Virtual Brush Box

Riding, Vicariously

Awareness of the outside world. The Hoof Blog: Farriers at the Herning 2022 FEI World Championships: Who was minding the forge? Saturday, August 27, 2022

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No lesson last week, barn at Louisville.

[The Illustrated Month, August]

SSF entry picks up a ribbon. You can see Coach Courtney’s smile from here.

Helmet Watch

By my count, five helmets out of 18 in class 26 Hunter Country Pleasure. The rest wore huntcaps.

Helmets placed 2nd, 3rd, & 5th. So, no obvious helmet prejudice. OTOH, less visible difference between helmet (with harness) and huntcap (same shape, no harness) than between helmet and bowler/top hat (traditional ASB wear), or helmet and no hat.

In these classes, there is always one rider who looks to me that they do non-ASB activities on the regular. That pair never places well. When I’m feeling curmudgeonly, I fuss that a real-time jumping horse should do well in HCP. When I’m feeling reasonable, I recognize that it is a matter of different criteria. HCP is more about ASB Country Pleasure while wearing hunter tack than about being an AHSA hunter. Yeah, I know, I still think of it as the AHSA.

Everyone in Junior Roadster had a helmet, which I suspect is a requirement.

Two of seven in Amateur Roadster Under Saddle, but they looked like juniors. Juniors riding in amateur classes? Adults who just look young to me?

Mask Watch

One on gatekeeper.

Diversity watch

A few more Black and Asian faces sprinkled among the riders. Saddle seat always has more boys than hunt seat does. A few stout physiques. However, the overall paradigm remains thin, white, and female, at least among the kids and amateurs.

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Also watched the USEF/AVA Vaulting National Championship on USEF Network.

Vaulting victory gallop. After the ribbon presentation, the lunger & horse walk off quietly while the vaulters, on foot, run around the ring.

Onwards!
Katherine

Horsekeeping Prior to Riding

Awareness of the outside world. Vox: Anyone can fall for online scams — even you. Here’s how to avoid them, Morrison, Jun 29, 2022.

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In which we reintroduce the concept of work to the horses.

Brushes located.

Tack dusted off.

The above applied in requisite order.

Milton lunged.

Rodney walked from mounting block to ring. Played couch while Milton trotted a handful of circles.

Gold stars all around.

May this be the beginning of a fruitful autumn.

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In related news, how can a month with two horses shows suck so much pond water?

Background.

Saturday 6 August, horse show. The excitement of tiny proto-jumps only lasts so long. [Doctor Whooves Plays In The Pony Ring]
Sunday, easy recovery ride.
Monday, becomes obvious that we are in dog hospice mode. [Celebrate Dogs]
Tuesday, Rodney’s leg blows up. [It’s Always Something]

Sunday 14 August, ASB horse show. Distraction not working as well as it used to. [Red Queen Reprise]

Meanwhile back at the ranch, cue three week sabbatical.
[Rodney’s Foot Saga Continues]
[What About Meeeee? Milton Update]
[Feets Update]
[Taking a Splinter to the ER, Rodney Visits the Vet]

Sunday 28 August, deferalization.

I know one is not suppose to wish one’s life away, but Come on, September! [The Illustrated Month, August]

Onwards!
Katherine

Horsekeeping

Awareness of the outside world. “The uncrewed Artemis I mission … is targeting liftoff on August 29 between 8:33 a.m. ET and 10:33 a.m. ET from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.” CNN: How to watch the Artemis I mission lift off to the moon, Strickland, August 28, 2022. Emphasis mine.

Update. CNN: Today’s Artemis I launch has been scrubbed after engine issue, Strickland, August 29, 2022. Phooey.

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The Diagnosis, a play in one act.

Us: Rodney’s heel is swollen & sore. It’s minor but taking forever to heal.

Vet, pokes & prods: Yup.

Us: Do you need to … sedate … block … ultrasound?

Vet: Nope.

Us: Well, okay then.

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I jest, but we were closing in on three weeks. It was time for expert eyes. Bottom line. His heel is annoyed. It will get over itself. Eventually.

Well, okay then.

Onwards!
Katherine

Images

Art of the outside world. The Met: Chroma: Ancient Sculpture in Color. Check out the tabs for Visiting Guide & Exhibition Objects.

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X, History of a Color by Michel Pastoureau, Princeton. Had Blue & Black. Splurged on the rest of the rainbow. Hence the shiny covers. They are sitll in plastic. White has been pre-ordered for next year. In honor of this, I went through blog photos looking for color.

[My First Show, Sorta]

[Blue At The Barn]

“Whenever I see blue duct tape, I think of you.” [What Makes You, You? A Blog Hop.]

Black & white photography. Photo by me. Post-processing by McKinney Photography. [Foto Friday: Morning Mist]

Photo by Ginni Bush. [The Return of Doctor Whooves, FCHP Schooling Show, April 2021, Guest Photos II]

[Green Horses on the Wall, Lisbon, Portugal, Guest Photo]

“Seeing what I could do with a single color.” [An Exercise in Green]

“BTW, the green ribbon measures 41 inches from crown to tip.” [Putting The Show In Showmanship, Show Report, Alabama Charity 2019, Riding]

[Foto Friday: Red Queen]

[Milton SitRep, Saddle & Supplements & Success]

[The Canadian Horse & The Red Queen Take Second, Show Report, Alabama Fun Show #1 2018, ERA Stables]

[Yellow Associations]

[Signs of Summer]

[Show Report: Important Questions from NACHS 2014, Part 2]

[Speaking Of Ribbons]

What I Learned

Finding color photos – Easy.

Finding photos where the color was significant – Hard.

There are 11 years of blog photos to chose from. Aside from a few arty shots, all of them are in color. Most of the time the color was incidental.

Pastoureau’s examples are mainly paintings, which are a) the historical option & b) where each element is a choice.

In day-to-day life, we may wear a shirt because it is the requisite level of formality/informality, comfortable, &/or clean. Color is secondary, at least in my life.

Similarly, unless one shows Palominos or Paints, horse color is incidental to attitude, performance, level of formality/informality, comfort, and so on.

So I ended up with 1) ribbons, where the color of the object is part of the meaning of the object. Change the color, change the object, and 2) team shirts & saddlepads.

Onwards!
Katherine

Words

Be a Moon Rat without leaving Earth!

You love the comic!

Now live the life!

The Lunar Experience!(TM) is an underground, full-scale reproduction of the first lunar habitat. Tunnels, lighting, hydroponic growing areas. Everything but the gravity!

While you are living in The Lunar Experience!(TM), you will participate in every aspect of Moon Rat life. You will help with machine maintenance, do air checks, even help write a sample comic. Our Moon Rat reencators will guide you through your daily activities.

It’s not all work at The Lunar Experience!(TM), you can chose from light shows, concerts by lunar-trained musicians, and dances choreographed to simulate low-gravity moves.

The Lunar Experience!(TM) offers custom packages. From overnights to week-long immersions. From family-friendly to group social mores. From Lunar-influenced food to an entire week of Moon Rat rations.

The moon is only a train ride away!

We live here!

Now you can too!

~~~ curtain ~~~

Author’s Note. The one that got away & free fiction for you.

This was supposed to be Dreaming of the Moon as a Kid, a third storyette inspired by EM’s wonderful illustration.

Premise One sounded a lot like “Chrysalis” – Jurassic London’s Stocking Stuffer (Jurassic London, 2014).

Convergent evolution. I had already started mine when I found the other.

No problem. I’d only written a few lines.

Recast.

Premise Two sounded a lot like the Lawrence Watt-Evans story Why I Left Harry’s All-Night Hamburgers – Escape Pod 413, with The Lunar Experience playing the part of Harry’s Diner.

I’d read this a while back so mine could definitely be an echo.

Phooey.

TLE was past of both stories so that’s what I went with.

[Moon Rats archive]

Onwards!
Katherine

Fit To Ride

Awareness of the outside world. “The run raised money for Old Friends, a local charity that supports retired horses.” Breyer: Strudel Sprint 5k Results!

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5K for August. The thought is daily mile & monthly 5k. My walks are definitely more Spaziergang (stroll) than power walk. This year’s BreyerFest theme was Prost! Hence Strudel & Spaziergang.

The Strudel Sprint 5K
Virtual Version
Limestone Park
Sunday 22 August 2022
Standard pace

The Walk

First long walk since Cherry Blossom & Indy in April. Ankle and stamina both held up. [In The Pink 27 Aug, Indy 5K Walk 29 Aug]

Serious face in photo is from concentrating on getting self, shirt, and backdrop into the frame at the same time. My selfie game is weak.

The Park

They kindly cut a path through the shrubbery. Bird observation station on the right.

Entrance

Emo scenery.

The Park On a Previous Walk

[New Park, Old Park, No Park, Year of the Ox Challenge, Walks 5, 6, and 6.5, Limestone, Railroad, and Liberty Parks]

Onwards!
Katherine

Horsekeeping

Awareness of the outside world. The Guardian: Regular physical activity may lessen Covid risks, study finds, Gregory, 22 Aug 2022.

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A third post on horse hooves in one week? Welcome to my world. All feet all the time.

Milton has new shoes. Rain held off. Barefoot hoof wall held up. He’s good now … as long as we remember to give him some love. [What About Meeeee?]

Rodney has new shoes! Had to be done. He was overdue and his thin Thoroughbred feet do not take a joke. Blacksmith was careful to work around the sore heel. Rodney tolerated the hammering. He was quite happy with the stream of cookie bribes.

Blacksmith posited that there was still a foreign body in the foot, perhaps part of a stick, a tiny rock, even a stiff piece of hay. We never saw an entry wound or any blood from same, but it would explain why his foot keeps improving but never completely gets better. [Rodney’s Foot Saga Continues]

His heel doesn’t heal. I crack myself up.

Onwards!
Katherine