Horses & Other Interests
Photo by Rachel Wamble
[I Ride Milton!]
Video by Courtney Huguley
Post-production by Greg Walcott
Looking backward, Looking Forward
I had anticipated writing a long post evaluating my year with Milton, Rodney, Saddlebreds, my mental game, and so on. Pony ride to jump pretty much covers it.
Onwards to 2019!
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
After a show season, an end-of-the-year activity is to hang all of one’s ribbons on one’s horse, for example Contact: 2018 You Been Good. I couldn’t face sorting out all the horses and their ribbons – and isn’t that a wonderful problem to have – so I have done it digitally. Commentary below.
The Horses
The Shows
[I am not back. This is not a post: Milton The Driving Horse] Milton. The infamous, to us anyway, Tennessee Combined Driving schooling show. I suppose I have to include this in a list of shows. Sigh.
[The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly, Show Report & Photos, Mid-South Spring Premiere 2018, Riding] Sam, Snippy (driving), Milton (non-compete ride & drive)
[Notes from North Georgia, Milton] Milton (non-compete ride & drive)
[The Canadian Horse & The Red Queen Take Second, Show Report, Alabama Fun Show #1 2018, ERA Stables] Milton
[Our First Blue, But … Show Report, Alabama Fun Show #2 2018, Stepping Stone Farm, Hunt Seat] Milton, Sam, Whiskey (driving)
[Maintaining Our Firm Grip On Last Place And That’s Okay, Show Report, Dressage at Full Circle Horse Park, Summer 2018] Milton
[Victory Is Ours! Show Report, Alabama Fun Show #3 2018, Heathermoor Farm, Hunt Seat] Milton, Sam
[First Dance, Show Report, Southeastern Charity 2018, Riding] Joanie, Whiskey (driving & riding)
[For This I Cleaned My Tack? Show Report, Dressage at Full Circle Horse Park, October 2018] Milton
[Not In My Backyard, Show Report, SSF Home Show, 2018] Joanie, Milton (non-compete, costume)
[That Elusive Sunday Blue, Show Report, National Academy Championship Horse Show, 2018] Joanie, Tigger
[Once More Into the Fray, Show Report, Winter Tournament 2018-19 #1, Riding] Sam, Whiskey (driving)
The Numbers, Looking Back
Shows: 12
Saddle Seat: 7 total, 3 big, 4 small
Pleasure Driving: 4
Hunt Seat: 3
Dressage: 2
Combined Driving: 1
Non-compete: 3
Tigger: 1 show, but what a show.
Sam: 4 shows, 10 ribbons, 8 of them blue. I love this horse. Not because we win, which is nice, but because we get along well enough that we win.
Joanie: 3 shows. She got me into the ring at Nationals. I give her an assist on our Sunday win.
Whiskey: 3 shows, 2 drive, 1 ride & drive. Whatever is needful. What a good boy.
Snippy: 1 show, 1 class. My best driving of the year, our best class together. The only driving class where I had competition.
Milton: 9 shows total, 1 CDE, 3 non-compete, 3 hunt seat, 2 dressage.
Me: 11 shows. Pretty good for not starting until the end of May.
Greg: 3 shows total, 1 showing, 2 non-compete.
Months: 8, one each March, May, June, July, two each August, September, October & November
Ribbons: 39, 23 saddle seat, 6 hunt seat, 4 driving, 4 dressage, 1 costume, 1 CDE (pity ribbon)
Blues: 18
Yes, there’s a lot of blue up there. I will be the first to cop to the fact some are from solo classes (5/18, driving & hunt seat). I figure, I was there, I did what was asked, I’ll take the ribbon, thank you very much. Since many of the classes were small, much of the color (*cough*Milton’s dressage*cough*) comes from last place. Again, management chooses to divide the show into small classes? I do my thing, I take my ribbon.
The Plan, Looking Forward
I have no idea. Even less than usual.
Milton. Your guess is as good as mine. Low-level dressage? Small hunter or jumper shows? Little events? Driving? Will he be ready? Will he keep his brain together when we get there? We shall see.
Rodney: Ha. It could happen. Pigs could fly. The horse could learn to sing. If Rodney sets a hoof in a show ring, any ring, I will commission an artwork of flying pigs wearing iceskates while singing.
Saddle Seat. I wallow in my eternal, self-imposed Academy limbo. In the past few years, it hasn’t been too bad. The same group of us adults appears at the shows. They beat me. I beat them. At some point, new riders will join our party. If they are up from the juniors, or new to riding, I will feel bad beating them. Or they will beat me and I will feel worse.
We’ll wing it. After all, 2018 turned out well for a year wherein we made up the schedule as it went along.
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
Photos by Michelle Duplichien.
Post-processing by me: watermarks, borders & rendering the crowd anonymous.
[List of Michelle’s travel post and cat photos]
Welcome Michelle.
~~~
The winter display in the Conservatory & Botanical Garden at the Bellagio Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas. “A horticulture staff of 120 maintains the Botanical Gardens and the entire grounds of Bellagio.” They have five displays per year: spring, summer, fall, winter & Chinese New Year. Conservatory
Winter 2018, Vegas Changes: Bellagio Conservatory Winter 2018 Display “Majestic Holiday Magic”
Year of the Horse 2014, Vegas24Seven.com: Bellagio’s Conservatory & Botanical Gardens Celebrate Chinese New Year
~~~
Because Las Vegas is more than the strip.
Michelle, explains, “A thirty-minute drive that included the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area took us from the city to flat desert to mountainous desert to Juniper Pine to snow-covered mountains. Quite a fascinating transition. ”
Wishing you clear skies, good footing, and time to enjoy the barn.
~~~
On a side note. I’ve never understood the Happy Holidays/War on Christmas dilemma. Putting aside the philosophical, religious, & common humanity issues, there is a practical aspect. Let’s say I am talking to a Christmas celebrator. A week after Christmas the next year begins. Christmas & New Year’s Eve. Two Holidays. I am wishing them Happy Holidays, plural. What, I should wish them a Merry Christmas but a marginal New Year’s Eve? But I digress.
Wishing you a wonderful whatever.
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
I can’t buy everyone a book, so the gift is the recommendation.
A Christmas Cornucopia: The Hidden Stories Behind Our Yuletide Traditions by Mark Forsyth (Penguin 2016)
Author’s book announcement, Inky Fool: A Christmas Cornucopia. May I also recommend his blog, Inky Fool. He hasn’t posted often in recent years, but you have the entire archive to enjoy.
In the book, the author raises an eyebrow at both Christmas traditions and what we have said about those traditions over the years. Underneath the deconstruction, he has a deep respect for the underlying spirit of Christmas. The book came out in 2016, but I’ve only just rediscovered it on my Kindle.
The post title is not a cultural assumption. If you celebrate, it is gift FOR Christmas. If you don’t celebrate, it is a gift ABOUT Christmas. Either way, a “Christmas” gift. If that sort of word parsing isn’t amusing, you probably aren’t going to be amused by the Inky Fool.
I have most of this other books, several in more than one format: codex, ebook, audio.
The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll Through the Hidden Connections of the English Language (Icon 2011)
The Horologicon: A Day’s Jaunt Through the Lost Words of the English Language (Icon 2012)
The Elements of Eloquence: Secrets of the Perfect Turn of Phrase (Berkeley 2014)
The Unknown Unknown: Bookshops and the delight of not getting what you wanted (Icon 2014) [What I Want From My Blog]
The Servant: A Short Story (Casey 2015)
A Short History of Drunkenness: How, Why, Where, and When Humankind Has Gotten Merry from the Stone Age to the Present (Three Rivers 2018). For personal reasons [Aftermath], I skipped this one. I suspect it is entertaining, everything else of his has been.
Other Recommendations
For word nerds
Book. Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries by Kori Stamper (Random House 2017). The author’s life as a lexicographer.
Blog. harm.less drudg.ery. As above, I wish she would post more.
Podcast. Fiat Lex: A Dictionary Podcast, By Kory Stamper and Steve Kleinedler. I don’t do podcasts, so I couldn’t say.
For history geeks
Blog. Frock Flicks. “We are a blog and a podcast that reviews movies and TV shows set in mostly pre-1960s eras, primarily looking at the costume angle, but also taking into account history and design in general.” FAQ
I don’t watch enough historical movies to be a true devotee, but what I’ve read, I’ve enjoyed, SNARK WEEK: Stop It With the Skirt Hiking. Gotta love a blog that has instituted Snark Week.
For people who sew &/or are interested in a thrifty lifestyle
Blog. Goodbye Valentino “On August 31, 2011 I gave up buying clothes for a year and vowed to make my clothes instead … shopping for clothes had dominated my checkbook for decades. During my year of sewing I made 64 garments, saved thousands of dollars, and received countless compliments on my clothes from people who did not know my story.” About
For armchair travellers
Land Cruising Adventure Driving around the world in a Toyota Land Cruiser since 2003. Slow travel. It’s a thing.
And finally
Whatever: An Interview With Santa’s Lawyer
Methodology
No horse books or blogs. I’m assuming you can find those on your own. Also, I didn’t want to start naming blogs & leave one out. If I know you, either through blogging or IRL, you have not been included. I’m using the annoy-everyone-equally theory of recommendation.
Any recommendations in return? Always looking for blogs to read.
~~~
While we are taking about blogs, today is my blog anniversary. “The goal is to get back to a place where he likes work & I like him. Buried under 16 months of set-backs is the marvelous mid-life crisis horse who so enchanted me when we met.” [We begin. Again.]
After seven years, the blog is going strong. Still looking for my mid-life crisis horse.
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
Captain Nutcracker by Breyer. From Carousel Tack Shoppe, cleverly displayed next to the check-out counter.
Process Notes
Taken with phone. Brought big camera to barn. Planned to hang ornament. This set-up caught my eye, after Milton checked the ornament for treats, but failed to do so photogenically. Not enough hands to do with big camera.
Thus the formal period for the Low Key Photo Challenge ends as it began, with my phone camera. “Mission success will be defined as at least once a month for six months.” [Inaugural Edition]. Check. Nine posts in five months, at least one per month.
(Honestly, I didn’t realize I was a month short until I read this post after it was published. Sigh. Oh well, I’m calling it half a year and declaring victory. As I said earlier [Dabbling], I’m trying to reduce the number of arbitrary requirements that I impose on myself. This is not a new phenomenon [Where Do We Go From Here? 2012].)
I’ll stay with the photo challenge, but in a more relaxed fashion. As in, when the mood strikes or when a good idea occurs. Or, when it goes viral and folks are clamoring for weekly challenges. A dog can dream.
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, [Inaugural Edition]
Previous Challenges
August [Hello!] [Labor]
September [Toys] [Travel]
October [Books] [Hay/Street Art] [Rain]
November [Costume]
Update
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
Virtual Brush Box 