Horses & Other Interests
Skill ranks below mood.
A happy horse drives easy.
Look like a hero.
Mid-South Spring Premiere (Facebook)
Northeast Alabama Agribusiness Center
Rainsville, AL
Saturday, May 26, 2018
[Show Report]
65. Academy Pleasure Driving All Ages, 1st of 2
HB Whizbang (Snippy)
Thank you to the Alvis family.
Official Photographer Casey McBride
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
Mid-South Spring Premiere (Facebook)
Northeast Alabama Agribusiness Center
Rainsville, AL
Saturday, May 26, 2018
66. Academy Showmanship Adult WTC, 1st of 4
67. Academy Equitation Adult WTC, 1st of 4
70. Academy WTC Championship, 2nd of 11(?)
Sultan’s Miracle Man (Sam).
Thank you to Courtney Huguley.
Official Photographer Casey McBride
The Good
I adore this horse. We reach. After months apart, it takes us about five strides for me to say, ‘Hi Sam, it’s me’ and for Sam to say, ‘Oh, you. Well, okay then.’ On the plus side, he’s a reliable lesson horse with a dreamy canter (pictured above). On the down side, he can be a curmudgeon to the little ones. Sometimes the conversation goes, ”Hi Sam, it’s ME.’ to which Sam replies, ‘Oh. You.’ and off we go.
One of Sam’s foibles is to act up during the victory pass. As if to prove that he still has a mind of his own after being good during the class. He has spooked [Show Report Georgia 2014], has reared [one of the Mid-Souths], and has bolted with me more than once. One of the NE GA classes has no picture of the victory pass, b/c the bolt lasted the entire length of the ring.
Sadly, the saddle seat show photographers stop shooting when horses misbehave. Why?! Those are the best shots. Since I was working the booth [Photo Minion], I told the photographer that if anything happened (knock wood), I darn well expected him to catch it on film. Et voila.
Sam staged two protests before settling down to a proper show trot. Coach Courtney thinks I’m the one who gets him revved up. Could be. I’ve always been a sucker for a victory gallop.
The Bad
Outside assistance is allowed, nay expected, at saddle seat shows. Every time I rode past the ingate, Coach Courtney would yell, “Up! Up! Up!” like a demented pogo stick. Apparently, my posture on horseback remains inconstant.
The Ugly
A horse I like to ride. A place I have shown multiple times. You would suppose that I would be cool, calm, and excited. You would be wrong. I remain a hot mess.
Before class: Why? Why do I do this? Never again.
After: ALL THE SHOWS!!
[Show Reports, Rainesville & Priceville]
Update
My Weekend as a Photo Minion, Me at Mid-South 2018
Here for the Experience, Milton at Mid-South 2018
Show Report, Riding
Credit Where Credit Is Due, Show Report & Photos, Mid-South Spring Premiere 2018, Driving
Primitive Trailer Camping, Us at Mid-South 2018
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
I got in the big metal box. I drove for hours and hours and hours. (Only 2. ed.) (You go stand in a rattly metal box and then come talk to me about *only* two hours. Horse)
I went to live in a home-away-from home for 4 days. All by myself!
I talked my 200 new best friends. Mostly about being all by myself!
I got ridden twice, including cantering in the big, wide, open space of the show ring. Wheeeee.
I misbehaved the first time we hitched. That got shut down in a hurry. After that, they held my delicate, sensitive nose in a vice grip during hitching. I don’t know why, I was an angel.
I got hitched four times. I worked in the schooling ring. I worked in the warm-up ring. I worked in the show ring, with traffic! I walked around the barn. I went everywhere.
I had to work twice a day. Riding and hitching, or hitching and hitching.
I didn’t show, but I got out of my stall a lot.
I went for walks. I went for grass breaks. I went one aisle over to hang with my Saddlebred bros.
I ate a lot of hay, and cookies, and carrots.
I was ready to go. All my new horse buddies were leaving. I didn’t want to be left behind. I even had to get in the big metal box in the dark. It had lights, but still.
I am happy to be home. Boy, do I have stories to tell the brown horse.
I miss being the center of everyone’s attention. That part I quite liked.
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
This Week on the Blog
Over the Memorial Day weekend, we took a showcation at the Mid-South Spring Premiere. I wore enough different hats to fill five days of posts.
I worked the photographer’s booth, Monday
We brought Milton for schooling, Tuesday
I showed, Wednesday
I drove, Thursday
We slept in the trailer, Friday
Life as a Booth Babe
It was expected. This is our home show. All hands on deck. Two years ago I was the fly-by ribbon minion for a night [Show Report MSSP 2016: Volunteering].
It was a surprise. Casey McBride Photography needed a warm body in the booth while he took pictures in center ring. TPTB thought photography -> Katherine. I was flattered to be considered a photographer in any capacity.
It was simple. A trained monkey could do it. Every two classes, walk over to the side of the ring. Meet photographer. Take cards. Click this button. Load card here. Click that button. Wait. Check one of the monitors to be sure the photos loaded in the correct place. Lather, rinse, repeat. Photo experience was irrelevant.
It was confusing. Understandably, customers thought I was with the photographer. They kept asking questions. All I had was the price list, a handful of instructions, & Mr. McBride’s phone number. I would do an explanatory song and dance while I texted for an answer. Fortunately, Mr. M was responsive.
It was easy. Mr. McBride didn’t seem at all worried about how I was handling his business. As long as I recorded a phone number, he could sort out whatever hash I had made of the order.
It was hard. So many permutations. Does a mean b or c? Can he do x? Cue explanatory song and dance.
It was restful. On Thursday, I had all the time in the world to load photos, eat dinner, draw. Looking at photos was self-serve. No one was buying on the first night.
It was exhausting. Being! Perky! To! People! For! Hours! On! End! Or at least having to be ready to be perky. Even Saturday night wasn’t that busy. Apparently, a large part of his orders come via the website after the show. Some times months after [Show Photos CAA 2017]. However, even 1 or 2 customers an hour is more people than I usually see in a week. After show party? Show me the bed.
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
Driving Horse-Drawn Carriages for Pleasure: The Classic Illustrated Guide to Coaching, Harnessing, Stabling, etc.
Francis T. Underhill
Dover 1989/2014
Originally published in 1897, back when carriages were the cars, trucks, & buses of the day. Recommended by Robin Bledsoe, Bookseller. For serious carriage enthusiasts out there, Bledsoe has, or had, a collector’s copy with with a gilt-stamped, suede cover. From the price, I’m assuming it’s the original, not the Dover reprint.
Non-fiction
Inkscape, spirals
On an unrelated note, do any of you read the author’s name & NOT think of Frodo dancing on a table at The Prancing Pony?
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
I have no privacy policy; conversely, I have a 100% privacy policy. I don’t ask for nor collect your email address. I don’t send newsletters. I don’t market. I don’t – I couldn’t – sell your eddress to others. Personally, I loathe newsletters. Say it on your blog or don’t say it. Stay out of my inbox. I might feel differently if I had products to flog. I don’t. No marketing. No monetization. No affiliate links. I write. You read. That is the extent of our exchange.
With a few exceptions.
If you win a book giveaway, I will need your physical address. I do nothing with the address beyond that. If I you were to win again, I’d ask for your address again. I believe there was one book to an EU address, before I realized the price of international postage. She seems cool with it. (Waves hi!)
I have contacted a few people I don’t know IRL about guest posts (Waves hi with two hands!). Since I don’t have email addresses, I find the contact over on your blog, or somewhere on social media. In other words, I use an address that you have publicly displayed. I try to keep such exchanges within the bounds of polite conversation. Again, no marketing.
The Follow-By-Email feature is handled by WordPress. Since I use the simple WordPress.COM rather than the more flexible WordPress.ORG, I have no access to the process. A few times, people have stopped getting email notifications. All I can do it look at a list on my dashboard and say, ‘Yup, your name is still on it.’ I couldn’t get the emails if I wanted to.
This has been my practice to date. I have no plans to change.
Automattic is the owner of WordPress
Privacy policy for users, i.e. me
Privacy policy for visitors of users, i.e. you
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
Instagram from @rodneyssaga
Previous Instagram recap [February 2018]
Individual Instaphotos with commentary, as promised [Back to Blogging].
One of those that was cuter IRL. He looked like a kid in a tree fort.
I had a theory. I always have a theory. My departure post was March 16. This was taken that evening. The plan was to have this on the sidebar for the duration. Then, when I restarted, I would put up a photo of a sunrise over the pasture. Poetic, no? Come the day, I had posted enough photos in the interum to dilute the the sunset/sunrise metaphor beyond redemption.
I posted this because I was utterly convinced that the next photo would be a ribbon shot with Milton. I wanted to soften the appearance of breaking radio silence to brag. So I put this up as a icebreaker. As it turned out, vanity was the least of our problems [Not a Post].
Depth of field exercise for photo class.You are to be impressed by the blurriness of the leg in contrast to sharp focus on nose.
First canter. Posted b/c first canter!
Pretty cat. Do I need another reason?
Adorable halter. Also cuter IRL.
Text to a friend that became an Instagram post. This happens disturbingly often.
Alternate title – Tooooooth drugs.
I saw the quote right before going to the grocery store. It was so completely on point that I had to share.
~~~
Blog 1.0. At the end of each month, I made sure the number of photos was divisible by three. This made for a symmetric visual on the recap post, as above (happy accident this time). This was the sort of gratuitous detail that added to my stress level [Struggle Bus] to no needful purpose. So, I am trying to do better about taking both life and Instagram photos as I find them.
Blog 2.0 – photos as they occur. Default to NOT reaching for my camera. This means I share the ones I really gotta tell you about. Archive as I accumulate a sufficient number. Comment. Look into changing the title on the account.
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
Virtual Brush Box 