Horses & Other Interests
Awareness of the outside world. International Helmet Awareness Weekend. [Helmet post archives]
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Stand during ride? Work in progress. Stand after we have crossed the finish line? As long as ya want. That’s the shadow of the mounting block/finish line off to the left.
Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine Walcott
Awareness of the outside world. International Helmet Awareness Day. [Helmet post archives]
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Life on hold. Unknown.
Drawbridge up. Riding at home.
Circles in the field.
“He proposed a haiku exchange between the three cities, because human exchanges came to a screeching halt in 2020. It’s not a contest, he said, just ‘a way share and bolster’ across the globe. He asked people to submit their own haikus based on shared COVID struggles.” AL.com: Alabama man thinks three lines can change the world, Jul 22, 2020.
Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine Walcott
Awareness of the outside world. We all know what today is. Here’s something else. Results from “An international mask design competition … 363 entries from 17 countries.” Museum of Craft and Design: Let’s Face it, Gallery.
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Aldridge Gardens [Walk Report]
“On the Nature of Building” by Ted Metz
“Along for the Ride” by Frank Fleming
“Waiting for the Ride” by Frank Fleming
“Fairy King” by Tim Tingle
“Come Along” by Frank Fleming
“Frog Pond” by Robert Taylor
Art In Use
Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine Walcott
Awareness of the outside world. Supports the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America.
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The Dragon Within DIY 5k
Friday, September 4, 2020
Aldridge Gardens
Time – 1:17
Pace – 24:56
No placing
Tracking App – Map My Walk
Medal from Virtual Strides: The Dragon Within
My 5K for September. Chosen in honor of Dragon*Con, the Largest Multi-genre and Pop Culture Convention, held virtually that weekend.
This was a do-your-own-thing walk. Order medal. Bestow upon self. I’ve decided I prefer my walks to have a connection to the real world, however tenuous that connection may be. Virtual Tevis traces our progress on the route map. Virtual Gaelic Gallop had us all run/walk on the same day and submit results. Some illusion of IRL. YMMV
On to the walk.
Starting off …
… five times around the lake …
… a few side paths …
… and I’m done.
My pace picked up after the first lap. Note to self. Walk first. Photos after.
The Snowflake Hydrangea, a VIP at the gardens. “Eddie Aldridge and his father, Loren, introduced the Snowflake Hydrangea to the world in the 1970s, after they began propagation and patented it.” Deb’s Garden: Little-Known History of the Snowflake Hydrangea. At least, I think it’s the Snowflake Hydrangea.
5K [Archives]
Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine Walcott
Awareness of the outside world. Time: First Clone of Endangered Przewalski’s Horse Born in Conservation Effort to Save the Species by Madeleine Carlisle, September 6, 2020. The breed is also known, less colonially, as the Takhi.
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The ride is virtual. The management is real.
Last week, I talked about Rodney’s attitude & my learning to manage same. This week, the physical side. (Learning? After 10 years? Aggg. But I digress.) [Virtual Attitude]
First, we bumped up his Ulcergard from every 10 days to once a week. It is obvious when he is due. He gets headshy during grooming and timid at feeding time. When he is feeling good, he acts it. I try not to contemplate the liquid cash we are syringing down his throat. [Finding The Solution, My Horse is Weird]
Then, we start out each ride with a lap around the pasture in hand. He can be as creaking as he wants in body or mind, and I don’t have to ride it. Let him warm up a little on his own. Oddly, bridle on/bridle off makes no difference to his mindset. Saddle on, yes, a signal that riding is about to happen. Bridle doesn’t appear to carry the same baggage for him.
A while back, Milton had a solo day and got a mile up on Rodney. After three pre-ride, hand-walk laps Rodney has caught up. We will continue to do the pre-walks, but not count them towards our total, unless Milton gets ahead of us again. BTW, getting off and walking or running next to your horse is legit for real Tevis, so this counts.
We also do lots, and lots, and lots of walking during our pasture laps. We’ll trot for a bit. He’ll get knotted up. We’ll walk some more. So much walking.
I can also test his frame of mind with his willingness to stand. He’s generally good about halting and standing for a short while. If he pops out of gear, then I know he is still anxious, even if he seems relaxed otherwise. When calm, Rodney has an epic stand.
Another sign of heightened tension is when he won’t graze, even if I deliberately stop him in a patch of greenery that is at mouth level. I know, I know, horses shouldn’t graze while being ridden. I figure, if they can grab a mouthful of grass while while doing what I ask, good for them. Usually this means catching a bite on the fly at a walk. I knew one hyper-talented mare who could graze at a trot.
Gaits Update
Both horses have been doing excellently at the walk, trot, and even canter. Not much of the latter, but a few cute moments. Unfortunately, both horses have also had surprise meltdowns. Too tired, too far away from the other horse, too close to the other horse, too uphill, too whatever. Pow. Hopping around like a demonic bunny. When I say tired, I mean they may have been trotting for a few minutes. Most horses would opt to wind down rather than get wound up.
How did we end up with two horses who both respond to the slightest hint of adversity by turning into psycho kangaroos? This is a subject of much discussion chez nous.
Virtual Tevis [Archives]
Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine Walcott
Awareness of the outside world. Book giveaway. Mentioned last week. Giving away this week. Supporting the fundraiser by a fellow Virtual Tevis rider, County Island: Help for Critters in Northern California Fires, extended to Sept 30. Leave a comment telling me the longest trail ride you have ever been on. I will pick winner with a random number generator, punch the necessary buttons, & have book sent to you. US or APO only, unless you wish to pay postage. Void where etc.
Update. I should have put a time limit on comments. I’ll keep it open for a week & announce winner on the next VTevis post, Tues 9/15/20.
Update on the update. Contest has ended.
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Overall
How to fit in a long ride before it gets hot.
5:45. Head to barn.
6:12 am. Get started.
8:01 am. Finally, sun!
Milestones
Dusty Corners. Noted on map.
Last Chance, Mile 50. Image source & additional photos, The Tevis Cup: Last Chance.
Swinging Bridge, mile 52.
Devil’s Thumb. Noted on map.
Deadwood, mile 55. Image source & additional photos, The Tevis Cup: Deadwood.
Daily Log
We are doing our rides in 1/2-mile laps around our pasture. Link to standings, Doctor Whooves, Major Milton, All. Daily screenshots from VTevis results page.
Milton 47m
Rodney 46m
Tuesday, September 1. Today 3.07 miles. Total 47.3 {46.3} miles. Time 1 hr 12min. Pace 23 minpermile/2.6 mph.
Wednesday, September 2. Scheduled day off.
Thursday, September 3. Today 4.25 miles. Total 51.5 miles. Time 1 hr 34 min. Pace 22 minpermile/2.7 mph. Update. Rodney one warm up lap in hand, catching up.
{Rodney caught up, no more split totals}. Screenshot not available or I forgot to get.
Friday, September 4. Scheduled day off.
Saturday, September 5. Today 5.14 miles. Total 56.7 miles. Time 1 hr 51 min. Pace 21 minpermile/2.9 mph. Our long day. Update. Rodney one warm up lap in hand, not counted here.
Sunday, September 6. Today 2.37 miles. Total 59.0 miles. Time 56 min. Pace 23 minpermile/2.6 mph. Easy day to get everyone moving. Update. Rodney one warm up lap in hand, not counted here.
Monday,September 7. Today 2.7 miles. Total 61.7 miles. Time 1 hour. Pace 20 minpermile/3 mph. Taking advantage of the holiday weekend with three days in a row, hence the easy day in the middle. Update. Rodney one warm up lap in hand, not counted here.
Recent Posts
Mine
[Miles 35-44]
[Virtual Attitude]
Others
County Island: The Tevis Trail: Red Star Ridge and Evil Vet Ladies
Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine Walcott
Awareness of the outside world. Life hack. Discovered I can use an earpiece of my glasses to scratch under my mask. No removing. No touching. #joysofgettingolder
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Went down to Wind Creek State Park to check out the horse trails. One of us thinks it’s a fantasy to imagine these two as hardy trail horses. The other one is delusional outrageously optimistic. Ah well, it was a nice day to hike with the dog.
This we could do. Turns out, it was a cut-off road.
How many ways can you say Nope? For hiking? Lovely trail. Well-maintained, well-marked. For horses? For our horses? No to the power of no.
On the map handed out at the door, all of the trails were marked multi-use. This horse sign was at the trail head. So, clearly they expected horses here. Maybe some horses. Not ours. It got way steeper than pictured. I had stopped taking photos by the time we got to the gnarly bits. Not quite Snowy River. Definitely Sleety Creek.
Later, online, the same map had a different legend. Those two trails over there were marked for horses. The one we went on was marked for hiking. We felt a bit better. At some point we may go back to check out the horse trails.
The dog was a trooper.
Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine Walcott
Virtual Brush Box 