I don’t have a blog post & that’s a good thing.

It is now Friday evening.
Had a post.
Didn’t like it.
Energy still limited.
Expended resources on ponies rather than on pondering a new post.
Saddle seat lesson with Sam.
First lesson since before the show [Report].
Rode Rodney two laps around the pasture.
Walked Milton two laps around the pasture (in hand).
Stick a fork in me, I’m done.
Yay for progress.

For your amusement, another of Deb’s photos from the show.

Photo by Deb Kesecker

My pit crew sporting my driving ribbon while we unhitch [Cuteness On The Hoof]. More photos by Deb [Wordless Story, Wordless Short].

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

What Happened To All The Jumps?

Jumping Diary

 

 
What happened to all the jumps?
They’re still there. I just haven’t gone over them.

Pa-dum, ching.

But seriously folks. I knew jumping progress would be slow. Jumping lessons are all about cantering and I want to practice between lessons. However, I only ride Milton on the weekends or if I have a lesson, and we only canter when we go someplace with a ring. This is not a formula for rapid achievement.

After a flurry of activity over the holidays [Jumping], we practiced once [Cantering], then took the rest of the month off for lameness/sickness [Dunno]. To paraphrase the vulture, Patience my ass, I want to jump something.

All is not lost. As the light increases, my ground crew will be able to supervise before/after work. Every time I sit on Milton, even if we only walk, we inch closer to being able to work at home. Eventually, we will be cantering and jumping at home. Eventually.

I’ve told Miss Molly that jumping lessons will be sporadic. I keep wanting to email her to tell her that I haven’t forgotten, that I haven’t given up. There is no point. My intentions don’t matter. Either I return to Falcon Hill Farm or I don’t.

Mostly, I am heartily disenchanted with being sick. My cough is no longer as alarming as it was. I’m starting to care about life again. I can’t DO anything about it, but I’m starting to care. Way more tired than I have patience for. I take Milton on a hand walk around the field for two laps and then go sit for an hour. Frustrating.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Because what I need in my life right now is another barn and another discipline.

Overcoming Obstacles in Our Way

 

Alabama Obstacle Challenge Series
AOCS website, Facebook


 

This would be for Rodney. No jumping. No sand box. Done at a walk. Yes, Rodney had a melt-down over a leather halter [Life in the Slow Lane]. Oddly enough, with the weird-looking shit, he’s brave. Not police-horse, bombproof brave, but for a high-strung TB, surprisingly curious about new things, see below. Could be a good idea. Could be a non-starter. We shall see.

I have been over to the local barn for a chat. Pretty standard lesson/schooling arrangement. $X for help; $Y to go over and mess about ourselves. In our discussion, year-end awards were mentioned. Well, that doesn’t concern me (Ha). I’m just here for a fun activity with my horse (Ha!). There is zero likelihood that I will go to one show, get bitten by the bug, and find myself shipping all over the state to qualify (HA!). As with Miss Molly [Small Jump, Enough Retrospection], I will out this person once we’ve had a lesson & a chance to discuss the blog.

Milton would definitely benefit, but a) he would be deeply suspicious of the horse-eating obstacles & b) he has enough on his dance card at the moment.

First step. Keep shipping Rodney over to Stepping Stone Farm. Get us comfortable riding off the property. Then, over to the AOCS barn, either for a lesson or for a look-see on our own.

Previous Obstacle Posts
Huh. We did more of this than I remember. We sputtered to a stop because we were a victim of our own success, or of Rodney’s success. If memory serves, we’d work 45 minutes to construct something that Rodney would dismiss in moments. We were getting to the point of needing to build big, complicated things. Easier to play with obstacles built by someone else. Plus, in 2014, I wasn’t riding Rodney & Milton had arrived.
[Whole New World] Went to see a competition. 2012
[Noodling with Rodney] Shiny, weird, plastic, scary things? Meh. 2013
[Weekend Report] Trotting in hand. Walking through a ring. Which one do you think he handled? 2013
[Rodney Is Awesome: Attack of the Swimming Noodle] Equine ring toss. Who knew. 2014
[Rodney’s Week: Pool, Pen, & TENS] Wading Pool. 2014
[Rodney’s Week: Dry Pool] This horse is the weirdest combination of fear and confidence. 2014
[Rodney’s Exercises as of January 2015] Wading thru a kiddie pool, cross a “bridge”, standing on a platform. 2015
Note. All of these exercises were done in hand. Things change with a rider on board.


[Photo from Just To Put This Out There 2014]

Hooves crossed.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine

Dressage Is For Every Horse, Two New Horse Blogs For You To Love

Adventures in Saddle Seat

 

Recently, two ladies in my area have started horse blogs. Both are working at the intersection of saddle seat and dressage. Sound familiar?

My Horse Journey

“I have decided to do Hunter Jumper and Dressage riding with my horse … I am going to use this blog to chronicle my journey … My horse is a double registered Palomino American Quarter Horse. His registered name is Lil’ Bo Streak. I call him Bo.” About This Blog

In her post about the Awards Banquet, she points out that returning to the same banquet space year after year can remind one of the changes in life, for good or for ill. It was the one I blogged about [Banquet With A Bonus]. We’ve been showing against each other for years in Adult Academy. At this banquet, she won the year-end awards for our divisions.

If I may offer one small correction. In the Winter Tournaments post, first place in the equitation class went to an Academy rider (ahem) and second to the Performance rider. (Post amended. o= (My attempt at a blue ribbon emoticon. You saw it here first.)) The rest is accurate. She did a great job with the pattern.

Show Horse • Sport Horse: Nautica the American Saddlebred Dressage Horse

“Twelve seemed like the perfect age for Nautica to take up a new challenge and I found the idea of him learning basic dressage to be the ideal next step.” About Us

I’ve seen this rider around over the years, but she shows in suit which happens when Academy doesn’t.

In her first post We Bought a Saddle!, she talks about leather snobbery when riding in a Wintec saddle. I reach. She bought a leather version. I assuaged my snobbery by considering mine temporary [New Equipment: Saddle].

So, these are my two new blogging buddies. Milton and I may see them at dressage shows this year. Each of us is starting a dressage journey, each with a different breed of horse, none of them typical dressage breeds: TB, QH, ASB.

At A, Enter …

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Ambushed By My Mailbox


 
Years ago, when I was young & hopeful, I received a large check at the end of a big job. Instead of having it disappear into the general fund, I splashed out on life memberships for the USDF and the USEA.

I have never used them.

It’s been over 10 years. I have not evented. Only in the last year have I ridden any dressage tests at all. None of them required the intercession of the USDF.

If I think about it, I realize how far I am from my equestrian goals. (Yes, yes, blessed to be riding in any fashion. Blossom where you are planted. Glorious photo with inspirational caption. Meanwhile back in my petty reality.) If I think about it too much, I come over all superstitious and wonder if I jinxed myself. Would I be eventing and dressaging if I had never sent in those memberships? I know that’s not logical.

Usually, I don’t think about it. I mean, think about the memberships. I think about equine competitions – the ones I’m doing and the ones I am not doing – all the time. As you know. Some day, maybe, I will need those memberships. Meanwhile, I remain on their lists. So, I have this exchange every so often.

Mail: Hey, thanks for being a member!
Me: Hey, thanks for the reminder!
(Searches for sarcasm font.)

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Chiro, Dunno

The home team had chiropractic adjustments two weeks ago. I have not blogged about it because Milton has been off and on lame since that day. These are NOT related events.

The doctor went to Stepping Stone Farm first. I went over to watch a few horses. When I came home to get these two ready, Milton was waving his right front foot in the air. Really, Horse? Today? I wasn’t overly worried. The presenting physiologic symptoms were minor. The attitude was pitiful but Milton has a tendency to be … um … emotional about injuries.

I figured that chiropractic work was mostly structural (?), so the doctor should be able to see something anyway. He poked and prodded. Milton spooked at the mounting block. Doc told me that horses should get a couple of days off or you lose the advantage of the adjustment.

As I suspected, by the next morning, Milton was 95% sound, at least well enough to gallop up to breakfast. Between chiro and foot, he got the rest of the week off. Toward the end of the week, it rained. When I finally rode during the weekend, all we could do was walk [When Life Gives You Rain]. Maybe his back was a trifle less tight when I first got on, but data is limited.

Then, at the beginning of last week, Milton showed up waving the left front. Slightly puffier leg/ankle. A few nights of stall rest. Done and dusted. We think he tweeks a tendon/joint/important moving part while cavorting in the epic, endless mud that is our lot these days.

I have thoughts on my opinion of chiropractic before the appointment and whether or not those opinions were borne out during. However, I want to wait until I have an after to report. We need to have done more than stomp around, in particular, I want to see how back & butt adjustments affect Milton’s canter and canter transitions.

Rodney also got done. Doc didn’t find much. I didn’t sense a great deal of change in Rodney’s way of going in the limited time we worked [Walk]. He hasn’t done much either because … drumroll … I have also been off and on sick for the last two weeks. Gadding about in public [Being Mobile], exposed my defenseless system to all manner of new germs. Rather like sending a child to kindergarten, Indexed (that would be me at x).

Bad weather, lame horse, sick. Conservation of misery?

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott