Milton’s Social Media Presence Expands

Home Team

 

A fun post to counteract yesterday’s negativity. Milton has a fan club.

I have nothing to do with this. One of the kids at Stepping Stone Farm started the page & is the admin. I joined, but my membership is prone to fluctuation, depending on how the Gray Wonder decides to behave on any given day.

It’s cool, but it’s also odd. I think it’s great that people admire Milton. Someone should. But, it’s weird to have something this close to me be out of my control.

I wonder if this is how authors feel about fan fiction.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Hello Whining, My Old Friend

Home Team

 

I haven’t posted a good, solid whine in a while. Time to fix that. There have been so many happy posts lately, I didn’t want you to think the gloom had gone away.

Given that I was getting pony rides on Milton at the end of last year [I Ride Milton!], and we are now showing [Victory!], it’s going great. Given that I’ve had Milton for four years [Meet Milton], and we can’t do more than shuffle around at a trot [Maintaining Our Firm Grip On Last Place], not so great.

Rodney, ditto. Except we aren’t shipping anywhere [Dubious Future], and it’s been twice as long [The Cast Assembles].

I get impatient.

I’m not impatient because I think I deserve great things. Quite the opposite. I get impatient because I am disgusted with myself. I start to wonder if any amount of progress will make up for the time I have wasted.

If I had made better choices. If I had worked harder. If I had … (voices in my head go hypersonic).

Opportunities are strewn before me in gracious abundance. When I fail to capitalize on them, I have only myself to blame. From there, it is a short slide into the fen of frustration.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Alphabooks, L is for Lane

Graphic Design

 

I Am Mister Ed … Allan “Rocky” Lane Revealed
by Linda Alexander
BearManor 2014

From Glyn’s Books via AbeBooks.com. Have not read. Going in TBR pile, but I don’t hold out great hope. Lane was the uncredited voice of Mr. Ed. [Y is for Young 2017]

Office assistant lends a paw with the scanning.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

WEG XC

Today is the scheduled day for cross-country at the FEI World Equestrian Games in Tryon NC, USA.

Although invited to volunteer [Opportunity or Distraction], I ultimately chose not go. The original plan for today’s post was to yap about that decision and how I felt about it. In light of current conditions, my mental gymnastics on the subject seem trivial.

Instead, I would like to wish safety and dry socks to everyone in Florence’s path.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Wild Horse Goes Walk-Trot, Alabama Fun Show #3 2018, Heathermoor Farm

Photos by Bryan Pope, @thebryonpope

ASHAA Fun Show
Saturday, September 8, 2018
[Show Report]


Strollin’ along.


Could he be more pleasant?

Winning never gets old.

Obligatory ribbon shot. Milton fails to see the point.

Milton rides totally different than he looks. Even I have to admit that in photos Milton seems a joy and a delight. There is no trace of the horse who is counter-bent, staring with alarm at the world outside of the ring, uninterested in contact, and equiped with green horse point-and-shoot steering.

Whoa there, wild horse.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Leaving The Wheels At Home, Show Report, Alabama Fun Show #3 2018, Heathermoor Farm, Driving, Not

Driving


 

ASHAA Fun Show
Heathermoor Farm
Moody AL, USA
Saturday, September 8, 2018

I did not drive at this show. Riding only [Show Report]. Since Coach Courtney had a full load, she could not bring the cart. I had a choice: bring cart or bring Milton.

Pro Milton/Anti Driving
+ Working with Milton is my primary goal.

+ None of the regular driving horses were going. I had driven the available driving horse. Once. Briefly.

+ For year-end awards, I’d rather confirm Milton points than driving points. The rule is that one needs to show in three classes at two shows. I don’t know if that means three classes overall, which I have done, or three classes in each division, which I have now done for hunt seat but not for driving. I’ve been told that it is the former and that therefore I qualify in both. I’ll believe it when I hold the ribbons in my hot little paws.

Years ago, Previous Horse and I were in the running for a year-end award. My first year-end award! In jumpers no less! I eagerly checked the standings each time the list came out. I called the coordinator repeatedly to insure my points were counted correctly. Then, at the end of the year, the division disappeared from the list. ‘Oh, there weren’t enough shows,’ I was told, ‘We canceled the division.’ Poof went my fancy year-end award. I’ve been traumatized ever since.

Pro Driving/Anti Milton
+ Missing one day of work is not going to wreck Milton’s progress. He’s done this show twice. Does he really need to do it again? (As it turns out, yes, but we didn’t know that in advance.)

+ I don’t have many chances to drive. With the ASBs, I’d rather ride. If I have time for two lessons, I will opt for a drill in the round pen [Leg Lessons]. Driving lessons are an add-on. With Milton, prying the reins out of the driver’s hands is much like prying the nozzle away from a firefighter. In either case, good luck with that.

+ Driving with an ASB is closer to the spirit of the show than hunt seat with a Thoroughbred.

+ If I didn’t drive, no blog post for Thursday. Oh wait, I finagled around that one.

Bottom Line
Which would you have chosen?

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
==========

Resting On One’s Laurels Never Works, Show Report, Alabama Fun Show #3 2018, Heathermoor Farm, Saddle Seat

Adventures in Saddle Seat

 

ASHAA Fun Show
Heathermoor Farm
Moody AL, USA
Saturday, September 8, 2018

Sultan’s Miracle Man/Sam
30 Academy Showmanship WTC Adult, 2 of 2
31 Academy Equitation WTC Adult, 1 of 2
Thank you to Courtney Huguley for Super Sam.

Between Milton’s warm-up and classes [Victory!], I reverted to saddle seat.

First Class
Stellar show last time [Show Report]. Lovely lesson the week before. Felt invincible. No one is invincible. We took second. Pffffft. Good thing I don’t take these small shows too seriously (… looks at keyboard … searches for sarcasm emoji …).

Second Class
From the sidelines, Coach Courtney told me to go faster. We picked up the pace. We won. I keep forgetting that saddle seat is not a pastoral lilt. It is a Sousa march played by a New Orleans jazz band.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott