Horse Shopping, What I Am Looking For

Riding

Awareness of the outside world. NYT: Got a Covid Booster? You Probably Won’t Need Another for a Long Time, Mandavilli, Feb. 21, 2022.
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The first question horse sellers ask is “What are you looking for?” I never know how to answer. Experience? It depends. Breed? It depends. Price? It depends.

Here’s an email Husband sent to a seller. (Lightly edited because I can’t help myself.)

We are looking for a Saddlebred sport horse that will be able to do Novice eventing and local jumpers. Doesn’t have to do novice now, but should have the potential. 5-6 years to 10-12 years old okay. Prefer geldings, but the right mare would be okay.  Hoping to stay around 10K. If it drives, that would be a plus. 

Have complicated horses now. Looking for uncomplicated, straightforward to ride. Rider is experienced, just not interested in a lot of drama.  More whoa than go preferred (she can usually get them to go).   

We recognize that this horse may not exist. New to the Saddlebred sport horse world. Seen lots of ‘Saddlebred isn’t fancy enough to make it in the show ring so lets make it a Sport Horse.’ Would like something suitable to the jumping world.

Thanks

Nailed it.

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Update. I have been advised against making “Not fancy enough for … ” statements in print. This was not my opinion. This is the opinion we have seen from sellers. Happens in every breed/discipline. Horse is not suitable for the main focus of the breed/discipline, so folks try to find it a home doing something else. The thing is, we all admire the same attitude. The athletic, willing horse who can do X is also going to be good at not-X. YMMV

Who knows, I may have made it worse.

Update on the update. Have seen this on more than one occasion in the jumping world. Horse can’t jump, lets sell it as a dressage horse. No, no, no. That’s not how dressage works. Again, YMMV.

One more thought. The Sport Horse as catch-all-category was more prevalent the last time we were looking. ASB Sport is coming into its own. Seen some nice ASB Sport Horses out there this time around. [Show Stalking]

I’ll stop now.
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Onwards!
Katherine

Rodney’s Rain Delay

Riding

Awareness of the outside world. TV Today. PBS: NATURE Season 40 Preview, AMERICAN HORSES. Check your local channel.
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Spring is coming!

Time to get ready!

Time to end Rodney’s winter vacay!

We will move forward with enthusiasm and diligence!

We will embrace the new adventure!

We will …

… watch it rain.

Oh well, Spring will still be coming next week.

Onwards!
Katherine

Mindset Monday, A Moment

Riding

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” Arthur Ashe

Remember last Monday I said that I was stressed before an interview? [Wondering]

As a reward, I scheduled a riding lesson. [Saddlebred Attitude]

After three days of winding myself up, I was completely exhausted & out of stress chemicals.

I had a small eek when we set the lesson then I was okay. I went out the barn. Chatted with folks. Brushed the horse. It was wonderful. Casual. Relaxed. Out to have a fun ride. As it should be. Got ready. Got on.

Then.

Just as I swung my leg over, the hyper-excitable emergency alert system in my lizard brain woke up. ‘Wait! What? Getting on a horse?!? Time to pani …’ and done.

A short, sharp spike.

Kinda funny now that it’s over. Disorienting at the time.

Onwards!
Katherine

Horses In The NYT Crossword

Words

Awareness of the outside world. American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, April 1st to 3rd, 2022. Virtual is planned. [Let The Boxes Begin ACPT 2021]
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Last week was hard, for no obvious reason. I mean other than … waves hands around in circles. So, here’s one from the vault.

Six months of horses in The NY Times Crossword, July thru December 2021.

11 July 2021. 1A Art of riding and training a horse. DRESSAGE.

17 July 2021. 11D “Whoa, ___!”. NELLIE

20 July 2021. 54D Equine color. ROAN.

21 July 2021. 37D Speckled coat. ROAN.

13 August 2021. 34A Bay ___ (certain horse). ROAN.

18 August 2021. 16A With 26-Across, game that uses a blindfold. PINTHETAIL/ONTHEDONKEY. 17D Centaur’s foot. HOOF.

22 August 2021. 115A The Trojans lacked the FORESIGHT to turn this down. GIFTHORSE.

04 September 2021. 47D Margeno, for Napoleon. STEED.

05 September 2021. 11D Got ready to ride, with “up”. SADDLED.

06 September 2021. 4A On the ___ of the moment. SPUR. Non-equine usage with equine origins. To do something in haste, as if one has been spurred.

07 September 2021. 53A Spoke hoarsely, like a blacksmith. RASPED. A pun no less!

17 October 2021. 40D Horse of a different Color. ROAN.

22 October 2021. 11D Quartet in Revelation. HORSEMEN.

26 October 2021. 7D Flowering plant also know as horsemint. BEEBALM. 51D Shrek’s companion in “Shrek”. DONKEY.

9 November 2021. 40A Long part of a horse, short part of a giraffe. MANE.

13 November 2021. 38D Word with talking or horse. SENSE.

20 November 2021. 4D Part of an equine bloodline. SIRE.

23 November 2021. 33D Horse for a knight. STEED. 60A Blacksmith’s block. ANVIL.

24 November 2021. 1A Blacksmith’s waste. SLAG.

28 Nov 2021. 13D Get off one’s high orse? DISMOUNT.

1 Dec 2021. 2D Swordsman with a horse named Tornado. ZORRO. 29D Hey, for horses? NEIGH. 35D “Whatever ___ wants, __ gets” (“Damn Yankees” lyric). LOLA. [Lunching With Lola]

4 Dec 2021. 53D Printmaker? HOOF.

5 Dec 2021. 16D Napoleon’s famed war horse. MARENGO.

7 Dec 2021. 37A Close follower of the “horserace” POLITICAL JUNKIE.

13 Dec 2021. 26D Gait for a horse with a buggy, TROT.

Extra

25 July 2021. 94D Clear, as crystal. BUS.
This one took me a minute when I solved it and then again when I retrieved it for posting. What? Why did I save that? Oh.

24 July 2021. 14A One might be off the hook. HOMEPHONE.
Gives you an idea of the puzzle’s demographic.

17 September 2021. 55A Cheese whose name is a semordnilap. EDAM. What a wonderful word. “The semordnilap differs from the palindrome in that the reverse reading is not necessarily identical. All palindromes are semordnilaps, but not all semordnilaps are palindromes … Note: semordnilap is the word palindromes read backwards.” Semordnilap Generator

27 Nov 2021. The book of number. YELLOWPAGES. Another one for the demographic. Do young people even know what these are?

Links

XWord Info Finder says DRESSAGE, which got me started on this, has been used 17 times between 1967 and 2021. HORSE has been used 273 times since 1942. EQUINE has been used ??? times. Looks like you get a few free chances and then they paywall. More power to them. If I used it more often, I would.

Onwards!
Katherine

The Light Returneth

Fit To Ride

Awareness of the outside world. The theme for Black History Month 2022 is Black Health and Wellness. “This theme acknowledges the legacy of not only Black scholars and medical practitioners in Western medicine, but also other ways of knowing (e.g., birthworkers, doulas, midwives, naturopaths, herbalists, etc.) throughout the African Diaspora.” ASALH: BLACK HISTORY THEMES.
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Taken during a pasture walk last week.

Sunset at 5:45 pm! Whoot!

Technical details. Internet says actual sunset was 5:26 pm on that day. Enough light to walk and possibly finish up at ride at almost 6 pm. Fiat lux!

Onwards!
Katherine