Philosophical Reflections Following My Post-Show Snit

Ride the horse you have.

For anyone just tuning in. I went to a show [Entering The Class]. My horse was a jackass [Wannabe Saddlebred Coming Through]. I had feelings about this [Sour Side Up]. I pondered. This is the result.

Ride the horse you have.

If that means walking two laps around the pastures before riding one (Rodney), so be it. If that means working our asses off to maybe, possible, someday go pre-pre-pre-pre-Baby Novice (Milton), so be it.

Ride the horse you have.

I worry about … I worry about everything. In never got back with obstacle person [Can’t Go Over It, Gotta Go Through It]. After a great start [Jump Crew], I’ve missed group lessons at Falcon Hill Farm two weeks running (show & farrier). I did not ride saddle seat at all in May. I feel I have let people down.

I can’t decide if this is compassionate or conceited.

What, they will spin off into the void without me? While I am all for aiding my fellow human in need, my over-developed sense of responsibility could use a hard reset. I need to respect that other people have agency. Look to my own knitting. Let other people look to theirs. I have more than enough to keep me occupied right here at home.

Ride the horse you have.

If a horse does not work out for the job you have in mind, you can come up with a new job or find him a new home that appreciates his skills. We have the option to give our horses forever homes [Is Your Horse A Dog Or A Sailboat?]. Therefore, they are here to stay.

These are the life choices we have made. These are the horses we have.

Ride the horse you have.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Sour Side Up, Rodney

Rodney’s spring lameness [SitRep] slid in my somewhat annual snit over his lot in life. Although, archives would indicate that the two happened concurrently [Saga]. Sigh.

Once he was sound, he was anxious and edgy to ride. It was easier to concentrate on the next show and push Rodney to the back burner, or occasionally completely off the stove. Sigh.

To be clear, this is MY dissatisfaction with Rodney’s life. Rodney is perfectly happy with the way things have shaken out. Sigh.

Part of the problem was coming up with his age for the Art Week post [Day 5]. I mean, sure, I knew approximately how old he was. But that’s different from confirming the number and & committing it to print. No way to sugarcoat it. Twenty is old for a horse. Most horses have graduated to retirement or to working retirement by 20. Rodney retired at 11. Apparently. Sigh.

Frustration leads to despair leads to whining when I should be grateful leads to guilt at not feeling grateful enough. Thus commences the whole majestic spin cycle that is my relationship with Rodney. Sigh.

As far as the blog goes, taking the focus off Rodney [Back To Blogging] has improved my continuity. Plus having Milton to blog about. I post about Milton. I go off to fret about Rodney. Sigh.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Sour Side Up, Milton

The Gray Wonder

 

As the excitement from the show wore off, I grew increasingly disappointed in Milton’s response. I put a lot of effort into getting ready for Mid-South [Report]. I wanted to put on a good show, okay, I wanted to show off in front of the community that has been so accepting of me over the past seven years. That’s the best we can do? Seriously Horse, you can’t even wrap your head around a simple flat class? I’m not saying he needed to be perfect. Just to try.

I’m not fussing about our placing. In all probability, our ribbons would have been exactly the same if he had been the gender-bent reincarnation of Rox Dene. I’m disappointed in the theatrics. I’m disappointed that he had a come-apart at the first sign of imagined adversity.

We have worked hard to bring Milton along gradually. He cannot complain about being rushed. Sure, he’s had good days and good moments. However, he’s never really risen to the occasion. More like doing a decent job of grasping the next tiny step we have carefully laid out in front of him. This time he couldn’t even do that.

Is this my life now, a horse who loses his cool at the first hint of complication?

Yes, he’s a Thoroughbred. I’ve ride TBs all my life. Aside from Matilda, all my horses have been TBs, off the track and otherwise. I know from TB hysteria. This is an extreme reaction to minor stimuli. A serious case of easily overwhelmed and then not handling the overwhelm. Without a payback in performance on good days. The mare who won Badminton this year is apparently a PIA 364 days of the year. But on that one good day, she wins a five-star international event. This you put up with.

Time for a return on our investment. Not just of money, but of time, of effort, of thought, of the days we spent trailering him so that he can work in a ring, of going slowly, of spending time away from home on non-compete trips, of choosing small simple competitions at places he knows.

Last week, I started our open field training. After one lap around the pasture by himself, Milton was covered with nervous sweat. One lap. At a slow walk. Through areas he grazes daily.

Dude needs to step up.

At some point, it’s supposed to be fun. Otherwise, why do it?

I’ll get over myself in a day or two.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Aspirational Events

The Gray Wonder

 

I don’t do goals. It’s too easy to flounder in disappointment [This Is Why I Don’t Set Goals]. Since it is good to have a plan, I do consider optional aspirational events that I regard in an off-hand fashion as I work toward them in a calm and sedate fashion, accepting the vicissitudes of life as they transpire. Do you buy that?

Spring show season is over. I did 7 shows: 2 saddle seat, 5 with Milton. Milton did one dressage show, three dressage & “jumping” shows and one hunter Academy show. Pretty good for the first half of the year.

The big ASB summer shows are too far away to be worth messing with, either 4 hours for 2 classes, or 7 hours for 3. Milton may do the two summer fun shows that are nearby. We’ll see where we are when August rolls around.

Local hunter rules are strict. I had wanted to go for a day and do a handful of flat classes, regardless of division. However, that would disqualify me from Hopeful Hunter, which I hope to do with my hunter some day soon. That means if I went for just flat classes, I could only do one class. That’s out.

That leaves …

… drumroll …

Aspirational Event 1 – Jumpers at Falcon Hill Farm
In July, FHF has a jumper show with fences starting at 2′. Jumpers means no braiding, no lead changes, even a trot fence if we must. Needless to say, I am not planning to run for time. This is strictly schooling over low fences.

This is doable. Milton knows the ring. Milton has liked showing in the ring [Winning The Warm-Up, photos]. Two feet is tiny.

This is a big ask. We’ve got six weeks to learn to canter a course and actually jump things, as in leave the ground with quantifiable – albeit small – hang time. I could technically trot the entire course, but if we are not ready to canter the course, we are not ready to show.

Aspirational Event 2 – Full Circle Horse Park #4
The next FCHP show is in August. If we successfully jump 2′ in July, I’d like to do the 18″ jumping class here. The ring has a small but distinct slope on which they enjoy placing downhill jumps.

The real aspiration event for the August FCHP is to be ready to ride in the open and school the littlest fences [Looking Forward].

The final FCHP show is in November. It is possible that there is an unspoken aspirational event that involves showing over the tiny XC jumps … shhh …. don’t think about it … don’t think about it ….

Even writing this post feels like too much of a commitment. We will work toward these shows in a joyous and accepting manner. If they happen, they happen. Man plans; God laughs.

That’s the sunny version. Tomorrow I release my inner Eeyore.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Writing Rules, Which Ones?

Writing About Writing

 

Writing Rule: Write what you know.

Writing Rule: Write what you want to read.

Okay, which one do I follow?

What if you don’t like to read what you know? I deliberately read about activities I have not done, nor ever intend to. Take the time to learn to play Scrabble at a national level? No, thank you. Take the time to read Word Freak and let author Stephan Fatsis do the heavy lifting? Sure.

As I’ve said elsewhere, I don’t read what I know: horses, firefighting, living in the South. I’m doing it. Why would I want to read about it? YMMV

Furthermore, writing what I know quickly turns into writing what I only think I know. When I wrote about the history of a horse show, I was surprised to find that much of the information lodged in my brain was misremembered, exaggerated, or flat out wrong. I had to check and doublecheck every little factoid.

When I set out to write an article on mosquito eradication, I know only what the expert I interview tells me. All my data is current and correct.

What writing rules have tripped you up?

Update
[Writing Rules Graphic]

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

The Two Sides Of Major Milton, Show Photos, Mid-South Spring Premiere 2019

The Gray Wonder, Adventures in Saddle Hunt Seat

Mid-South Spring Premiere
Saturday, May 25, 2019

Official Photographer Event Mix

First & second classes. Bright-eyed & bushy-tailed. He looks edgier in the photo than he rode. Except for the canter transitions (except for!) and some of the cantering, he handled like a sports car. [Hanging With The Saddlebros IIa, Wannabe Saddlebred Coming Through]

Third class. Post remediation. Calm. No zing, for good or ill. Goofy look on my face. I was undoubtedly talking to him, probably at the end of a ‘Good boy’. His mouth also open. We both talk a lot. [Hanging With The Saddlebros IIb, Back Into The Fray]

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott