Virtual Brush Box

Horsekeeping

Awareness of the outside world. Teen Vogue: The Fantastical Hobbyhorse Universe in Finland Is Captured in “The Gallop”, Antón, December 3, 2021. The Guardian: Hobbyhorsing: what girls everywhere can learn from the Finnish craze, Barton, 30 Apr 2019. Note date in second link. This is not a new thing.
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On Wednesday, we had a proto-jumping lesson. [In Which We Almost Have a Jumping Lesson]

We will work! We will practice all the things! We will … stand around and do nothing. Almost nothing.

On Thursday, Rodney bonked himself on the leg, probably during a frolic.

Right front, inside, between bone and tendon, just above the fetlock.

The insult was tiny. A scrape. A slight swelling. Maybe a bit of heat if I concentrated. Had it been on his butt, I would not have given it a second look.

However. Leg. Delicate, fragile, horse leg.

Cue time off. Hosing. Constant, obsessive feeling of the the injured leg. Coupled with constant, obsessive feeling of the opposite leg for comparison.

He never took an off step and did not behave as if anything hurt.

We did a few hand walks. When he stood for too long, he would puff up. Slightly.

Over the weekend, we did one short mounted walk/stand in order to keep Milton company. I figure he walks all day anyway, he can hoist my carcass around for a few minutes and play couch. Particularly after he was seen cantering up for breakfast.

All that momentum from the lesson and we went … nowhere.

Pffft.

Maybe I should get a hobby horse.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Riding

Awareness of the outside world. Ancient Alabama, part five, AL.com: Alabama’s spectacular Little River Canyon was formed by ancient sea mud, Pillion, 17 Nov 2021, updated 19 Nov 2021.
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Brought Rodney over to Hunter Barn for last week’s lesson.

Since Rodney and I haven’t done much consistently, we started with the basics. Halt. Walk. Trot. Poles.

Instructor did an excellent job creating a challenging lesson with such unexciting material. Halt square. Stay straight. March at the walk. Slow my posting at the trot.

Even at the walk, Instructor insisted that I stay on task. Hunter Barn horses work while they are in the ring. They can chill when strolling around outside the ring. When in the ring, they work. I am much more likely to say, ‘Hey that was a good five minutes of work, why don’t we relax for five minutes, or maybe ten.’

We need to work on fitness & keeping Rodney working from behind. No jumps yet, but getting closer.

Milton gets a gold star for staying home. He doesn’t have the freedom of the field yet, but he behaved himself in the stall. 🌟 [Rodney’s Semi-Permanent Gold Star]

Previous Hunter Barn post [School Horse Goes Round and Round]

In other news, I have sent in my membership to Alabama Hunter Jumper Association. If history is any indication, that means I will go nowhere near a hunter show next year. [Ambushed By My Mailbox]

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Riding

Awareness of the outside world. As with aid organizations yesterday, food banks prefer cash. “Rather than paying retail prices … This means that when you donate a dollar, you’re able to put more meals on the tables of families than if you donated food you’d purchased at the store.” Feeding America: Donating food to a food bank? Consider cash instead of canned goods., Thoelke, November 12, 2021.
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After our adventures with the hackamore noseband, we played Goldilocks. [A Negative Result Still Counts As Data]

Too loose. Since he didn’t like the thick noseband on the hackamore, I tried riding without any noseband at all. Rodney thought it was weird. I swear the vibe I got was, ‘Ooooh, look at me. I’m running naked in the rain.’ It was all too hippy-dippy for either of us.

Too tight. Back to our regular noseband. I would have said I ride with a loose noseband. However, when I watched him chew the bit, I saw that his jaw came in contact with the lower strap. Not tight, but touching. Rodney does not react well to constriction, even the suggestion of constriction, particularly around his face.

Just right. I loosened the nosestrap another hole and lengthen the overhead strap so that the nosepiece sits farther down his nose. I discovered that “two fingers” is loose to the point of floppy. He seems to like it.

Could such a tiny change make a difference? On any other horse, I would say no. Rodney has always had his knobs on 11.

Eurodressage: On the Ignorance of Noseband Tightness and Vague FEI Noseband Rules, Rottermann, 2018. Good photos of the different ways you can position fingers under a noseband. I am using the measure of two stacked fingers.

The Horse: Noseband Tightness Study: The Two-Finger Rule Is Just About Right, Lesté-Lasserre, 2019. The physics of the horse’s nose anatomy.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Horsekeeping

Awareness of the outside world. Speaking of weather, heart goes out the Midwest & South, not that this does anybody any good. Cash does. “After seeing destroyed homes and people who have lost everything, we may be tempted to donate clothing, food, bottled water or other supplies. Aid organizations say donations like that often create logistical nightmares and more expense. A financial donation can be spent on what is needed most at that particular moment.” Weather.com: How to Help Victims of Deadly Tornado Outbreak.
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Pause to center.

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Over time, the floor of the run-in shed has been stomped into a bowl. Rain leaks in the upper doorway and never leaves. Ultimately, the area needs to be refloored with a metric sh*t ton of gravel. Until then, we installed a door sill.

Heading in.

Heading out.

We chose to make the step obvious so the horses would see it and step over it, rather than a narrow lip that might catch their feet. Sloped on the outside to direct rain away (crosses fingers).

Much spinning and hopping when they first saw it. Now they walk right over it.

So far, so dry.

Barn owners, do you find yourselves working as amateur hydrologists when dealing with rain and run-off?

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Admin note. I scheduled the door sill post before the recent weather. I couldn’t figure out if the two sections together are timely or tone deaf. When folks have lost everything, muddy footing is a minor inconvenience. However, a minor problem is still a problem to be solved & horses standing in mud can lead to health issues. End navel gazing.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Images

Words

Speaker 1: I’m holding a Friendmas. Wanna come?

Speaker 2: Say what?

Speaker 1: Friendmas. It’s like Friendsgiving except at Christmas. It’s for people who don’t have family, and for people who have family but wish they didn’t, and for folks who have to stay in town to work holiday shifts.

Speaker 2: What is Friendmas when you take it out of the box?

Speaker 1: Well, to start, the color scheme is purple and orange and yellow and blue, basically any color other than red and green.

Speaker 2: So it’s an anti-Christmas?

Speaker 1: Not at all. That’s the point. There is nothing inherently Christmas about red and green. Or snow. Or traveling. Or Santa. Or fir trees. Or Jingle Bells. Or Frosty. Or …

Speaker 2: I get it. I get it.

Speaker 1: Or … ahem. Anyway. You can have none of those things and still have Christmas. Think of it as alt.Christmas.

Speaker 2: Activities?

Speaker 1: Eat. Drink (both high-test and regular). Be Merry. Play holiday movies with the sound off and make up our own dialogue.

Speaker 2: Gifts?

Speaker 1: Yes, gifts, but everything has to be consumable. No stuff. You won’t leave with anymore than you came with. Again, there is nothing inherently Christmas about buying stuff. Although, I did buy lumps of frankincense and myrrh because how many of us have actually seen those things? Did you know they are both resins? I figure everyone knows what gold looks like.

Speaker 2: Sounds like a plan.

Speaker 1: I’m looking forward to it.

Speaker 2: I’m just here as a narrative device, aren’t I?

Speaker 1: Yeah, but this way I’m not talking to myself.

Speaker 2: Merry alt.Christmas, everyone.

~~~

This would be a fun frame for an ensemble plot. Each character or set of characters has their own problems. There is an interrelated solution that comes together at the party.

~~ fin~~

Fit To Ride

Awareness of the outside world. Charity Partners, NYRR: Run for Charity. “Nonprofits accepted into the Official Charity Partner Program are able to raise vital funds through runners looking to gain guaranteed entry into our sold-out premier events. NYRR: Official Charity Partner Program.
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Virtual Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K
Lock Haven Park/Hoover Dog Park
5 Nov 2021
~57 minutes

Oh look, Strava records moving time. I’ve often thought my 5K time would be under an hour, if I didn’t count time that I stopped for photos and notes.

No loot, other than this digital badge. Sad face. Gets away with it because this 5K and the idea of walking around NYC is what started my 5K project in the first place. “Runners will zip through the streets of Manhattan, and finish at the famed Marathon finish line in Central Park—without running 26.2 miles.” Run Guides: NYRR Dash to the Finish Line 5K. [Proof of Concept]

Fun park. When you want to take a break from walking, you can watch the dogs. Chosen as the second of three local parks I wanted to check out. [Little Walking, Little Walks]

Update. Listed with monthly walks. [The Next Step, State of the Fitness, November]

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine