I absolutely, totally believe that the best body work comes from a good pair of hands. Gadgets can make up the difference if you don’t have access to an equine massage therapist. (Or you are one, or at least have the training, and managed to work on the ASB lesson horses back when that was a thing, yet can’t seem to get your act together on a regular basis at home because the shoemaker’s kids go barefoot. But I digress.)
As much as Milton loved the Bemer Blanket, the massage was better. (I have not gotten back with the people on their preferred level of publicly. Hence vagueness. End second digression.) [Beaming with Bemer Blanket]
So, the best thing for me to do is get off my ass and work on my horses.
And yet.
I still fail prey to the lure of a shiny new object, In this case, literally a shiny object. The belief that this gadget, this ointment, this technique, will solve all my problems, will turn me into a brilliant body worker, will be the missing miracle step.
Ah well, it wasn’t expensive and perhaps it will help.
Horses. One show. Virtual Tevis. Started H/J lessons. Everyone is ears up. Added, Mosely clinics. Overnight team trip.
Blog. When I say I’m not feeling the retrospective, I’m serious. Last Wednesday was the 10-year blogaversary. Again, meh. I’m happy with the blog. I’m pleased that it has lasted. Didn’t feel the need to mark the occasion.
Writer: Yup. ‘Tis the season. While everyone is in Christmas mode, they want a draft script to get started on next year’s movie.
Muse: What have you got so far.
Writer: A lot of questions. Animation? Live action? Historical? Present day?
Muse: Have they given you any direction?
Writer: The same thing they say every year. Give them another Diehard.
Muse: Well, it is a good movie.
Writer: Sure, but why is it considered a Christmas movie? It could be the corporate 4th of July BBQ and Hans Gruber would still fall off the Nakatomi tower at the end.
Muse: Barbecue grills in a high-rise?
Writer: So, they got takeout. Work with me here.
Muse: It has a great cast.
Writer: Yeah, I can’t do anything about who gets cast. We’re not going to get the equivalent of Rickman & Willis in a made-for-TV movie. BUT. A good screen play will attract good actors. I can’t control what happens after, but I can control that.
Muse: That sounds familiar.
Writer: See, I listen.
Muse: That’s good. Back to the task at hand.
Writer: (in monotone) Stay on target. Stay on target. I wonder what holidays they had a long time ago, in a …
Muse: You are getting distracted again.
Writer: Arggg.
Muse:
Writer: This is where you jump in with the brilliant idea.
Muse:
Writer:
Muse: How about Christmas in Mongolia?
Writer: They don’t celebrate Christmas in Mongolia.
Muse: Exactly.
Writer: ooooh … or Africa or Asia or the Mideast … some non-Western country … avoid places Christmas is banned … too political … are there places it is still banned? … (clicks on tab) … no, look that up later … a country where Christmas is sympathetic but not a big deal … young person … working abroad … alone-on-the-holidays sympathy … maybe a small village … heartwarming scene of kids surprising the main character with tree decorations … maybe a big city … bound to be other Christmas celebrants if the city is big enough … local church if we want to go religious … maybe a Christmas friendsgiving with other expats … scrambling to find decor … food … maybe has to work that day … maybe celebration includes someone the main character doesn’t like … enemies to lovers if we want to go romance …
Muse: You will have to make choices at some point.
Writer: No, no. I mean yes, absolutely, I’ll need to decide on a story line. But they like it when I provide options. I’ll give off ramps at key points, change of characters, change of venue, different genres, different countries. This is great. I can work with this. What do I owe you?
Awareness of the outside world. “A portion of all proceeds from this event will go to ‘Make-A-Wish Texas Gulf Coast and Louisiana’.” Medal Dash: ‘A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS’ 5K, Description. ~~~
(Medal photo pending. Having trouble with sun. No complaints. Been gray and ick all week. Yay for sun!)
This 5K was of the buy-a-medal, do-as-you-will variety. I have decided that I prefer the vicarious travel aspect of having my virtual walks tied to an IRL location, i.e. zoo fundraisers, marathons etc. However, this was last minute. Take what I can get.
… muddy … need a paved place for my daily mile … haven’t done a official walk here … hmm, the total trail is 2.6 miles … that’s close to 3.1 … I smell a 5K …
A quick Internet search and I was signed up for this.
I get the mental satisfaction of finishing a 5K. I get a medal. I get a seasonal blog post. Most importantly, I get the impetus to continue wandering around the shopping mall parking lot for half a mile to finish the 5K.
“Broke many of the rules prevalent for animated holiday specials during the 1960s: it didn’t make use of a laugh track; real children were used for the character voices instead of adult actors imitating children’s voices; and Biblical references were used to illustrate the true meaning of Christmas.” IMDB: A Charlie Brown Christmas, Trivia
Steady. I can be, shall we say, high-energy. This is great if you are veteran show horse such as Alvin or Dottie. Let’s do this! [Missing The Saddlebreds]
Not so great if you are a horse of sensitive disposition. Milton is still traumatized by encountering me in full show mode.
Classic. I’ll do show colors for shirt and saddle pad. I won’t go out of my way to colorized things that are usually brown or black. [Doctor Whooves and The Master, photo by Meg McKinney]
I balance my desire to be a curmudgeon with the knowledge that riding needs to lighten up. As long as you are clean, tidy, & tucked in, I don’t care what colors you feel the need to express yourself in.
Or that’s the happy version. In reality, I bought half chaps in a fit of anguish, “My chances of ever riding in tall boots seemed so remote that the thought of buying a pair was too depressing.” [Heart]
Indoor or outdoor
Good footing, then I don’t care. Of course, this answer changes as one goes farther north. [When Life Gives You Rain, II]
Bay or chestnut
I would say either, but all of my horses have been bay. After dealing with Milton’s bumps, I’m going to be a hard sell for another gray.
As in, all of MY horses, i.e. Rodney, Previous Horse, First Horse & so on, including those leased & bought. Mathilda was never my horse. Milton? Jury still out.
Long or short mane or roached mane?
Anything but roached. Once rode an big time Three-Gaited horse. They show with no mane. Not at all happy about no grab strap in front of me. Used to give Mathilda a buzz cut in the summer. I always left an emergency handhold halfway down her mane.
Lazy or hot horse?
Lazy. See Question 1. Tact has never been my strong suit.
Horse. As long as the barn is safe, I can work out of it.
Ride an Olympic-level horse or take a lesson with an Olympian?
I like AaA’s answer, “Um, how about both? Can I take a lesson from an Olympian on an Olympic-level horse?”
If I had to chose, I’d go for the lesson. An Olympic-level horse would have to be super understanding as well as super talented. Those rare unicorns exist. I suspect most O-horses would have no patience with me.
Own a miniature horse or a donkey?
None of the above? I could see a sporty driving pony, but not a mini. Don’t have enough experience with donkeys to know what I was getting into.
~~~
I didn’t answer all of their questions, so I rounded out the dozen with one of my own.
Looking over my answers, including the questions I did not post, I lean heavily toward both &/or neither. If I have an opinion, it is in stone. For example,
Someone else caring for my horse? No. Someone else making decisions about my horse? So much no. Someone else riding my horse on a regular basis? A thousand times no … Not now. Not ever.
Awareness of the outside world. Ancient Alabama, part six, “Alabama has the most complete geologic column in the United States.” Jun Ebersole, collections director for the McWane Center, AL.Com: Hunting the largest shark ever in ancient Alabama, Pillion, 19 Nov 2021. ~~~
New horse at Hunter Barn last week. As my third ride, horse shall be know as Trey.
Trey and I cantered a course! While it was only four crossrails, each was on its own line. So it was a full course of inside, outside, inside, outside. Yay us! Mostly, yay Trey, but I was along for the ride.
A course means changing direction. A course at a canter means changing leads.
Hunter Barn horses are taught to maintain their pace after jumping a line. One must continue to canter around the turn. Only then is one allowed to walk. This is to prevent the habit of dissolving into a heap at the end of a line.
If you land on the correct lead, all well and good, you may continue.
If you land on the wrong lead for the upcoming turn, you must address the problem.
Being a well-educated soul, Trey knew all about lead changes.
After I made a hash out of two lead changes in a row, it became clear that I did not know all about lead changes.
I realized it is possible that I have never asked for a lead change.
I starting showing at a very basic, local level of hunters, in which we were happy to get eight decent jumps. We didn’t need no fancy, schmancy lead changes.
Then the switch to eventing and jumpers. Being on the correct lead for a turn is useful but not scored. Memory says that First Horse was good about listening to a tap on the rein in order to land on the required lead.
Plus, eventing includes dressage. One absorbs the dressage attitude that tempi changes are difficult and complicate maneuvers that await one at a much higher level. [Different Versions of the Same Thing]
Previous Horse had the balance of a gyroscope. On a tight turn, he’d throw in a lead change if he needed one. On a wide sweeping hunter turn, he saw no reason to bother. So I left him to it.
Ride lead changes? Yes. Ask for one? No.
Once we switched to a simple change through the trot, all was good.
Huh. Lead changes. A gap in my riding education that I didn’t even know was there.
Virtual Brush Box 