Horses & Other Interests
Alabama Winter Tournament 2018-2019
Heathermoor Farm Riding Academy
Moody AL, USA
Saturday, January 12, 2019
[Show Report]
26. Academy Driving – 1st of 1
Thank you to Reagan Upton for absolutely adorable Chappie.
Previous Show [Once More Into The Cart, Show Report, Winter Tournament 2018-19 #1, Driving]
All Winter Tournament Shows [Winter Tournament Posts]
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
Alabama Winter Tournament 2018-2019
Heathermoor Farm Riding Academy
Moody AL, USA
Saturday, January 12, 2019
1. Advance Horsemanship WTC Adult – 4th of 6
2. Advanced Equitation WTC Adult (Pattern) – 1st of 4
7. Pleasure Horse or Pony WTC Adult – 2nd of 5
All riding classes with Sultan’s Miracle Man.
Thank you to Courtney Huguley for always awesome Sam.
Prologue: The Riding/Showing Scale
At one end of the scale, you are on a green horse. With the best will in the world, a green horse will be inconsistent in tempo, behavior, direction, and so on. You have to be ready for that. Green horses can misbehave. You have to be ready for that as well. At the other end of the scale is the highly trained show horse. You work just as hard, but the aids are subtler and the goal is to refine a brilliant performance.
First Class: Forgetting Where I Am
I knew I wasn’t riding as well as I had in my most recent lesson, but I couldn’t figure out why. Well, now that I have my truck back [We Got Wheels yay!], I can travel. In the week before the show, I took a saddle seat lesson on Wednesday and took Milton over on Friday [Cantering This Way and That]. Should have done it the other way around. Note to self, don’t have a hunter/jumper lesson on a green horse the day before an ASB show. I was riding rather than showing.
Second Class: Equitation Victory
In brief break between classes, my ground crew reminded me that I did not have to keep checking in with Sam. I know what Sam is going to do. It helped that I am comfortable with patterns and that Sam is the pattern king.
Third Class: Show Your Horse
I kept my mental act together and remembered to engage the fine tuning that one is supposed to employ in the show ring. I am proud of the second. Winter Tournament is not Academy. Advanced is open to suit riders on fancy horses.
Post-show: Meet-up In A Hotel Room
After the show, I scampered off to have my show vest [New Clothes] and pants [Show Report: It Takes a Village] given the once over. Becker Brothers had rented a meeting room in a nearby hotel to act as temporary fitting room. I had planned to buy new, longer pants. Turns out the ones I have were a) nicer than the ones on offer, b) originally from BB, and therefore c) could be altered. Three cheers for serendipity. I still have no idea when I will be showing, but I’ll look slick when I do.
Previous Show [Once More Into the Fray, Show Report, Winter Tournament 2018-19 #1, Riding]
All Winter Tournament Shows [Winter Tournament Posts]
Update
[Cuteness On The Hoof, Show Report, Winter Tournament 2018-19 #3, Driving]
[A Wordless Story, Show Photos, Winter Tournament 2018-19 #3]
[A Wordless Short, More Show Photos, Winter Tournament 2018-19 #3]
[I don’t have a blog post & that’s a good thing.] Photo
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
I had my first jumping lesson with a saddle seat instructor (referenced [here]). Yeah, you read that right. It was her first jumping lesson also. Until now, all our work with Coach Courtney has been in her wheelhouse: driving [Hitched! & Maiden Voyage!], holding my paw [I Ride Milton!], even our walk/trot classes were at ASB shows [1,2,3].
So why did I go this route? I’m not asking her to help me with anything that I haven’t already done with other horses. In between formal jumping lessons what I need are educated eyes on the ground and moral support. She’s seen me at my worst and helped me do my best. A few jumps won’t faze her.
To help you keep the players straight. I had a jumping lesson with Molly McCown at her Falcon Hill Farm a few weeks ago. Milton and I did a two-pole canter exercise [Enough Retrospection]. Last Friday, I took Milton over to Stepping Stone Farm for lesson to practice this exercise with Courtney Huguley, the person from whom I have been taking saddle seat lessons since 2012. Got it?
Okay, we didn’t technically *jump* anything, except the pole once or twice, but it was jumping theory and technique. I’m counting it.
I wanted to break the exercise down for Milton. Trot both poles. Canter one pole by itself. Canter the second pole by itself. Canter both together. Reverse direction. Repeat. Coach Courtney was massively obliging about moving this pole, then that pole, then this pole again, then that pole again, then … then … She hath discovered the joys of being jump crew.
Milton had trouble meeting the pole on the correct stride. She said he looked like a person who was learning ballroom dancing and trying to sort out which foot went were. Exactly.
She asked what role position plays in jumping, I said the same role that position plays in asking a horse to rack. Beezie Madden and Michael Matz can make a grand prix jumper trip look like an equitation course. Other riders have a rougher style but get the job done.
At one point, Milton was flat and lugging on my hands. To which I responded by trying to haul him up with both hands. This never works, but one does it anyway. She told me to ‘Wiggle Up.” This is a saddle seat term, which means a quick left-right with the reins to set the horse’s head. I dunno the proper dressage terminology, or even if it is proper dressage, but it got him to quit laying on me. Whereupon, I became enchanted with the maneuver and cantered around the ring going wiggle, wiggle, wiggle. It worked as well as one would expect. I was advised to put it away until I needed it again.
Then, I pointed out how badly I was looking down at the rail as I went over. I don’t mean glancing downward. I mean eyes staring straight down to the ground as the rail went under Milton’s hooves. Next time around, she told me to ‘Look up at the pond.’, meaning the pond outside the ring at the far end.
Yup, we’ll make a jumping trainer out of her in no time.
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
A 2018 Toyota Yaris, which is apparently a Mazda in sheep’s clothing. In addition to being a generalized life event, buying this car has horse-specific ramifications. I have my truck back and can once again go places! Such as saddle seat lessons. Or haul Milton on his various barn visits. Or get feed without having to wait until Saturday! Small dreams, but they are my dreams.
Onwards! With truck!
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
Belated letter art to go with last week’s photo.
Process Notes
Drawn in Inkscape, finished in GIMP. Instead of sorting out how to cut or intersect objects in Inkscape, I patched over the problem areas with pieces of the same color. A functional solution but not an elegant one. Speaking of elegant, the roundness on the upper arm of the R never got right. After much fiddling, I had to declare victory and get on with my life. Curves are hard!
On the up side, the result is at least in the same time zone as what I was aiming for and I don’t hate it. So, progress.
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
tldr: I’m leaving it a bit late to decide what I want to be when I grow up.
I had planned to treat myself to a long cogitation on the state of my writing career: where it’s been, where it’s going, how to get from the former to the latter. However, I just got back from Stepping Stone Farm where Milton and I practiced our two-pole canter exercise from our lesson at Falcon Hill Farm [What’s Been Happening]. Go Milton! Go Me!
I’m beat. So, I’ll boil it down.
A) Nothing has changed from last time. [In Which I Stare, Blinking, Into the Future]
B) I have the luxury of choice. I should figure out what I want to do with that choice. [Writing Life: What Next? Advice Sought.]
C) First step is to work hard on the one writing job I do have: “Behind The Scenes” USDF Connection.
[USDF Interview: Andreas Stano, DressageClinic.com] December 2017/January 2018
[USDF Interview: Heidi Degele, Dressage-Horse Sales Agent] February 2018
“Richard Taylor, Equestrian Video Professional,” USDF Connection, March 2018
“Daniel Stewart, Equestrian Mental Skills-Training Coach,” USDF Connection, April 2018
“Louise Leatherdale, Sport-Horse Breeder and Owner,” USDF Connection, May 2018
“Eva Peterson, Massage Therapist, USDF Connection,” June 2018
“Tiffany Donnelly, Specialty Equestrian Designer and Retailer,” USDF Connection, July/August 2018
“Beth Baumert, The Dressage Foundation, USDF Connection,” September 2018
“Michele Hundt, Equine Artist and Equestrian Retailer,” USDF Connection, October 2018
“Emily Koenig, USDF, USDF Connection,” November 2018
“Beth Haist, Dressage Specialty Retailer,” USDF Connection, December 2018/January 2019
Why I stopped posting these [Blinking].
March 2012 to February 2018 [Clips].
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
While I was researching my recent trip to NYC, I came across a website that offered horseback rides in Central Park. Having grown up in Manhattan [NY Cliché, Guest Post], riding a horse through my former playground would be a kid’s dream come true. I knew that Claremont had closed, so I wasn’t sure where this barn was or if the company was still in business. I kept running across websites for awesome restaurants that had closed four years previously. Nothing dies on the Internet. Maybe this was more of the same.
Not every horse can be a pampered pasture ornament owned by an indulgent amateur. Some gots to work for their feed: pulling carriages for tourists, making endless circles with beginner riders, walking down the Grand Canyon trails. I would hope they live and work under good management. So, I had no theoretical objection to trail horses in Central Park.
What I didn’t have was time. There was always something else I would rather be doing during my six-day stay. At home, I horse. At home, I can’t eat at interesting restaurants, wander the streets admiring urban life, or take a weaving class [Gotta Start Somewhere]. So, no trail rides for me. I never even discovered if the offer was viable. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to go, but I wanted to do other things more.
Which got me wondering about what we chose to do on vacation. There are hobby trips, e.g. attending Rolex-as-was, going to knitting conventions, displaying LEGO models. Name the hobby. Somewhere people gather to do it together.
But what about trips that are not hobby specific? I don’t horse when I travel. Sure, I look out for horses on signs and in the flesh, and not just for blog posts [Time To Go]. But I don’t make time for horse-related activities. I want to do things I can’t do at home.
Or am I missing something? Would I increase my horsemanship by touring a barn on Staten Island? Perhaps see how an urban barn solves its weather, footing, acreage issues. Would I go farther with my riding if I were to remain on task rather than futzing about discovering Japanese candy shops?
Am I curious or am I unfocused?
Note: the photos are bordered with the colors from the official NYC flag, which hearkens back to the Dutch founders of the city. “The colors of the flag derive from the early flag of the Netherlands, the country that first settled the area in 1625 and named it New Amsterdam in 1626.” CRW Flags, NYC
Thank you for Reading,
Katherine Walcott
Virtual Brush Box 