Virtual Brush Box

Driving

Awareness of the outside horse world. Driving Digest: Going the Distance w/ Robin & Wilson Groves, Pringle.

~~~

Coach Kate brought driving instructor Robin Groves, R&W Horse Drawn Services, down from Vermont for a clinic. We went up to Tennessee. Saturday was moved to a local indoor when the rain showed up on the forecast. Sunday was cones and dressage at Whip Hand Farm.

Greg drove with Robin Groves back when he was taking lessons with Coach Kate’s horses. Liked her teaching very much. When he heard about the clinic, he announced that he wanted to take Milton.

I thought he was nuts. Milton’s record is not good for going places and covering himself with glory. [Several instances come to mind are seared indelibly into memory. No links. Looking forward to good not back to bad. But I digress.]

Diligent work commenced. Milton kept making incremental improvements. We headed off to Tennessee. We posited all manner of off-ramps. Milton might just ground drive. Milton might not hitch the first day. Milton might come off the trailer and decide that the aliens were landing. In which case, we would pat him on the neck and go home.

Come the day?

Milton was a star. Milton was an absolute, amazing, freaking, platinum star. Elegant, forward gaits. Energetic without a trace of stiffness or anxiety. Holding a steady contact with the bit. Tolerated a noisy indoor ring on a windy day. Transitions. Figures. In and out of cones. Trotting around a dressage ring for the first time ever in a cart.

It was unbelievable.

Literally unbelievable.

As in, who is this horse and were did he come from?

We got exercises. We got advice. We got guidance for the future.

The big thing we learned at the clinic?

It’s in there.

Onwards!
Katherine

Riding

Awareness of the outside world. Show benefits St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

~~~

Screen shot from Facebook, taken 5 October 2022. Border added.

No Stepping Stone lesson last week. Barn was at Nationals.

Did I miss going? Yes, because horse show. No, because super stressful horse show. [Where I Am Not]

Last month, Nationals chose a photo of me for a promotional post, “Wondering what to wear to the National Academy Championship Horse Show? Check out our attire page for helpful tips! Read Now: What To Wear” FB: post

I know it’s probably the luck of the draw what photos get used. Still, I was strangely touched by this.

The disembodied hand in the photo belongs to Reagan, Coach Courtney’s daughter and Stepping Stone Farm’s equitation star. If I looked good in the ring, it was thanks to Reagan’s sartorial oversight. [Barnshine]

Props to the late Sandra Hall for the photo and to J for making sure I saw the post. [Tempis Fugit II]

I bought this photo, along with many others from Nationals 2018. [Sandra Hall Captures The Moment]

As for 2022, it was a building year for the SSF riders who went. Bravi Tutti!

As for the title, Ms. Hall captured several photos of me at screaming at Nationals. [Nationals I Have Known]

Onwards!
Katherine

Riding

Awareness of the outside world. Voting in the US today. Whatever: I Hate Your Politics.

~~~

Rodney has lost hackamore privileges. [Two Reins]

On the upside, he goes well in it. Giving aids to his nose does not cause the overly-dramatic curled shrimp reaction that using a bit does.

On the downside, he ignores it.

Part of the problem with his epic fuss was that I started with a solid hold of the hackamore rein. I had no input at all. Once I got a better grip of the bit rein, we were able to have more of a conversation. [Rodney Is Sent to the Horse House]

Rodney now wears a bit when he accompanies me on my walks.

I have been walking with the horses off & on. [Humming Along]

New plan is more on that off, more Rodney than Milton.

Since he is back to wearing a bit under saddle, he’s doing the handwalks with a bit to get him readjusted to the idea. He also wears his saddle because he takes walks more seriously if he’s tacked up.

Yes, Rodney, remedial classes suck pond water. Should’ve made better life choices.

Onwards!
Katherine

Horsekeeping

Awareness of the outside world. Color The World Orange & NERVEmber.

~~~

Fortiflex, 5 gal. Flat Back General Purpose Horse Bucket, Black Hunter Green, Tractor Supply.

We needed more buckets – how could we possibly need more buckets? – so I bought them in Rodney’s color.

If he ever needs to go for a sleepover at a show, or a clinic, or an overnight lesson, we are ready.

Onwards!
Katherine

Images

Art of the outside world. Museum of Bad Art.

~~~

~~~

Not as sad as most years. Horse Nation: The Idea of Order: Hello Darkness, my Old ‘Friend’…

1) Working horses in the am. Will benefit from morning light.

2) The last time?!

Reuters: U.S. Senate approves bill to make daylight saving time permanent, Shepardson, March 16, 2022

Congress.gov: S.623 – Sunshine Protection Act of 2021. Passed Senate. Waiting on House & Prez.

“Update: Mexico Abolishes DST … On October 26, the Mexican government announced that the Senate approved the law to remove DST in Mexico. Northern border locations will still follow the US DST schedule.” Time & Date: Daylight Saving Time Ends in USA & Canada, Buckle & Gundersen. 30-Sep-2022. Changed 27-Oct-2022.

Onwards!
Katherine

Words

Awareness of the outside world. The Verge: Welcome to hell, Elon, Patel, Oct 28, 2022. Aside from the amusingly hyperbolic language, the author raises interesting points about the problems facing a global social media platform.

~~~

Blog humming along. Nothing pressing to say for the monthly State of the Blog post. [STOB archives]

So, here are a few books.

“Not reviews. Imagine we are in a bookstore. I wander up to you, hand you one of these books, say ‘Have you read this one?’, then wander off. Whereupon you look at the cover, turn it over, look at the back cover, read the blurb, flip through the book, and decide for yourself if you are interested. It’s like that. Enjoy.” [Have You Read This?]

Finished all of these, which is a recommendation in itself. I am bad about getting distracted by shiny objects books. These retained my interest sufficiently to keep me from wandering off to other books.

Two are from Book Culture, one of my fav bookstores. Their book selection most definitely has a bias, which leans the way I do, which I don’t find often where I live. I always wish I had more room in my luggage when I shop there.

Enough blather. Here are the books.

Declassified: A Low-Key Guide to the High-Strung World of Classical Music, By Arianna Warsaw-Fan Rauch (Putnam 2002). Publisher’s book page. Music guide interspersed with author’s experience as a top violinist.

Along those lines, A Enter Spooking: I Quit. Author talks about walking away from competitive dressage. Your ideas get more cred when you have a USDF gold medal in your back pocket. It’s not like me declaiming what I don’t like about dressage as I potter around the Intro ring.

Border Crossings: A Journey on the Trans-Siberian Railway, by Emma Fick, (Harper 2022). Publisher’s book page. I have ordered the author’s other two travel books, Snippets of New Orleans & Snippets of Serbia.

In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex, by Nathaniel Philbrick, (Penquin 2000). Publisher’s book page. What happened after the whale hit the boat. Non-fiction. If you search on this, add “book” or the author’s name otherwise you will get the movie. Read for class. [36]

Images from publisher pages. No deals or affiliate links. Bought books. Like telling people about stuff to read. [Have You Read This? archives]

Onwards!
Katherine

Fit To Ride

Awareness of the outside world. My choices for travel. Masked: door to door for airport & flights, at service, shopping in big stores. No mask: outside, in private house (small group & felt rude, which is NOT a good reason but it was family and I’m human), in restaurants (because eating). Inconsistent masking: quick stops in small stores, i.e. gas station food mart, and walking through hotel lobby. I was very much in the minority, but I was never the only person masked.

I’ve had all my shots, including second booster and flu. Since I don’t get out much, I have the immunity exposure of a kid starting day care. I like the idea of not breathing in everyone’s germs.

~~~

Thoughts at top. Scroll down for pretty pictures.

I’ve started something that is hard for me.

Drumroll …

I will NOT keep track of my daily walks. (Breathe. Breathe.)

Seriously, the idea of having facts and not putting them on a list is anathema to how my brain works.

However.

The point is to walk *today* for my physical and mental health. Whether or not I walked yesterday is irrelevant.

Therefore, fitness post format will change.

Dropping. Repeat places. Assume pasture, local park, and so on.
Dropping. Data Dump. No numbers.
Keeping. New places. Because interesting.
Keeping. Data Dump. I’ll keep track of type of activities, see below, but will try not to be too tight on how often.
Keeping. Mississippi River mileage. Because also interesting. Not exact mileage. Not places unless different or notable. Will change to weekly logging. This may mean I lose a mile here or there or overestimate my virtual progress. It’ll be fine. I’ll be fine. (Breathe. Breathe.)

One-Mile Walks, New Places

Moundville Archaeological Park

Walmart. Also walked around outside of building this time. Amazing the difference in the size of the loop.

Erie Canal towpath
Pittsford NY
Photo taken at green dot next to canal.

Charlotte Pier
Ontario Beach Park
Rochester NY

A pier that sticks out into Lake Ontario. While I don’t usually keep track of the mileage outside of my daily walks, I credited myself with second a mile for the day because the pier is so freaking long. [Walking With Intention]

Democrat & Chronicle: Photos: A day at the Charlotte Pier, Tina MacIntyre-Yee, 2019

Activities Last Month
Walking
Biking, once
Riding Lessons

Links

Virtual Places. Minnesota [Biking and Walking Virtually, Mississippi River, Part One]

Last month [Humming Along, State of the Fitness]

Outro

Bollard Posse [Art Deco Logo, Art of the outside world]

Onwards!
Katherine