Abscess Treatment

Horsekeeping

 
Weekend before last, Rodney had a suspected abscess [Noshow]. We soaked it, per usual. After that, my in-house medical advisor wanted to DO SOMETHING. We settled on a poultice.

Start with clean hoof.

Pack with paste of Epsom salt and water and grits. Google suggested wheat bran. The store we tried was out of stock. My in-house chemist (he’s a terribly useful dude) realized that the purpose of the wheat bran was to act as filler. We found that Epsom salt paste alone settled to the toe of the foot. Epsom salts & shavings didn’t shift but didn’t pack as well. The point is to kept the Epsom salts in contact with the foot.

Cover with feminine hygiene product. Leave wrapper on for added waterproof layer. Neonate diapers would also work.

Wrap foot in several layers of tape. In this case, we prefer Gorilla to Duck.

Finished product – top.

Finished product – side.

Abscess behavior was gone overnight. Since there were still traces of Captain Pitiful, we kept the hoof wrapped a few more days, changing twice a day, then switched to a padded bootie. Rodney was sound in a straight line almost immediately. He continued to take the very occasional bad step. Hence the padded bootie.

Once we started wrapping the foot, we did not soak it again. With poultice instead of bucket a) the foot gets constant exposure to Epsom salts instead of 20 minutes twice a day and b) a paste on the sole has got to be better than constantly immersing the hoof wall in water.

Caveat. Although three experienced horsemen and Google were involved, no veterinarian was consulted during this process. Our first line of defense tends to be time and Dr. Green. Do was you will with the information. It worked for us. Will definitely keep in mind to try next time. There will be a next time. As long as we have horses, there will always be a next time.

Process Note
It took me two days of bandaging his foot before I thought, ‘Hey. this would be a good blog post. Let’s take pictures.’ Proof that the blog isn’t *always* the first thing on my mind.

Update. Horsemen? Two horsewomen and a horseman? Three horsefolks? I need to ponder this.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Stamps 2019, Post Office Murals

Celebrating Art

 

 

“Kiowas Moving Camp” (1936)
Anadarko, Oklahoma
One of the Kiowa Six, a group of 20th-century Native-American artists hailing from Oklahoma, Stephen Mopope (1899–1974) designed a multi-part mural depicting Plains Indian life. Mopope and Kiowa Six artists James Auchiah (1906–1974) and Spencer Asah (ca. 1906–1954) painted 16 murals with tempera paint directly to the plaster walls in the lobby, including “Kiowas Moving Camp.” They can be seen at the Anadarko Post Office in Oklahoma.
USPS press release, U.S. Postal Service Honors Post Office Lobby Artwork with Stamps

USPS sales page, Post Office Murals

Location: Anadarko
Artist: Stephan Mopope
Title: scenes of Indian life
Date: 1937
Medium: tempera
WPA – Works Progress Administration, New Deal Art During the Great Depression, Oklahoma

 

 
Process Notes
Despite an enthusiastic start [Year of the Stamp], stamps ended up in the ‘Interesting, but …’ bin. I posted four times last year and then wandered off to do other things [Stamp Archives]. My opinion at the end of last year was, “I will engage with these if an opportunity lands in my lap, but I won’t go searching.” [Dabbling in the Art World, Graphics 2018] A quick photo post of this year’s stamps counts landing in my lap.

Update
ABC& News: Anadarko mural to be commemorated with stamp, with video

“Mopope was also chosen because he was considered by Jacobson to be the best and most outgoing artist of the “Kiowa Five,” a trait which necessary to becoming the lead for the project. His cultural ties to Anadarko, home to the Kiowa, would provide an accurate depiction of the culture from his personal experiences.” Stamp mural is one of 16 panels. The Living New Deal: Post Office Mural – Anadarko OK

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Can You Write Short?

Writing About Writing

 

 

Gotham Writers Workshop offers two free writing contests. The prize for both is a free class, which I am assuming one can take online.

Contest 1: “Create the first line of a frightening story. Just the first line. But we want that first line to be so intriguing or chilling or scary that it makes our skin tingle and our nerves twitch.” Frightening First Line Contest—2019 Deadline 12/1/19

Contest 2: “Post a story on Twitter … no longer than 25 words.” #GWstorieseverywhere. Monthly contest.

It’s hard to find free contests. Most ask for a hefty fee, and therefore strike me as fundraisers more than artistic venues, for example the GW short story contest charges $25. Prize is $1000 & a 10-week course. Prize money is covered after 40 entries. Perhaps I am being overly cynical.

“Money flows toward the writer.” Making Light: Yog’s Law

To participate in the Stories Everywhere contest, I need to be on Twitter. Once more into the breach. New Twitter handle @willwrite4feed.

Previous Twitter Efforts
@box_brush [New Title, New Twitter], last active in 2018 [There & Back Again, Show Tweets].
@RodneysSaga [Another Aborted Twitter Adventure, Pondering Twitter], last active in 2017 [NACHS17, A Horse Show in 6 Tweets].

I will be sending in/tweeting my entries at the end of the month. Will you?

Crossposted on [Will Write For Feed].
~~~
#2800
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Bubbling Over With Excitement

Celebrating Art

Rodney is a pillow … and a cup, and a mug, and a phone case, and a t-shirt, and … and … Redbubble: MaGree offers 29+ items bearing Rodney’s portrait. Proceeds go to the artist, as they should. If you get lost on the site, use Dr Whooves, not MaGree. Search is by product, not by artist. Go figure.

How did this happen?
A while back, Martine posted that she was taking commissions, A New Beginning?. I waved my hand & said, “Me! Me! Me!” Martine painted Rodney’s portrait [The Reveal]. A few weeks ago, she announced that her artworks were available on Redbubble, Taking Art out of the Frame. She would upload the images & the site would put them on items as they were ordered. I hopped up and down & said, “Rodney! Rodney! Rodney!” Et voilà.

I am waiting, typing fingers twitching, for possible Black Friday discounts.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Measurements

Training Journal

 

Speaking of onward & upwards [Sitting Out], I’m just gonna leave these here and go about my day.

Jumpers
.65m Jumper = 2’2″
.75m Jumper = 2’6″
.85m Jumper = 2’9″
.95m Jumper = 3’1″
1.0m Jumper = 3’3″
1.05m Jumper = 3’5″
1.10m Jumper = 3’7″
1.15m Jumper = 3’9″

Low Adult Amateur Jumper -1.00m to 1.05m (3’3″ to 3’5″), better be jumping 3’6″ at home.
High Adult Amateur Jumper -1.10m to 1.15 (3’7″ to 3’9), better be jumping 4′ at home.

Hunters
Adult Hunter – 3′ & 3’3″

Eventing
Pre-Amoeba – 12″
Amoeba – 18″
Tadpole – 2′
Beginner Novice – 2’7″
Novice – 2’11”
Training – 3’3″

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Sitting Out Winter Tournament

Adventures in Saddle Seat

 

Winter Tournament information went out last week. I said no. People are concerned. I am not.

Specifically, my astounding and awesome groundperson is worried about living with me without a horse show on the horizon until March. His concern is not without merit. “Then that fell through. No horse show. No lesson. Dramatic sniffle. I advised those in my house capable of leaving to go elsewhere for the day.” [Steady On]

Do I want to show? Of course. I always want to horse show.

However. The opportunity cost is too high; Saturdays are too valuable. Currently, both horses are a group project. With winter and daylight savings time, we either work in the morning when it is cold, in the evening when it is dark, or on the weekends. Every show is a day we don’t work with the home team.

For your amusement, the joy of time change in comic form, Idea of Order: Hello Darkness.

On one hand, Winter Tournament is only three Saturdays. On the other hand, one Saturday is 25% (or 20%) of available the Saturdays each month.

It would take a seriously intriguing saddle seat opportunity for me to change my mind. Sam is awesome, but we’ve been there, done that [Lootapalooza]. Since I am too much of a weenie to ride any ASB other than Sam [Lessons, Theory Vs. Reality], I’ll let other people ride in silly temperatures.

Wait. That was overly negative. Let me try again.

Since I am currently using my saddle seat lessons as an chance to enjoy Sam’s company and saving my big girl britches for my own horses [Further Considerations, option 2], I am not likely to be saddling up a new dance partner at Winter Tournament.

So, I said no.

I think there will be plenty to do. Rodney & I need to trot – and canter – miles and miles and miles of poles before we introduce the idea of leaving the ground. Milton needs to get back to driving. Milton & I need to come to terms. Both horses are still at the stage where new ideas are best tested within the confines of a ring. Therefore there will be – cross fingers – lots of riding and driving and shipping and working and horsing. Just no horse shows.

Time to take it to the next level.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Now It Can Be Said, Nine In A Row

Training Journal

Show season has ended, with a whimper rather than a bang [Woe, Noshow]. That’s okay because what an Autumn season. Multiple horses! Multiple disciplines! One stretch of nine weekends in a row!!

Aside. It’s not all about the shows. I know that. I really do. Shows are exciting diversions. This makes them interesting to write about, the same reason we take pictures of our hotel rooms but not of our living rooms. Shows are narratively discrete events. This makes them easy to write about, unlike the imperceptible changes that accumulate from day to day. Both reasons raise the visibility of shows on the blog [Meanwhile Back at the Ranch. Or Not]. End aside.

Let’s check the stats.

September
ASB show with Whiskey & Sam on Saturday [Spontaneous Showing, Show Report, Alabama Fun Show, ERA Stables, 2019], lesson with Rodney on Sunday [Steady On, Lesson Recap].

Driving demo with Milton [Milton Does Demo Duty].

Obstacle Challenge show with Rodney [Pink Is His Color, Show Report, Alabama Obstacle Challenge Series, King’s Ranch, September 2019].

Lesson with Rodney [Where Are We Now? Lesson Recap].

October
Obstacle Challenge show with Rodney [In The Pink, Show Report, Alabama Obstacle Challenge Series, L&C Horsemanship Ranch, October 2019, Part 1].

ASB show with Joe & Sam [Taking The Reins, Show Report, Alabama Charity 2019, Driving].

Lesson with Rodney. Plans never solidified.

ASB Hunter show & costume class with Rodney [Getting Our Hunter On, Show Report, SSF Home Show 2019 & Neither Sound Nor Light, Halloween 2019].

November
Dressage show with Rodney [Woe Is I, Noshow Report, Full Circle Horse Park, Dressage, November 2019].

10 activities, 9 weekends in a row. Two did not happen. For horse scheduling, 80% is a darn good average. Plus shows two weeks before & two weeks after the 9-streak [ Words, Show Report, Dressage, Full Circle Horse Park, August 2019, Noshow Number Two].

It was fantastic to be in a position to make so many plans. To clarify, be in position to make so many plans with a reasonable expectation of them coming to pass. Making hopeless plans is easy.

I almost mention this streak several times, but decided to wait until we were done for the show year. Superstitious, moi?

Despite all this activity, there was not a jump in sight. But I waive that point. I do not press it. I look over it.

Onwards!

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott