Virtual Brush Box

Awareness of the outside world. UNESCO designates 11 new biosphere reserves, press release, 15 June 2023. “Biosphere reserves promote solutions reconciling the conservation of biodiversity with its sustainable use … There are currently 738 biosphere reserves in 134 countries.” UNESCO: Biosphere Reserves. Hat tip to J.

~~~

Virtual Tevis Cup 2023
100 Miles in 100 Days
19 April to 30 July

Rodney & Milton
100 Miles in 60/62 Days
Tues 20 June to Mon 26 June

Past

Finishing wasn’t a given this year, even more so than anything ever is with horses. Milton was coming off of surgery and stall rest.

“After their extended time off, the horses top out at a mile. That leaves us almost no wiggle room. Consistency is going to be a key factor this year.” [Team Snail Hits The Trail]

“Due to current fitness levels, going on multiple short walks each day … Rodney continued to pull ahead on several walks, doing my daily mile while Milton took breaks.” [Counting Every Inch]

Horses stayed sound. We stayed on it.

Present

Rodney and I are still doing a one-mile hand walk each morning, weekends included. Sometimes it is all we do. Sometimes it is warm-up for work. I get my daily mile in. Mathilda did well with regular walking in her old age. [My Two Horses]

Sometimes Milton & co join us. Sometimes they peel off early and start a session of long-lining.

Future

Each year, I hope that we will walk and trot and canter and go places and take cute pictures for our Virtual Tevis. Each year, we end up doing less than we did the previous year.

So.

Next year, I hope that we will walk and trot and canter and go places and take cute pictures for our Virtual Tevis. Next year, I hope we have the chance to finish our 100 miles, however we choose to do it.

Virtual Tevis Posts [Archives]

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. Single. Nature: Amelogenin peptide analyses reveal female leadership in Copper Age Iberia (c. 2900–2650 BC), by Marta Cintas-Peña et al. 06 July 2023. Story from other outlets, CNN: Ivory Lady by Hunt, Phys.org: Ivory Lady. Multiple. PHYS.org: Shattering the myth of men as hunters and women as gatherers, by Public Library of Science, June 28, 2023. Hat tips to G & G.

“The authors note that these stereotypes have influenced previous archaeological studies, with, for instance, some researchers reluctant to interpret objects buried with women as hunting tools.” PHYS.org: Shattering.

~~~

Annual check-up time: shots, Coggins, teeth, and so on. Various poking and prodding. All good.

Rodney & I waited on the patio while Milton finished up.

We still find it more convenient to go to the clinic rather than have the vet come to us. [Rodney & Milton Visit the Vet, Annual Check-up Version, 2021]

We try to accommodate equine preferences. “Note to self. Next year, have the exam on the porch, for Milton, and let them stand tied to the trailer, for Rodney.” [At The Horses’ Annual Check-Up, The Check-Up Is The Easiest Part 2022]

No stalls. We turned down the offer and went for a graze while we waited. Horses definitely approved of this.

Outside. When Rodney started to fuss, I suggested moving to the patio, photo above. While not sedate, he was better. Vet tech called him dramatic. Yup.

One benefit of the clinic over a farm call is facilities. For example, a scale for accurate weighing.

Rodney 1250 pounds. Would like a bit more.

Milton 1080. Not as tubby as we thought.

Onwards!
Katherine

Art Happenings. American Saddlebred Museum: Address Change Announced to Honor Wing Commander, May 15, 2023. Wishing good rides to everyone gathering at the Kentucky Horse Park for the Lexington Junior League Charity Horse Show.

~~~

“When it comes to outlining vs. improvising, I’ve found that we all do the same steps in a different order.” Tor.com: The “Plotter vs. Pantser” Writing Divide Has Been Exaggerated, Palmer 2022.

Onwards!
Katherine

Words from the outside world. Ars Technica: How “Wordle editor” became a real job at The New York Times, Orland, 11/12/2022.

~~~

I had a plan for Thursdays, “Moving forward, any saddle seat lessons will be stirred in with any hunter/jumper/eventing lessons, dogs, etc., for an Other category on Thursdays.” [Other Horses, Whither Saddle Seat Wednesdays, Or How Wednesday Became Thursday]

Lately, Thursdays have been more dog hair, less horse hair.

Why More Dogs

People who knew Jasmine & Rose in Boston (Waves hi!) like to hear about them. Cute dog stories? On it.

Why No Other Horses I

All of the jumping barns have full dance cards. My guess is that outdoor activities got a boost when ventilation became a concern. Or maybe they are simply busy. If I were a high-ticket client, they would find a way to fit me in. I’m not, so they don’t.

In a way I can’t blame them. They don’t know me. They don’t know my history. All they see is a gray-haired, old lady freaking out over crossrails. It would be natural to think this client is neither interesting nor remunerative. They are wrong. The only way I can prove this is to get a horse, get my act together, get myself to the shows, and demonstrate what I can do. There is so much bullshittery in the horse world that you believe what people do, not what people say.

Net, net. No jump lessons for me.

Why No Other Horses II

The lack of saddle seat lessons is more a case of getting in my own way.

Schedule. The times that are good to take lessons are also the times that are good to work the home team.

inertia. In the abstract, I approve of lessons for their own sake. In reality, it appears that I require an upcoming show to get my ass in gear. Plus, I currently have a level of inertia that would utterly fail to move mountains. [Making Time For The Other Horses]

Nerves. Have not magically evaporated.

Other Other Horses

There are two horse-shaped Thursday posts on the horizon. One is a guest post (Thank you!) the other is happenings elsewhere in the horse world.

This looks to be where Thursdays are for the moment. Amusing horse tidbits mixed with dogs.

Onwards!
Katherine

Sports of the outside world. “The game commonly known as ice hockey is hereby recognized and declared to be the national winter sport of Canada and the game commonly known as lacrosse is hereby recognized and declared to be the national summer sport of Canada.” Government of Canada, Justice Laws Website: National Sports of Canada Act, 1994

~~~

Last month, I went to Montreal for a family visit. To be clear, family does not live in Canada. We gathered in Montreal.

Les Promenades Quotidiennes/The Daily Walks

Jeudi/Thursday

Gare Centrale de Montréal. Around the block while waiting to meet an arriving train.

Vendredi/Friday

(map currently stuck in email limbo)

Saint Lawrence River. Staying on an island. Must go look at river. Check. The Canadian Encyclopedia: St. Lawrence River.

Samedi/Saturday

Holiday Inn Montreal Centreville Downtown. Around the block while waiting for folks to assemble for dinner.

Dimanche, 5K Pour Le Mois/Sunday, Monthly 5K

Run For Women
Parc Maisonneuve
Montreal
June 11, 2023
Time – 59:40
Update. 59 min gun time = 52 min GPS time + 7 min from official start untiI I crossed start line.

Canadian red border colour from Canada.ca: Colour: Design Standard for the Federal Identity Program

Last month [One Place, Lots of Pasture, State of the Fitness]

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. CNN: South Koreans become younger overnight after country scraps ‘Korean age’, Yeung & Seo, June 27, 2023.

~~~

Updated Now page.

+++

July 2023

🐴🐴

‘Tis the season to be out of the sun. Work in the morning. Chill inside under the fans during the day. Occasional grazing forays. We have not reached daily afternoon baths, but are getting close.

🐶🐶

Dogs also inside during the day. Their choice. Well, Jasmine’s choice. Rose would stay inside, on her chair, 24/7 with brief outings for the restroom & occasional walkies. Anyway. Once it got hot, Jasmine stopped asking for a mid-morning transfer to the patio. How does she know the weather from inside an air-conditioned house?

🐱

Cats continue to patrol from house to barn, looking for rodents &/or comfortable places to sleep. They seem to care more about coming in from the rain than avoiding the heat.

+++

Last Month [Yet More Walking]

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. A good description of how people can inadvertently commit errors. “And then no-one saw a problem with that, which I attribute to the fact that the people making these decisions were overwhelmingly white … which means that racism isn’t constantly shoved in their faces the way it is for non-white people, which means they have the luxury of not thinking about race, which means that they can perpetuate racist stereotypes without even noticing.” LotR re-read: Fellowship movie re-watch, Nepveu, 2009. Emphasis mine.

~~~

New set up. Bought PIVO pod. Uses cell phone. Had tripod. [Beeswax Creek Park]

For those who haven’t heard about these widgets, a PIVO, or similar device, automatically tracks and records a moving horse.

Maybe a virtual driven dressage test. Maybe virtual lessons. Maybe nothing in the near future. It will get used. Virtual ain’t going away.

Onwards!
Katherine