Virtual Brush Box

Riding

Awareness of the outside world. Ancient Alabama, part three. AL.com: Stunning White Cliffs of Alabama hint at the forces that shaped the Black Belt, Pillion, Nov 12, 2021.
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No lesson at Hunter Barn in the last two weeks. [That Moment When You Remember You Are On A School Horse]

The first week was a conflict with an interview.

The second week was Greg coming home to ride in the afternoon (Okay, I’ll give you that one) and conflict with blacksmith appointment.

I’m not that busy. Of the few things I do, everything seems to happen at the same time.

Hunter Barn says they would prefer a set slot each week. Time to pull socks up. Be predictable.

I can do a better job of arranging interviews. I tend to panic & agree to whatever they ask. (Yes, I’ve been doing this since 1989 and I still panic. Welcome to my world.)

About the blacksmith, I have no choice. Maybe big barns have some say in their appointment days & times. As a little barn with only two horses, I gotta be as amenable as possible. When they say, ‘Can I come tomorrow instead of today?’ I smile and nod. Yes, I have some control, if it were absolutely impossible. But I try not to go to that well too often, and only when it is really impossible.

Truth in advertising. I didn’t fight for the first week as hard as I might have. I let my anxiety get the better of me. Could this be a subtle warning sign from my subconscious? No. Not in this case. My nerves are not, currently, a useful basis for decision making. If I didn’t do things I dread, I’d never do anything at all. At least, not anything I cared about.

I’ve had times in my life when I felt bulletproof. These are not those times. While I’d like to blame the pandemic, I was not entirely froggy about ASB lessons in the pre-pandemic days. But I have wandered into the weeds. [Lessons, Theory Vs. Reality]

Lesson this week, horses and fate willing.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

The Horse World

Awareness of the outside world. Boostered last Tuesday, wearing one of my flashy new masks.
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Remember when I said that writing a post may have occasioned a shopping spree? [Socks It To Me]

Result. Masks, bag &, more socks from Laurel Burch Studios.

Two masks for general wear and one for horse-related occasions. The long narrow mask fits my face well and is super comfortable, like wearing a scarf, or socks for the face. Haven’t broken out the foot socks or bag yet.

No affiliate links. Just a happy customer.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Riding

Awareness of the outside world. I love this idea. Winners at each level rode at the awards presentation, “To show the progression of the Dressage horse from the earliest stages of the journey to GP.” Cob Jockey: IDS GMO Year End Awards and Symposium. Also this one, a model horse show with donated models. Braymere Custom Saddlery: Circle C Girl Scout Show, by Stephanie Blaylock.
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The ultimate expression of no stirrups is no tack at all.

Years ago, I had the opportunity to watch the Foxfield Drill Team at one of the indoor shows, probably Washington at the Capitol Centre. I was most taken with the demo. I wanted to try it.

Side note. The announcer burbled on about magical this and that. I didn’t buy it. I saw nice horses, good training, and good riding. Why introduce fantasy when reality is impressive enough?

I have ridden à la Foxfield twice.

Incident the first. George was far more suitable than my horse at the time. The best place to jump was in the owner’s front yard. We moved a set of standards and had at it. George obligingly hopped over the small jump. Of course, once I landed, I had no steering. I may have had a neck rope, history does not record. Whatever I had, it wasn’t doing me any good. George cantered a few more strides and stopped. This brought him under a shade tree. While he loitered under the spreading branches, my head and upper body were among the branches. This was during a cicada emergence. I was surrounded by bugs and bug carcasses. A lot of bugs and bug carcasses. I screamed. A lot. George stood there, looking innocent, ‘What? I did what asked.’ [Throwback Thursday, The Whatever Horse, Guest Photo]

Incident the second. Previous Horse. This was back when round pens were all the rage. I built one out of standards and poles. A pen made out of jumps. For a horse showing in jumpers. Proof that poor choices are not limited to the young. Fortunately, when he exited stage right, he had the decently to land directly underneath me. I may have been airborne.

Lots of bareback with bridle. Experiments with Rodney. [Looking Forward, Rodney, Sans Saddle photo]

The time I did bareback hill work with Previous Horse and insisted that he retain his less-preferred lead up the steepest part of the hill. He expressed his displeasure. He went up; I went up. He went down; I went down. He went up; I went up. He went down. I … lost the plot and went down while he was coming back up. Bareback. On a Thoroughbred. Wham. It was years before long periods of sitting were comfortable. Plane rides were entertaining.

Finally, I rode Previous Horse with a saddle but bridleless in a small, round pen during a clinic. Nothing dramatic to report.

Thus ends my sans stirrup, sans tack stories.

[No Stirrup November Begins]
[No Stirrup November, In Which I Complicate An Introduction]
[No Stirrup November, No Stirrups Not On Purpose]

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Words & Movies

Awareness of the outside world. Photo guru Meg gets ink! “We spoke with a local photographer and instructor at Samford Academy of the Arts to find out why you should express yourself …” Bham Now: Express yourself—register NOW for Spring 2022 classes with Samford Academy of the Arts. Itson, 11/22/21.
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Tis the season … for holiday movies. Here’s one I’d like to see.

A successful but harried city dweller is called back to her hometown during the holidays. She meets up with her high school sweetheart. They spend a magical two weeks together, during which time she learns the power of family, and the joys of the holidays.

Then.

She gets the hell out of Dodge. She realizes that two weeks of family is a gracious plenty, that he needs to stop chasing strange and commit to his long-term on-again, off-again girlfriend, and that she needs to get back to her life, because the one thing she rediscovered over the holidays is why she left that Podunk town in the first place.

Holiday Movie Rabbit Hole

IMDB: A Christmas Carol Remakes, DragonflySuz, 2016. It lists 69 movies. Who knew?

Playbill: Who’s Holiday!, Starring Lesli Margherita, Streams to Benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Beginning December 11, Gans, 2020. Perhap it will get streamed again this year. Saw it live. Loved it. While this review is accurate, it is harsh, TheaterMania: Who’s Holiday!, Stewart, 2017. But, I will grant that am a sucker for a one-person show. The Village Voice: Lesli Margherita Slays in the Raunchy “Grinch” Spin-Off “Who’s Holiday!”, Purcell, 2017.

AV Club: Die Hard director confirms film is a Christmas movie inspired by… It’s A Wonderful Life?!, Gomez, 2020. With video chat from the director.

All Christmas. That’s the one I know about. Care to tell us about holiday tropes from other traditions?

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Fit To Ride

Awareness of the outside world. Race benefits Girls on the Run.
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The Results
Magic City 5K
Sunday, November 21, 2021
Birmingham AL
Time, gun – 48:43.6. General race start to my finish.
Time, chip – 48:06.6. Crossing start line to crossing finish line.
Time, Racejoy – 47:44. GPS on phone.
RunSignup: Results, Individual
Props to the race for supplying free photos. Photographer not listed.

The Walk

IRL!

First since the before times.

I wanted to see what time I could put up with a clear course in front of me. No stoplights, no decisions, just walk.

As I tell my horse, I thought about taking big, fluid steps. I thought about setting my feet down softly rather than stomping on the concrete, possibly faster, certainly easier on my legs.

I did excellently. Personal Record for 5K.

Between 47-49 minutes depending on which timing method I consult. That’s close to 15-minute miles. With work, I could maintain 4 mph.

Did I want to? I don’t know.

Part of my daily walking is letting my mind wander. I think about this & that. I let my mind go gently blank.

That did not happen on this walk.

To get this PR, I had no time to ponder. I spent the entire time concentrated on the walk. Can I add an inch to this stride? Am I swingy? Am I at maximum capacity? I found it very easy to slide down to 80% effort. Still feels like work, but wasn’t the max. Spent most of the walk goosing self back up to 100%. Speed up. Take a few strides. Speed up. Strides. Speed. And so on.

That is also why there is not in-walk media from me. Didn’t want to get waylaid.

Speed or strolling. Which is better? Depends on the purpose.

Side note. As I said two years ago, I have zero nerves about these walks. That’s worth noting, as I can get spun up at the drop of a hat over trifles. Either this is what I should be doing with my life or I am not invested enough to get in a tizzy. I suspect the latter.

Second side note. Wore a mask for the crowds at the beginning and end. Took it off during walk. Kept my distance.

Third side note. I’ve gotten so used to virtual races sending loot all at once that when the shirt arrived, I wondered were the medal was. Oh, that’s right. Shirt. Walk. Then medal.

Personal Record!

Last year, virtual [Vulcan Stroll, Magic City Virtual 5K, November 2020]
2019, IRL [Proof of Concept, Race, er, Walk Report, Magic City Run 2019]

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Horsekeeping

Awareness of the outside world. McSweeney’s: The Radical Differences Between Canadian and American Thanksgiving, Seely, October 12, 2020.
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Remember my problem of differentiating between the red feed bucket and the green feed bucket? [Feed Buckets and Color Theory]

Fixed it!

Had to get some small buckets for another reason. Made sure one of them was a suitable color for Milton’s new feed bucket. I would have preferred white, as we had before. Gray works good.

Happy Thursday!

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine