Virtual Brush Box

Entry Philosophy, Pre-show Report, Full Circle Horse Park, May 2019

The Gray Wonder, Dressage Diva, Jumping Diary

I wonder if other people spend as much time cogitating about which classes to enter as I do.

Class 5 – Intro C
Time to canter.

We’d learned what there was to learn at Intro A&B [Preliminaries Accomplished]. Yes, we still had a huge amount of work to do on improving our dressage. As far as test-qua-test was concerned, enough of that.

When I signed up, I felt there was a 50/50 chance we’d get the canter(s) before we ran out of circle(s). After practicing our test several times [Demo], I raised the chance to 75%.

Initially, I considered signing up for Training Level Test 1, a test I have done an infinitude of times over the years. Yes, Intro C was easier, but I might as well get started learning latest version of T1.

Then, I read SHSP’s post about her dressage test,

Thank goodness Intro C and I go way back. Even with the new 2019 tests, I can do Intro C in my sleep! Show Horse, Sport Horse: Sidetrack–Meet Lacy

That’s how I used to feel about Training Level Test 1.

I realized if I do starter levels, I will be doing Intro tests. Might as well practice. Then, if (when!) I move up, we do the USEF eventing tests. These are new. Back in the day, eventers simply borrowed the equivalent straight-dressage test. No more. If I ever do a Training Level test, it will be because I choose do dressage.

Intro C it is.

Class 23- 12″ Crossrails
I admit, I felt silly entering a 12″ class. I had to check the results from the previous show [Report] to confirm that we had done 12″ rather than 18″. Fish aren’t the only thing that get bigger in memory.

We hadn’t jumped at all in between the two shows. We’ve been working on fitness, on cantering at home on the lunge line, on group lessons, but no jumping.

Plus, the goal is positive experiences for horse and rider. At this point in our progress, it is better to undershoot and have a better chance for success.

At least it was a ribbon for a clear round. No beating up on children and ponies. Or vice versa.

Choices Made Easy
Since I was moving up in dressage but not over jumps, I had to enter separate classes. There was not a combined test option. One less thing about which to perseverate [Names Matter].

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Note To Self, Keep An Eye On The Jump Crew

Jumping Diary

That feeling when you come around the turn and realize your instructor has reset the jump when you weren’t looking.

18″ Vertical, taken at the canter.
By any external measure – ridiculously tiny.
Measured against internal progress – Personal Record!

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Haiku Form

State of the Blog: A Marketing Haiku

Blogging About Blogging

On the net, daily.
Not going batshit crazy.
Life becomes story.

Process Notes
Because I can’t leave well-enough alone. In It’s All Just A Draft, Tobias Buckell talks about synopsizing novels & writing cover copy. In zooming through my 750 words later that day [A Place To Write], I came up with the marketing idea of creating a haiku for each (potential, future) novel. In addition to being a gimmick, it would be a way to see if I can condense the novel in to 17 syllables. Hmm, how would I summarize the blog in a haiku? And here we are.

The ‘bat shit crazy’ reference was in 2013 [I’m Baaack]. Still true today.

Previous Precision Poetry
[Status 2017]
[Armchair Athlete 2016]
[Placeholder 2014]
[Rolex], reposted by Horse Nation, Horse Haiku: Eventing 2012

10 Day Challenge

Worth 1000 Words, Visual Storytelling

Reagan Upton [Barnshine, Road] nominated me a in a Facebook challenge:

Ten-day horse family challenge. Every day, select an image from a day in the life of owning, loving, driving and riding that has had an impact on you and post it without a single explanation and nominate somebody to take the challenge. That’s 10 days, 10 horse photos, 10 nominations, and 0 explanations.

So I made it a blog post. And I provided explanations. Because I want to. My blog; my rules.

10 photos

ONE

[Foto Friday: Ears]
First ASB ride.

TWO

[Sandra Hall Captures The Moment, Show Photos, Nationals 2018]
“National Champion. Nothing can take those words away. Not even me.”
[All The Thoughts]

THREE

[Pro-Am 2016 Show Photos by Shiflet]
Alvin & our best drive. I still use it as a benchmark to gauge how well I am driving.

FOUR

[Catching Up from Last Year, Show Photos Indiana CDE 2017]
Marathon!

FIVE

As a retrospective, this list prioritizes current activities. That is what’s on my mind. That is what I have easily accessible photos of. This photo of Mathilda is for all of the horses, people, barns, trail rides, jumps, shows and so on, that came before Rodney and Milton and ASBs and driving and so on.

SIX

[I Ride Milton!]
“… with lots of help! “

SEVEN

[Reaching for the Big Trot, Jump Lesson at FHF]
Jump School at Falcon Hill Farm

EIGHT

[I am not back. This is not a post.]
No one said the impact had to be a good one. We are all still twitchy from this adventure.

NINE

The above is a blank space for all the nonexistent photos of me riding Rodney. You better believe this has had an “impact” on me.

TEN

[Rain Games in the Pasture]
Because I can’t end on a downer.

10 nominations
In reverse alphabetical order

Writing From the Right Side of the Stall: Carefully curated musings (um, okay, rants) about the writing life, horses, bitterness and crushing career disappointment. Fun, right?

Tails From Provence: What happens when a horsemad Ould Wagon moves from Cork to Provence with 2 horses, 2 dogs and a Long Suffering Husband? Why, she gets a third dog, discovers Natural Horsemanship à la Française and starts writing short stories, of course…
Update. Challenge Accepted. 10 Day Challenge

Show Horse • Sport Horse: Nautica the American Saddlebred Dressage Horse
Update. Challenge Accepted. Ten Day Photo Challenge (more or less)

My Horse Journey

Life, the Universe, and Everything: Adventures of a Curious Mind
Update. Challenge Accepted. My Riding Life…Such as it was

Leather & Sawdust!: Providing Design Inspiration For The Equine Lifestyle

‘Fraidy Cat Eventing

desktop stables: my love for horses … in miniature!

CurTales: Where I ramble about dogs, farms, herding, horses, photography and whatever else comes to mind!

Contact: The Pursuit of PSG

Thank you Reagan, that was fun.

Dressage Demo Diva

The Gray Wonder

I attempt to drum up excitement about dressage.
Photo by Courtney Huguley

On one hand, a horse and rider who needed to practice the Intro C dressage test in a ring. On the other hand, a group of home-schoolers coming to Stepping Stone Farm for their weekly lessons. Result, a dressage demonstration for the kids.

How To Give A Demo When You Don’t Know Dressage
I rode the test first, narrating as I went. Even with printed copies of the test and letters on the fenceline ‘Circle at B’ didn’t mean much to them. Then we had a talk about how Milton looked. Fast? Slow? Happy? Cranky? How about the rider? Elegant? Waving her hands like a mad orchestra conductor? I was trying to make the point that they already knew more about “dressage” than they thought.

Then I rode the test again, giving them a chance to observe what we did well and what needed work. The kids were very polite and reluctant to say anything critical. One finally loosen up enough to opine that my canter transition was less than prompt. 100% correct. I also said that what they saw constituted a big improvement for us. Judges, like them, couldn’t know that. A judge can only score what they see on the day.

Coach Courtney pointed out that the same thing happens in their riding. The person in center ring has no idea how hard a rider has worked to get to the show, or what struggles they may or may not have overcome. The judges has to go with what is in front of them.

Between a rehearsal run and the demo, Milton did 6 canter half circles. Mission accomplished.

How To Turn a Saddlebred Ring Into A Dressage Arena, Using Driving Cones And Jump Standards

Cones and standards in the corners. Homemade letters on the fence [Driven Dressage]. The measurements were approximate, but then so is my dressage.

Bathed horse with special gray horse shampoos (plural). Cleaned tack. Polished boots. I can’t ride my way out of ~~Training~~ Intro Level. I can put on a good show.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Ribbon Rant

Adventures in Saddle Seat

You call that a ribbon? Three short streamers and a narrow, single rosette with the world’s most lifeless ruffle? I’ll give them the customized button, that’s cool. Different buttons give a nice variety to a ribbon display over time. The sticky-out white streamer has the name of the show. Too little, too late.

This barely rates for a backyard, in-barn gymkhana. Such a poor show of acetate is particularly appalling for eventing, which only has to invest in one ribbon per competitor per weekend.

For this I am giving up the glorious, epic loot fest that is saddle seat?! I may need to rethink my priorities.

But Seriously Folks
All snarking aside, Intrépide and Sheila Palmer placed third in their move-up to Beginner Novice. Completing all three phases of an event is always an accomplishment to be proud of. At any level, to finish is to win. Ribbons are a lovely bonus. ~~Show Horse, Sport Horse: Sidetrack – Meet Lacy~~ Show Horse, Sport Horse: Moving On Up.

Congratulations, Sheila & Lacy.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott