happy about that.

What She Said

“I feel like I’ve just been treading water at best. I admit, that’s better than drowning. But I’d really like to swim.” The Backyard Horse Blog: Miniature Horse Musings

Exactly.

Onwards!
Katherine

What’s Up With The Home Team, Tack Update Milton

Awareness of the outside world. CNN: From gender-affirming care bans to minimum wage increases, these new laws take effect January 1, Iyer, January 1, 2024.

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As a Thoroughbred, Milton’s official birthday is January first. He turned 16. [Pedigree Database, Major Conn]

So what has he been up to? Sorry to say that Milton has earned himself a kicking strap.

In a cart, the kicking strap crosses over the top of the horse’s butt and is attached to the shaft on each side. This way, if the horse chooses to elevate his posterior, the strap lifts the cart & person out of the way. The horse cannot get a leg over the shaft, nor reach the driver with a flying hoof.

In theory. With horses, anything is possible. Never say never. But that is the theory.

Now, the presence of a kicking strap is not necessarily an indictment of the horse. Some drivers use one as a matter of course as part of the harness. Alas, in this case, the kicking strap does indicate bad behavior. Milton had a small fuss. Given his history of hopping about like a wind-up toy, the slightest backsliding has to be addressed.

Why hadn’t he been wearing one? Partly because he’s been good. After his humongous fuss at his driving debut, he’s been good while hitched to the cart. I think? Scratches head. The issue has been hitching rather than driving. Therefore, we’ve been aiming to keep the hitching process as brief as possible. Sorry dude, you’re going to have to stand for having another strap attached.

The good news is that it was a small fuss. Driver dealt with it admirably and horse went back to work. Also good news. Milton’s been getting more chill about hitching (crosses fingers). Attaching another strap shouldn’t be a problem.

With luck, the kicking strap will forever be a decorative element.

Update. [Milton Meets Kicking Strap, Again]

Onwards!
Katherine

Perpetual Posts, Blog Admin

Awareness of the outside world. The Old Farm’s Almanac: How to Have a Happy New Year Anywhere, Doudera, December 21, 2023.

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For your amusement & my reference.

Perpetual Posts

Post that I do each year.

The Graceful Envelope Contest, The Washington Calligraphers Guild, submission deadline in early spring, post after winners announced.

Edible Book, April 1. Only done once, so not technically annual, but something I am likely to repeat. [2023, info & links]

International Haiku Poetry Day, 17 April. Ditto.

Anniversary, 1 May 💖

AAT photo, June. [Scenic Travel, Guest Photo]

Rubber Ducky Day, 29 October. [Happy Rubber Ducky Day, origin story]

Flower to my Mom for my birthday, 20 December

Personal Maybes

Yearly events that I do, but may or may not post about. Likelihood of a post for these depends on the occasion, the mood of the moment, and the thinness/fullness of my blogging calendar when the date rolls around.

Family Birthdays

MLK Day 5K Drum Run, the one IRL 5K that I plan to keep doing, January.

The Western States Trail Ride, Virtual Tevis & IRL Tevis. Will certainly post VT if we do it, since that involves the home team and is actually on topic. Begins 100 days before the IRL Tevis, which is sometime in summer. Some years I post about virtually following the IRL Tevis in July/August.

American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, April.

Rolex, virtually. Yeah, yeah, yeah. What can I say, I’m an old dog. The Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event. April. So many posts: Rolex, Land Rover, Lexington, Kentucky Horse Park.

Lexington Junior League Charity Horse Show, virtually, cheer for SSF, July

World’s Championship Horse Show, aka Louisville, virtually, cheer for SSF, August

Gotcha Days, August

Nationals. I always think about it. On the first weekend of November, part of me is always in the aisle at Murfreesboro. [Where I Am Not]

Magic City 5K, November

Blogaversary, 22 December

General Maybes

Holidays & events that I have posted about in the past and may do so again.

World LEGO Day, 28 Jan (patent filed 1958)

Mardi Gras, February

Pi Day, 14 March

36 Days of Type, usually starts early in the year

Earth Day, 22 April

Arbor Day, last Friday in April

May the 4th be with you.

Tau Day, 28 June, i.e. 6/28 in the US

BreyerFest, with virtual 5K, July

World Emoji Day, 17 July

Moon Landing, 20 July

Pi Approximation Day, 22 July, i.e. 22/7 in day/month notation

World Postcard Day, 1 October

Moundville Native American Festival, early October

Christmas, unavoidable

Kennedy Center Honors, probably my favorite TV show all year & one of the few things I will stay up for. I have posted about this at least once. End of Dec. [Sunny Days]

Happy New Year, 31 Dec

Solstici & equinoxes, DST

Note

Started to add links to posts from various years. Too many. Looked cluttered. The point of this post is to remind me going forward, not to document what I have done in the past. I do that in enough other places.

Updated 6 April 2024

Onwards!
Katherine

Top Ten Radio Taglines, Fiction

Fictitious radio stations.

WZRD – Infusing your radio dial with magic.

WOOL/WOLF – Dual station partnership. Office during the day. Party all night long.

WOKE – Surfing the blue wave.

KRAB – Talk radio. If it bothers you, it bothers us.

KOOK – Working to keep your radio weird.

KLEE – All art, all the time.

KERN – They said it couldn’t be done. Bringing typography to the airwaves.

Not Mine:

WHAT – We tell you WHAT is going on. Courtesy of Felix.

KOAN – Confusingly good radio. Courtesy of Lewis P.

Afterword

Inspired by an online discussion.

FYI. KXAN: What’s the origin behind the ‘Keep Austin Weird’ slogan? Thompson, May 2023.

Free Free Fiction 4U. Liminal Stories: IF IT WERE TRUE OWLS DREAM by Jan Priddy. From blog, Imperfect Patience: IF IT WERE TRUE… I asked for an outside consult from a regular reader. Jane’s verdict: Well done. Good read if into fantasy. Caveat, eating habits of owls are graphic.

Admin

As before, today’s post was planned to be holiday-themed fiction. As before, it wasn’t happening. [Kennings Contest by Artifact Puzzles]

In addition, I became suspicious. The format was to be a story told in New Year’s resolutions. Does this sound like “Resolutions for the New Year.” from A Very Scalzi Christmas (Subterranean 2019)? Why, yes it does, now that you mention it. AVSC is one of the books I reread during the holiday season. When I came across this story, again, I realized a) this is probably where I got the idea and b) now that the original was fresh in my brain, I was unlikely to be able to see past it.

So I ditched this idea along with last Saturday’s idea. Bring on January! I shall commit fiction!

Onwards!
Katherine

Time Is A River, Photography

Awareness of the outside world. Future Crunch: 66 Good News Stories You Didn’t Hear About in 2023, Hervey, Dec 20, 2023. Hat tip to A.

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Glover’s Point
Coosa River
Vincent AL US
December 2023

Although it appears on the map as Glover’s Point Park, it appears IRL as a boat launch & parking lot.

Enjoy pondering the river of time on this New Year’s Eve weekend. Wishing you a great weekend and a lovely 2024.

Technical Details

Boat launch, f/13.0, 1/100 sec., 24.0 mm, ISO 100. Manual mode & auto-focus.

Post production. Resized, border, & watermark.

Note to self. This is the second week in a row that the shot of choice was the casually-taken establishing shot rather than one of the many subsequent photos of the intended subject. [Homewood Star]

Onwards!
Katherine