Show Today! You Are Not Going To Believe This

Training Journal

 

Dressage.

Full Circle Horse Park.

Intro Test A.

With Rodney.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know, right?!?!?!?!

Since our canter session at the end of July [They Said It Couldn’t Be Done], we have been quietly planning this show debut. I hope you understand why I haven’t said anything until now. Many a slip twixt cup and lip [God Laughs].

Our ride time is 3:24 pm US central time. Alabama is GMT/UTC – 6h during Standard Time; GMT/UTC – 5h during Daylight Saving Time, per TimeTemperature.com. While the horses’s mouth, GreenwichMeanTime.com, converts the time correctly (-5), the text doesn’t mention daylight savings. But I have fallen down an Internet rabbit hole. Back to the show.

If I never get on, that’s okay. He may get off the trailer, take one look, say “Holy Horse Show, Batman!”, and stage a meltdown.

If I warm up, but don’t show, that’s okay. We have his pre-test routine planned: grazing, watching warm-up, long-lining, a break, rider up, walking, more walking, brief trotting, standing and watching as needed, more walking, enter A working trot rising. We are prepared to take the off-ramp at any point in the process.

If I show, but have to stop halfway through, that’s okay. Although the test is so epically short, if we get in and get started, we *should* be able to scramble to the finish.

I’m saying all of this for myself as much as for you. To remind myself that, regardless of the result, today is a success. As long as everyone comes home ears up and steel down, today is a victory.

To talk about a show. To be able to use the words “show” and “Rodney” in the same sentence. This is more than I thought possible at the beginning of the year.

Sending in the entry. A miracle step right there.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Milton Continues His Summer Break

Training Journal

 

tldr: We almost found a saddle for Milton, but fell down the NQR rabbit hole instead.

The local tack shop had a used 18″ Steuben. Ideally, I ride in a 17 1/2″ saddle, but 18″ is not a dealbreaker. It was old, but those saddles last forever. Eventhough Milton was taking time away from riding [Getting A Break], we brought it home to try. Fit well. He went well, at least at the walk and trot. Since Milton & I are not cantering outside of the ring yet, I wanted to ride him at Stepping Stone Farm before we closed the deal. Between shipping Rodney (yay!) and ridiculous levels of heat, we kept not getting over there.

Meanwhile, the tack shop found another 18″ Steuben. Brought it home. Fit a little better in the cantle, less well in the pommel, but on average about the same as the other one. Milton did. not. like. it. No hysterics, but he never relaxed at the walk. Even my ground crew thought I should end the test before Milton began expressing himself more firmly.

It almost as if he doesn’t like having any saddle on his back. Did he go well in the Devoucoux because it fit or because he was used to wearing a saddle at that point [Does This Saddle Make Me Look Sporty]? Did he dislike this particular saddle or had it been a while since he wore any saddle?

We returned both saddles and resolved to take another stab as sorting him out.

No one – vet, massage therapist, instructor – has found anything amiss. Well, the saddle fitter thought Milton had a sensitive back. Dig those fingernails into my back, and I’d flinch too. Everyone has given him a clean bill of health. The instructors have both told me to give him a good thump in the sides to get him moving. Given the horse we presented to these folks, their judgments make sense.

The problem is a host of little things that you only realize if you see the horse day after day. He’s a shade too grumpy. He’s a little cold-backed. He doesn’t like being groomed. His dressage is mediocre. He has not embraced jumping, even at the lowest level. And so on. Every individual attribute is explainable. Together they don’t add up to the horse Milton ought to be.

We’ve tried so many things. Naps. Feed changes. Spray and unguents. Baths. Meds. There appears to be some progress at first. Then we settle into a new status quo pissy. It definitely involves his skin, but it’s not fungus or itches or anything on the surface.

Current theory is a histamine reaction that we are treating with Benadryl.

Scenario. He is a fine and happy horse in Canada. He comes down to Alabama. Over the first week, part of his new environment infiltrates and sets up a low-grade irritation. It’s minor, until we put a saddle on his back. The sensation is not pleasant, “Oh shit. Ow. What the hell? No. No. No.” It’s almost as if his initial outburst was as much of a surprise to him as it was to us. Photo below taken seconds before he absolutely loses him mind, dumps me, and takes off bucking around the field [Did I Piss Off the Universe and Not Notice?]. None of us saw it coming. Including Milton? Over time, he adjusts to this annoyance as his new reality, but he’s never happy about it.

Interesting narrative. Now to see if it has any bearing in reality.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Them There, Me Here, Screenshots From Louisville 2019

Adventures in Saddle Seat

 

Notes
Helmets spotted in the Hunter class! In a class of 20, the majority wore hunt caps, i.e. strapless helmets. I never got an exact count in all the milling. I estimate that 3-4 exhibitors wore a helmet with a harness. Hunt caps used to be all the rage in the hunter/jumper rings. I still have mine. Now hunter/jumperland has moved to helmets. After all, a head covering ain’t gonna do you any good if it falls off before you do.

I’m used to hearing Peter Doubleday as the voice of big jumper classes. It’s weird to hear him calling for the rack.

No action shots? I deliberately take screenshots after the class, during the line-up. I don’t want to risk messing up my phone and missing the rest of the class. As an example, see the bright red Live, the long date text, and miscellaneous command icons framing the last image? My phone puts on this overlay when it feels so inclined. An unknown combination of button pushing and holding my mouth just right gets rid of it. However, I didn’t dare experiment before the class.

Results, in case the text above is too small, Sunday through Tuesday
Reagan & Elton 0/20
Courtney & Buster 8/11
Sterling & Super Scandal (don’t know barn name) 3rd & 2nd
Jess & Buster 0/11. Ribbons to 8th, judges cards marked to 10th.
Reagan & Jimi 7/16

As one of the riders in the first Hunter Country Pleasure class at the World’s Championship Horse Show, Reagan is now part of Saddlebred history.

Sterling is showing out of her other barn for this. In the excitement of getting the SSF horses on the road, I forgot about her for the Go Team! post. Go Sterling!

All classes looked tough. Names I recognized were placing down in the order. Louisville is the big one. All the fancy Saddlebreds have this show on their dance card.

SSF ribbons as of Tuesday afternoon. On the purple ribbon you can see that each ribbon has the individual class printed on the streamer. Classy.

My reading of tea leaves for the championship classes.
Courtney is done
Reagan & Elton, Wednesday morning
Jess & Buster, Friday morning
Reagan & Jimi, Saturday morning
Sterling is entered for her pleasure class, also Saturday morning, but not equitation, according to HorseShowsOnline.
Good luck to all!

Links
SSF Facebook
World’s Championship Horse Show
Livestreaming info
Results at HorseShowsOnline
[Go Team! Louisville 2019!]
Louisville posts, previous years [Archive]

Heading up to Kentucky.

Update
Reagan & Elton, Country Pleasure Hunter Championship, 0/20, 9th on the card. So close.
Jess & Buster, Jr Exhibitor Roadster Pony Championship, 0/11, 9th on the card. Ditto.
Sterling, Jr Exhibitor 3G Show Pleasure 13 & Under Championship, 6/17
Reagan & Jimi, Championship, 8/16. !! Mathematically, 7th in the split puts them 13th or 14th in the combined class, so 8th is a huge jump up.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Rodney Continues to Roam

Training Journal

 

The Marbles Come …
Thursday afternoon/evening at Stepping Stone Farm. The day was too hot to long-line in the sun, so we went right to riding. I walked in covered ring for 10-15 minutes to warm up in the shade. Unfortunately, the diameter is too small for his big self to open up. We went up to the big ring for a quick spin in the sun. Trot, a big loopy trot on a long rein. Canter, ditto. Reverse. Trot. Canter. A few minutes of trot work to see if we remembered how. Getting him use his butt instead of letting it trail around behind him. Done. Pats all around.

It was so normal. Just go in the ring and ride your horse. I had forgotten what that felt like.

… The Marbles Go
To paraphrase a president, “We do not school things because they are easy. We school them because they are hard.”

Saturday morning at Full Circle Horse Park. We deliberately went at the busiest time of the weekend. I emailed the management ahead of time to find out what time would expose Rodney to the most activity. Be careful what you ask for. At one point, there were six horses schooling near us.

We started with pluses. He was pushy at the walk. I went through my usual bout of despair that we were doomed to walk for that day. After a while, I decide to see what would happen if I trotted even though the walk was not 100% as relaxed as I would have liked. The trot that was also not 100% relaxed, but we got it. More walking. Then some absolutely stellar trot work. I worked on keeping my fingers flexible. He seemed to appreciate it.

He did lots of looking, as always. He got to the point that he could look and yet kept going. I told him it was okay to look with his eyes but not his head & neck.

Then.

The three horses schooling cross-country came around to a new side of the course. Rodney was rapt. He stared at them as if he had never seem horses before. I honestly don’t know if he a) wanted to be out there jumping with them, b) was worried they would be eaten by dragons, or c) was worried they were dragons.

I got off rather than fight with him. I seem to have developed a habit of dismount during adversity [Milton at home, Rodney at home, Milton at show]. I’m sure die-hards are appalled. In my defense, I remount and return to work, generally accomplishing we were attempting in the first place. I like to think of it as strategically retreating and reapproaching the issue.

Got back on. We stood. Horses began to filter into the ring with us. We walked. One horse went into the dressage arena that is set up inside the ring. We trotted, not as brilliantly as previously but decently.

A horse in warm-up with us. A horse in dressage arena next to us. Three horses on XC. One horse strolling in grass outside the ring. I could feel the effort he put into holding it together. Good boy. We declared victory and went home.

I don’t know what it is with Rodney and other horses.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Synchro Peeing

Horsekeeping

 

No pics. You are welcome.

Rodney, The Bashful Bladder
I have to pee. I do so hate peeing in public. First thing I shall do when I get home is to locate a good spot.

They have opened the door of the big white box. Time to go home. Please make all due haste. My bladder is bubbling over. There, I’ve stood while being untied. I’ve have unloaded quietly. Now out of my way. Out of my way, I say. Okay, you take take the wraps off, but hurry.

Really, is this the time to bungle the halter removal? How hard is it to slide the top piece over my ears? How many times have we done this? Are you finished? Good. I’m gone. Nope, not here. Not here. Yes, here.

Legs out. Tail up. Ahaaaaaa.

Milton, The Tidy Bladder
Gotta pee. Hate peeing in my stall. What? They expect me to widdle all over the shavings and then stand in it? Gross.

Here they come. Finally. Open the door. Open the door. Outta my way. Dude, wait up. Wait up. I’ll join you. Good spot.

Legs out. Tail up. Ahaaaaaa.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Go Team! Louisville 2019!

Graphic Design
Adventures in Saddle Seat

 


 

Stepping Stone Farm
World’s Championship Horse Show, Louisville, KY

For those following along at home.

Qualifying classes
Sunday Afternoon
Reagan & non-SSF horse
26. ASB Hunter Country Pleasure

Sunday Night
Courtney & Buster
42. Four-Year-Old Roadster Pony

Monday Morning
Jess & Buster
52. Junior Exhibitor Roadster Pony – Driver 13 Years old & Under

Tuesday Morning
Reagan & Jimi
92. ASB Adult Three-Gaited Country Pleasure. Split will be class 98.

Championship classes
Wednesday Morning
Reagan & non-SSF horse
144. ASB Hunter Country Pleasure. Must have shown in 92.

Friday Morning
Jess & Buster
186. Junior Exhibitor Roadster Pony – Driver 13 Years old & Under Championship. Must show in 52. If 52 is split, ribbon winners eligible.
OR(?)
Courtney & Buster
190 Junior Roadster Pony Championship. Must show in 42 (4yo) or 101 (3yo) to be eligible. Entries may be limited.

I don’t know the plan if they both qualify. A tough choice, but a nice problem to have.

Saturday Morning
Reagan & Jimi
218. ASB Adult Three-Gaited Country Pleasure. Must have received a ribbon 92 or 98 to qualify.

Links
SSF Facebook
World’s Championship Horse Show
Livestreaming info
Results at HorseShowsOnline
Louisville posts [Archive]

Update. Correction after watching the livestream. “Show your pony!” appears to come from the fancy dress Hackney classes. Road Ponies get “Let ’em go!”

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott