Horses & Other Interests
Horses of Long Ago
written & illustrated by Dahlov Ipcar
Doubleday 1965
Ipcar, but not specific book, repeated from last year [I 2017] because I is difficult and Ipcar is interesting. This year’s book is also from Better World Books, via AbeBooks.com, recommended by Robin Bledsoe. Cover image from The World Of Dahlov Ipcar: Books. My copy is ex-library.
Read sorta. Bought for the illustrations rather than the intro-level text.
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
An administrative post. A new (as of yesterday, 9/28/18) abbreviated About page points here [About]. This page contains previous & expanded introductory information.
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The Writer
Hello. My Name Is
I was a freelance writer who wrote, photographed, or edited for anyone I could talk into paying me. While my mainstay for 20+ years was equestrian journalism, I covered everything from Atrial Fibrillation to Zoos. I still do a bit of work, but my professional life quieted down in 2008.
Because it is easy to overlook mentioning the obvious, I am a white female, in my middle 50s, living in the Southeastern US. [A Look Inside My Head] [Split Personality]
The Horses
I have two Thoroughbreds, Rodney and Milton, who live in the backyard. They are pasture ornaments at the moment. Mainly. The goal is for both to become competition horses. Meanwhile, I have been showing American Saddlebreds in the Academy division with Stepping Stone Farm. [Cast of Critters]
Rodney’s origin story [The Horse Next Door] Horse Illustrated
Rodney 2010 to 2014 [Our Story So Far]
Milton arrives August 2014 [Mail Order Horse]
Milton 2014 to 2016 [Where The Time Went]
[Looking Back, Rodney 2016]
[Looking Back, Milton 2016]
[Looking Back 2017, Home Team]
The Support Staff
Greg. Husband. Farmhand. Mechanic. Medical Advisor. Vet tech. Groundperson. Jump crew. Fence repairman. Driver. All-around awesome individual.
Coach Courtney. Courtney Huguley, Stepping Stone Farm, Chelsea, AL. Saddle seat, Pleasure Driving. [Lessons From Nationals: The Value of a Coach]
Coach Kate. Kate Bushman, Whip Hand Farm, Franklin, TN. Combined Driving. [First CD Lesson]
The Blog
What’s with the two names?
For 6 years, the blog was titled Rodney’s Saga. Then I got frustrated, again, and left, again [Getting Off the Struggle Bus]. When I came back, I wanted a new title to take the focus off Rodney and his vast, glorious uselessness. Changing the title was the work of seconds. Changing the url, i.e. rodneyssaga.com, is more complicated. Particularly as I want to maintain continuity. I need to figure it out, or hire someone to figure it out for me. It’s on my ToDo list. [Bright-Eyed, Bushy-Tailed, & Back to Blogging]
Why Virtual Brush Box?
Attributes of a Brush Box
A container for horse paraphernalia.
Non-horse-related objects can be found in them as well.
Odds & ends accumulate in the corners.
The contents are unique to the person using it.
[The Winding Path to My New Blog Title]
The Blog History
Rodney’s Saga is a daily blog is about my two horses, along with other horse-related activities in my life. The first post was December 22, 2011 [We begin. Again.].
The blog began as a column, Back to Eventing, written for the USEA website. I wrote it for nine months before they changed their emphasis. Then, I continued it on my own as Back to Riding [Reposts]. As an experiment, I consolidated the monthly Back To Riding and weekly Facebook into the daily Rodney’s Saga for a year. Once the year was up, I kept going [Where Do We Go From Here?]. After that, the blog proceeded to the present, broken up by the with the occasional snit. [A Sea of Statistics].
Props to Can I Have A Pony?: My Horsey Past for the idea of posting a link to the start.
The Comments
Comments are closed after 30 days as a spam control measure. Please feel free to comment on a unrelated later post or email me, virtualbrushbox@gmail.com. [Comment Policy]
The Schedule
Unless I change my mind. Some schedule days are carved deeper into stone than others.
Monday. Milton or Rodney
Tuesday. Ditto
Wednesday. Adventures in Saddle Seat. Started as a specific day November 2015 [First post Whither Now? Saddle Seat Version: Blogging]
Thursday. Driving. We do both Combined Driving and ASB Pleasure Driving, occasionally combination of the two [Show Report: Fun Show 2016 #1]. Started Summer 2016. [First post National Horse Brass Society 2016]
Friday. Photography. The rest of the week is photos for content. This is photos for art. [First post Texture]
Saturday. Writing projects. State of the Blog post on the last Saturday.
Sunday. Book lettering project [Letter Art: AlphaBooks 2017]. First complete book alphabet was 2017 [Letter Art, AlphaBooks: Recap 2017]. Also stamps [My First Stamp Show] or other bits of unrelated design [You Know You Have Fallen Down The Lettering Rabbit Hole When …].
Sunday started as straight up lettering.
First post for lettering [Brush Pen]
Rationale for lettering [This & That]
First post for alphabet [A Is For Appaloosa]
Rationale for alphabet [A to Z 2015]
Title switch [Definitions of Terms].
Update November 2018
The entire subtitle edifice is getting cumbersome. From now on, I will only subtitle posts that pertain to a specific sub-plot. At the moment that means: Adventures in Saddle Seat, Driving/Jumping Thursday, Photography, & Graphic Design. Unless the content is obvious from the title, e.g. Foto Friday for photography. Generalized horse posts & Milton/Rodney posts will stand on their own.
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
(Page updated 9/28/18)
Looking Backward
Back in July, I opened a new Instagram account to match the new name of the blog [New Title, New Instagram … or Not]. For reasons known only to them, Instagram canceled that account the day I posted about it. I elected not to jump through their hoops to restart that account. I took a break.
I lasted a little over a month.
So why did I return? I missed the pretty pictures and the updates on peoples’ lives. I find Instagram a much more congenial place than Twitter. Five minutes of reading tweets and I want to hide under the couch. Doesn’t matter what account. Twitter’s default state seems to be outrage. YMMV
Also, I have an immediate family member on Instagram (Waves Hi!). My family has a low social media presence. I have to go where they are.
Looking Forward
The old VBB account was hot off the press when I posted about it. I wonder if the newness combined with one or two people following at the same time convinced Instagram that it was a bot. The world may never know. This time, the account – @myvirtualbrushbox – has been in place for several weeks. It has a few followers. We shall see what happens today.
Looking Around
According to my self-imposed rules, Instagram doesn’t “count” for photography on Friday. The way I use Instagram is all about content, i.e. catching the cute photo op. Friday posts around here are supposed to keep me accountable for technical improvement.
What to do. Get over the idea of archiving my Instagram feed? Not likely. Archive it on another day? Storage Saturday has a good ring. Work on incorporating more “art” into my Instagram photography? A worthy goal, but not one that helps me with f-stop and aperture. Realize I have fallen down the blogging rabbit hole & move on? I shall ponder.
~~~
Instagram posts for August & September 2018, @myvirtualbrushbox. Previous recap [July 2018]
Breakdown
Horses – 4/9, or 5/9 if Spotted counts as Horse rather than Other
Cats – 2/9
Other – 3/9, or 2/9
Home 5/9
Elsewhere 4/9 – two shows, one lesson, one other
Serious Version
Taken at the Georgia International Horse Park [Show Reports First Dance, Whisked About].
Taken at Stepping Stone Farm on cross-country day [WEG XC]. Written about later [Milton Canters].
Taken at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens during a photo shoot [If The Pin Fits].
We have reinstituted naptime so that Rodney can eat his hay in peace.
Taken at Full Circle Horse Park during our first dressage show [Show Report So It Begins].
Companion to the final @rodneysaga post [New Title, New Instagram … or Not].
I crack myself up.
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
Southeastern Charity Horse Show
Georgia International Horse Park
Conyers GA USA
Saturday 22, 2018
Whiskey Throttle
108 Academy Driving. 1st of 1
Thank you to Courtney Huguley for the winning Whiskey.
Show Photographer Doug Shiflet
Despite the fact that my horse was a star, I did not feel as bulletproof as I have come to expect in a cart. Apparently showing three times a year with no practice in between is not the route to mastery. Imagine that.
A third class means I am qualified for year-end points in driving, regardless of how the rules are interpreted [Driving, Not]. While that’s not why I went to the show, neither am I heartbroken that events unfolded thusly.
Whiskey wins the Alvin Ailey Award for versatility [ETSA MidSummer]. At this show, Whiskey was in suit driving, a last-minute sub for suit equitation, and then the full suite of Academy: driving, walk-trot-canter, and walk-trot. On Saturday, he won four blues out of eight classes (others: 2,2,4,&7), three of which involved beating other competitors. My driving blue was uncontested. Eight classes may sound like a lot, but one was my Academy Driving which was two times around, if that, and five were walk-trot.
His warm-up was suitably abbreviated for his schedule of classes. My warm-up for the Championship consisted of napping in the shade while we waited. When I snarked on this, Coach Courtney remarked, “It worked, didn’t it?” Can’t argue with that.
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
Southeastern Charity Horse Show
Georgia International Horse Park
Conyers GA USA
Saturday, September 22, 2018
Bel Cheval’s I’m Joanie
110 Academy Equitation – Walk, Trot & Canter – Adult. 3rd of 5
111 Academy Showmanship – Walk, Trot & Canter – Adult. 1st of 5
Thank you to the Cofield family for the jaunty Joanie.
Whiskey Throttle
126 Academy Walk, Tot & Canter Championship. 5th of 11
Thank you to Courtney Huguley for the wonderful Whiskey
Show Photographer Doug Shiflet
Hi! My Name Is Joanie, First Class
Joanie looks to be my new dance partner. At the eleventh hour, we decided to enter this show to see how our partnership did in the show ring. At Heathermoor [Show Report], I had watched her canter about with one of the wee walk-trot riders. It didn’t look disobedient as much as being in different classes. The kid was riding in a schooling class. Joanie was doing Park Pleasure.
How would I deal with all that extra energy? As soon as I trotted down my entry line, I knew all would be well. She. Was. Awesome. Totally down with her job and ready to party.
She is not the most comfortable ride. Her trot is choppy and her canter is not the gallop on a cloud that Sam’s is. OTOH, she looks better than she rides. I was amazed when I saw her with one of the kids later. Show ring sparkle oozes from every pore.
In NASCAR, there are two approaches for tuning a car. In the first, the driver communicates to the engineers how he wants the car to feel. In the second, the engineers tell the driver which set-up is fastest and the driver learns to cope. Guess which one wins.
Go Big, Second Class
Since the goal of the show was to test the parameters, Coach Courtney told me to go for it in the second class. Make a mess. If I made a mistake, make it by overreaching. She paused, then qualified, ‘But don’t go crazy.” I laughed out loud. She knew her audience.
I put the pedal down and Joanie was just as willing and adjustable as in the first class. Fortunately, the judge was rewarding the “show” in showmanship. Now, I have to sit down, sit back, and remember where I left my inner equitation diva.
I did absolutely zero to set up for the victory pass. We turned down the straightaway, aimed for Coach Courtney, and Joanie was all, ‘I got this.’
Alas, she was spoken for in the Championship.
What’s In A Name, Third Class
According to the MotoSport.com, a “Whiskey Throttle” is when a driver zealously guns the engine and is thrown back to comic effect [Whiskey Throttle Vs. Panic Rev].
A week or so ago, one of our portable chairs unfolded underneath me, thumping me to the ground from backside to shoulders. No damage. Stiff for a few days. All better. Or so I thought.
Whiskey and I have improved dramatically from our last time out [Show Report], when I utterly failed to downshift from the canter. However, he still finds me alarming. In the class, I gave a directive in a way that startled him. We whiskey throttled. As he shot forward, my injured tailpipe impacted the cantle of the saddle. Ow. Ow. Ow.
We walked, trotted, and cantered as required. OTOH, my atrocious canter transitions caused Coach Courtney to froth at the mouth. Magnanimously, I waive that point. I do not press it. I look over it.
I was the highest placed adult, I think. Waiting for online results to be updated.
Show Posts
[First Dance, Show Report, Southeastern Charity 2018, Riding]
[Whisked About, Show Report, Southeastern Charity 2018, Driving]
[Putting the SHOW in horse show, Show Photo, Southeastern Charity 2018, Riding]
[Ready For Our Close-Up, Show Photo, Southeastern Charity 2018, Driving]
[Lights-Camera-Classes, Show Videos, Southeastern Charity 2018]
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
Every time we ship Milton off the property, Rodney gets a gold star. Granted, we are easy to score gold stars from. We give hand them out like elementary school teachers with fistfuls of sticker sheets. Still, Rodney deserves his.
As I said yesterday, the horses are cool with the three of us going over to Stepping Stone Farm.
Milton ships well and has learned to auto-load. That means we toss the leadrope over his neck, point him at the trailer, and he walks on by himself. I’ve said before, I may be a hot mess under saddle, but I know from ground manners.
Rodney is totally fine with Milton leaving, even when we are gone for days. He gets the run of the place, speaking metaphorically as the whole point is that he doesn’t gallop about. We leave the stall door tied open for the express purpose of letting him wander in and out, which he seems to enjoy. He gets a large hay snack and his toy/treat dispenser [Cookie Ball!]. His response? ‘Via con Dios. Don’t let the gate hit your fluffy gray tail on the way out. Now where is that cookie ball.’
As anyone with horses knows, this could so not be the case. Most horses don’t like to be alone. Easier to become cougar bait that way. Milton used to have trouble when I would take Rodney out of the field and around to the other side of the barn for the blacksmith. Milton could SEE Rodney, was five or ten feet away, and still got upset. He’s getting better, but still doesn’t let Rodney take a lap of the field without screaming &/or galloping over to find us. That is closer to normal.
Yay, Rodney!
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
Video taken at a walk. I’m happy to be cantering. Cantering one-handed will have to wait.
Not much to add beyond the headline. We shipped over to Stepping Stone Farm. Milton and I cantered around the big ring several times on both leads. Progress. We’ve cantered before, both at SSf and elsewhere [MSSP]. This time was more proper transition and less run and hope.
A lack of an enclosed space has been more of a rate-limiting step than we had anticipated. The day after the lovely work at SSF, Milton cantered at home. He had a hissy fit and ran back to the barn. Husband Greg was lunging. Milton may find it hard to maintain his balance around the smaller diameter of a lunging circle. Cantering under saddle would allow me to make a bigger loop. It’s possible that Milton would canter in the pasture just fine with more room. Possible. It’s not a theory I am willing to test quite yet.
So, we continue to ship over. Yes, it would be more convenient to have a ring at home. However, the ring is close, the people are supportive, and the horses are cool with it.
Onwards.
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
Virtual Brush Box 