And I’m Off, Once More

Adventures in Saddle Seat

 

Heading to Nationals tomorrow. Let us all be shocked. [2013, 2014, 2015&2016, 2017]

I wasn’t gonna go. Really and truly. This year, lots of Milton; not much saddle seat. In mid-August, I sent Coach Courtney a calm, well-reasoned email explaining why I was not putting myself through the hell that is Nationals.

Her response? You could show Dottie.

Screeeeeeech. Stop the train.

I adore Dottie. I’m not sure that we would do any better than our second places last year, but I just love showing her. However, she would not be available until after the suit horses where done for the season. So I showed Joanie [Show Report]. We got along.

Who to ride?

Dottie is the better horse (Sorry, Joanie). Joanie is easier to ride (Sorry, Dottie). Dottie is a high performance model with clear ideas about how she wants her riders to conduct themselves. Joanie mainly asks that her riders stay out of her way.

Which chestnut mare to choose?

I went with the theory that, when given a choice, choose the one you haven’t tried before. So tomorrow, Joanie and I will be on our way to Murfreesboro. I leave animals in the care of my handsome farmhand. I leave you in the capable hands of several guest posters.

It wouldn’t be November without Nationals.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

The Cat’s Out of the Bag, It’s Rubber Ducky Day

Tackbox Tales

 

While the rest of the country erroneously celebrates Rubber Ducky Day in Jan 13 [National Rubber Ducky Day], the small but valiant handful – three at last count – of true believers know it is today.

If your day will not be graced with flying pink ducks from Denmark delivering roasted almonds …

[2014]

… at least you can appreciate what has been done with the form.

[2013]

[2016]

Happy Rubber Ducky Day!

Thank you for Reading,
Katherine Walcott

AlphaBooks, D is for Davis

Graphic Design

 

Hobby Horse Hill
by Lavinia R. Davis
1939 Pocket 1949
Bought from Basket Case Books via AbeBooks.

Based on a recommendation from the blog of Todd Klein, “My favorite Davis books are about children and horses, ponies and donkeys, all riding animals, with the top title being “Hobby Horse Hill.” There are eight of them, published between 1939 and 1955 in hardcover, though there was a 1963 paperback of “Hobby Horse Hill” from Scholastic Books in 1963. That was my introduction to Davis’s wonderful horse books, and I’ve collected the rest over the years. She wrote over 40 books in all, including adult mysteries, teen romance stories, and several children’s novels under the pen name “Wendell Farmer.” I’m still looking for a few of those. She was a fine writer, and I recommend all her books, but especially the animal ones.”
And Then I Read: DANNY’S LUCK by Lavinia R. Davis

Inkscape. Text sizes. Align & center.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Talking Back To The Voices In My Head

Last weekend, I rode five horses. On Saturday, we took Milton to Stepping Stone Farm. Coach Courtney had me sit on a new-to-me horse for a quick spin, I had a lesson on Joanie, Miss Courtney & Husband Greg long-lined Milton, then I walked Milton around the property, including a brave & adventurous lap around the pond. On Sunday, I rode Milton briefly to get the oil moving and then rode Rodney. That was, of course, way cool. My point here is what happened later, with my interior monologue.

Me: I rode five horses this weekend.
Voice inside my head that talks me down/wants me to keep it real: Some of those rides where pretty short.
Me: I rode five horses.
Voice: …

Me: I rode five horses this weekend.
Voice: Some of those rides, you didn’t do much.
Me: I rode FIVE horses.
Voice: …

Me: I rode five horses this weekend.
Voice: You didn’t get much else done.
Me: FIVE.
Voice: …

Plunking my ass down in five saddles in two days was a concrete event that my mind could neither belittle nor dismiss. I don’t usually score such a complete victory over the voices.

(Although, “victory” is an overly oppositional concept. Such voices are also me. They are the part of me that will say anything to keep me by the safety of the fire and prevent me from venturing out of the cave: fearful, cautious, certain, and short-term. But I digress. That is theory for another day. Meanwhile I! Rode! Five! Horses!)

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Low Key Photo Challenge, Rain

Photography

 

Process Notes
Top: avant garde or just weird?
Bottom: Not bad for a non-macro lens.

Procedure for Low Key Photo Challenge
1) I post photo(s) on a given theme.
2) You comment below with a link to your photo(s) on that theme.
3) We all click over to see what you have.

That’s it. No prizes. No rules. No submissions. For more explanation, see [Inaugural Edition].

Previous Challenges
[Hello!] [Labor]
[Toys] [Travel]
[Books] [Hay! Look at the Street Art]

Photobomb
Milton came over to check us out. No idea where the scratch on his neck came from. Ow!

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Taking The First Steps

Jumping

Average height: poles & cavaletti on low.
Both horses, walk & trot, ridden & long lines.

Maximum height: Caveletti on high.
Milton at a trot on long lines.

I know jumping isn’t only about numbers. One can jump high by the skin of one’s teeth, or low and competent for schooling purposes. I promise not to chase raw numbers. Meanwhile, they make good metrics for the blog.

At the dressage show [For This I Cleaned My Tack?], my ground crew was of the opinion that if I had been jumping, I would not have cared what happened in the sandbox. He was not wrong. At our debriefing, we decided that if I want to jump, let’s get to it.

First step is ground poles. Teaches horse to pay attention to their feet. My clever carpenter built cups to rest the poles in, preventing them from getting kicked all over the ring by careless hooves. At it turns out, raising the poles a mere two inches has caused consternation in the ranks.

Lots of walking and some trotting over an endless sea of poles.

This is the first Jumping Thursday. Here’s to many more.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Lights-Camera-Classes, Show Videos, Southeastern Charity 2018

Adventures in Saddle Seat, ASB Pleasure Driving

 

Southeastern Charity Horse Show
Saturday, September 22, 2018

Bell Cheval’s I’m Joanie in Academy Showmanship

Whiskey Throttle in Academy Driving

Home videos from Southeastern [Show Report]. I didn’t mean to drag this out for a month. The media took a while to wander in. Taken by my in-house cameraman with his phone. Can we take a minute to marvel at the processing power at our fingertips?

Thank you for reading watching,
Katherine Walcott