Virtual Brush Box

Riding

Awareness of the outside world. Borders opening. Lawyers, Guns & Money: Finally, Loomis, Nov 8, 2021. State & home county to orange/substantial. Birmingham’s county to yellow/moderate. CDC COVID Data Tracker. Progress. Let’s hope it sticks.
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I didn’t spend the ENTIRE weekend living vicariously in Murfreesboro TN or Hamilton GA (or Pell City AL or Manhattan). [Where I Am Not, Again]

Working in the ring and then a walk up the driveway at Stepping Stone Farm.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Riding

Awareness of the outside world. Males need not apply. SDZWA: San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Conservation Scientists Report First Confirmed Hatchings of Two California Condor Chicks from Unfertilized Eggs, Oct 28, 2021.
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I should warn you. What started as a happy little intro post went off the rails.

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To get everyone excited beforehand, Equisarte asked NSN participants to introduce themselves. Questions in italics. [No Stirrup November Begins]

Welcome Everyone!!! While we are gearing up for our 2nd Annual NO Stirrup November Challenge tell us about yourself! Post a photo of you and your horse! Then tell us-

Photo by Ginni Bush [The Return of Doctor Whooves]

Your name: Katherine

Your horse(s) name(s): & Horse’s breed and age:

Rodney, TB, 22

Milton, OTTB, 13

lesson horses, various

What discipline(s) do you ride? It’s complicated. Jumpers, although I haven’t seriously jumped in a decade. Eventing, although it has been even longer since I’ve gone out on a cross-country course in competition. Dressage, when forced. Hunters, back in the day that’s the only place to jump fences lower than 3’6″. Saddle seat, as a lark, an 8-year lark. Short answer? Walking my pasture puff. … and screaming internally.

If you are new here, what I’m referring to is that I have two very nice horses that I have utterly failed to do anything with. It corrodes my soul. It shouldn’t, but it does. [Not Rising To The Challenge]

What State you’re from: I live in Alabama. I’m from … sigh … it’s complicated. Born in Connecticut. Grew up in NYC. Lived several other places. Part of me never left NY.

A fun fact about yourself or your horse: … uh … not feeling fun after that trot down memory lane of dashed hopes in question one.

What is a short or long term goal you are working towards with your horse? I don’t do goals. Too depressing to watch them whiz by. [This Is Why I Don’t Set Goals]

What do you hope to get out of this challenge? Blog posts. Yes, improvement, but also blog posts. And a ribbon.

When did you start riding? A century ago.

Do you compete or ride for leisure? Both.

Favorite place to ride: Yes.

Your horse’s favorite treat: Rodney, horse cookies. Milton, anything. Saddle seat school horses, peppermints. Hunter Barn school horses, I keep forgetting to bring treats.

If you dress up for Halloween with your horse, what will you be? Rodney is a large bay. Milton is a grey. Someday, we’d like to do a group costume of Moose & Squirrel, Natasha Fatale & Boris Badenov.

Outro
Well, that was a ray of sunshine, wasn’t it? I’m actually happy on a day-to-day level. Questions like this take me back. I don’t have an elevator speech for where I am with horses. Wanna know how I feel? Here is 11 years of column, monthly blog, & daily blog tracing every step from buying Rodney to now. Read that. That’s how I feel.

I’m in a mood, aren’t I? Gonna go find a dandelion patch to sit in.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Images

Awareness of the outside world. “Dayofthedead.holiday is dedicated to celebrating all things Dia De Muertos … Our goal is to build the world’s most authoritative website for the Day of the Dead … All of the content on the site comes from professional writers based in Mexico that have experienced the holiday first-hand.” DOTD.H: About.
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Day of the Dead can look weird and creepy in photos. In person, you see how much love goes into the displays.

Dia de los muertos #19, hosted by Bare Hands Gallery, downtown Birmingham. Photos taken November 4, 2021.

There were altars, aka memorials, for private figures, local celebrities, public figures, and political figures. There was even a group altar for people who had no one. As you would expect, the altars were a lot easier to take when they celebrated the end of a long and full life.

Without a mandate to cover the event, it felt too intrusive to take photos of the more personal altars. That’s why you got the stage, Covid, and a cat statue.

Down the Rabbit Hole

Metamorphosis. I saw the lead quote from this on a poster at the Festival. Poetic and apropos. Was planning to insert it here. Research. Turns out it is from a 2009 book. So, not traditional. Also, the full piece is unsettling, if intriguing. You have been warned.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Riding, Or Not

Awareness of the outside world. My consolation prize for the weekend is ordering The Illustrated Etymologicon by the Inky Fool. * * *
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Historically, this has not been a good weekend for containing my inner brat. [Stomping My Feet]

This year is no exception. I’ve even added more to be grumpy about.

I am not here. FCHP Schooling Show, Dressage, CT, 3-Phase to Novice. Emphasis mine.

I am not here. Alabama Hunter Jumper Association Year End Show.

I am not here. The National Academy Championship Horse Show [Where I Am Not & Nationals I Have Known]

I am not here. Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K. [Proof of Concept]

I am not here. The above run (walk) would be part of a vacation/family visit. [When?]

Yeah, I’m gonna be a boundless wellspring of joy this weekend.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Horsekeeping

Awareness of the outside world. Nutrena: Feed It Forward™.
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We have switched Rodney to Nutrena SafeChoice Senior. He is doing well. Shiny. Happy. Maybe adding a bit more weight. Image from website.

The problem is the feed bag. Again. [Arguing With My Feed Bag]

When I see the word SafeChoice, I hear the jingle from the Safelite AutoGlass(R) commercial

🎵 Safelite repair. 🎵
🎵 Safelite replace. 🎵

… of course, I hear it as …

🎵 SafeChoice repair. 🎵
🎵 SafeChoice replace. 🎵

Open bags are stored upright in a can. I only see the top. So, this doesn’t happen every time I feed. It only happens when I move a new bag. Just long enough between for the music to die down.

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For a nonmusical person, I have a problem with earworms.

“Go to your Skiiippy place.” [An Abundance of Attitude]

“Everything is awesome!” LEGO movie [Rodney Is Awesome!

Rocky Horror Picture Show [My Confidence Has Increased]

“Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets … ” from Damn Yankees & “Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl …” from Barry Manilow’s “Copacabana”. [Lunching With Lola]

There’s a hoof in the bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza.
There’s a hoof in the bucket, dear Liza, a hoof. [Hoof Meet Bucket]

John Mellencamp. [It Hurts So Good, Courses For Horses followup]

That makes two commercials, two movies, three pop songs, and a folk song.

Maybe it’s genetic. I can still hear my grandmother complaining about, “Sooner or Later You’ll Own Generals.”

Do you get earworms?

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Horsekeeping

Awareness of the outside world. “The first artificial leg was patented by Benjamin Franklin Palmer of Meredith, New Hampshire.” Today I Found Out: November 4. More info, Nineteenth-Century Disability: Cultures and Contexts: The Palmer Patent Leg.
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Set alfalfa cubes to soak. Use hot water to speed up process. [Feed Change II]

Wait.

👣

To barn.

Put Rodney in stall. Originally he was only up for grain. Now he stays in stall for entire meal. Milton does not share well with others.

Serve alfalfa stew/soup and regular hay.

👣

To house.

Let them eat for a while.

👣

To barn.

Serve grain.

👣

To house.

Wait.

👣

To barn.

Turn out … oh, are you napping. I’ll come back. [Nah, I’m Good]

👣

To house.

👣

Back to barn.

Turn Rodney out.

👣

Back to house.

Question life choices.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Horsekeeping

Awareness of the outside world. I got nothing. The news seems both horrible and boring.
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You know you are a horsey family when this is the text your send your husband while he is at work … and he is happy to get it.

No Hunter Barn lesson last week. Milton decide to have a lukewarm attitude toward his morning treats. [Feet Change]

Cue panic.

Walking. Banamine. Alert the vet. Clear the decks. As one does.

If it even was colic.

He never stopped eating. He was just less enthused than usual. Given his Sharknado tendencies toward food, that a) dropped him back down to the realm of normal and b) was cause for concern.

He never stopped pooping.

Gut sounds galore.

If it was colic, it was the world’s most minor case. (Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.)

Still, I can’t help see but see colic as a management disease. Did we feed him too much of this? Not enough of that? Worming? Water? Work?

Or maybe it was just a moment. If it had happened three hours earlier or three hours later, we might never have known about it. Who knows what our horses get up to when we are not around.

Rodney came with us on our walks. I think they can sense a disturbance in the Force.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine