Horses & Other Interests
Fortunately this ended well.
During Greg’s most recent driving lesson at Stepping Stone Farm, we over-adjusted some of the straps, apparently. As soon as Milton moved off, he started bucking in harness. Not a sight one wants to see. Coach Courtney gave swift but calmly-voiced instructions. Greg handled it. In retrospect, it was a few bucks over a short distance. Milton recovered immediately. The rest of us took a while longer.
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
I take a book out to the barn. I sit in the sun. I watch the green trees against the blue sky. I listen to the horses chew their breakfast hay. I drink my morning Coke. I pat the dog. I smell the hay, and wood, and grass, and dirt of a barn. My barn. It is enough. I am happy.
My inner jump rider howls in frustration.
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
Mister Ed and Me
by Alan Young with Bill Burt
St Martin’s 1994
Bought from Buyback Express via ABE.com.
~~~
This Year
[X is for Xenophon]
[W is for Wodehouse]
[V is for von Tempski]
[U is for USDA]
[T is for Tewson]
[S is for Severin]
[R is for Rubin]
[Q is for Queen]
[P is for Pace]
[O is for O’Connor]
[N is for Newsum]
[M is for McKinley]
[L is for Lewis]
[K is for Krementz]
[J is for Journal]
[I is for Ipcar]
[H is for Hatch]
[G is for Gray]
[F is for Francis]
[E is for Endicott]
[D is for Doty]
[C is for Cooper]
[B is for Brown]
[A is for Anderson]
Past Years
[2016 Alphabet] [2015 Alphabet]
Project explanation [AlphaBooks 2017]. Open to recommendations for the remaining letters. Which books would you choose?
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
I’ve been to a lot of horse shows. National Academy is the weirdest.
First, the age level. Hundreds of kids and a handful of adults acting like kids. Us grown-up riders were not there in our capacity as mature human beings. We were there as students. Expected to sit down, shut up, and listen to our instructors. It’s hard not to feel 12 years old in that situation.
Second, the experience level. Academy is the beginner level of saddle seat. By definition, none of the riders have developed coping mechanisms for show stress. Even those of us who have been to other types of shows are new to this discipline. A build-up of novice nerves.
Third, the cut-offs. One-quarter to one-third of the entries are done after Friday’s classes. Another wodge are done after Saturday. Surviving to ride another day is a huge concern. This turns the tension level up to eleven.
Finally, the schedule. On Friday, we had five people to go twice (technically, me three times & the leadliner once). That’s ten times of getting ready, cheering on, acting as a spotter, coming back to the barn to congratulate/commiserate, and so on. The Stepping Stone Farm contingent was on the small side. Some barns had many more riders. Either you are riding, or someone from your barn is. There is never enough time.
A case in point. There is another blogger. She rides saddle seat. She shows Academy in the Adult division. Clearly, we are soulmates in the making. This year, her barn was at the other end of the aisle from us. I could see their stalls from ours.
Was I able to track her down to introduce myself? HA!
Either she was busy, or I was. Or both. Yes, we were often both busy because we were in the same classes. I FREAKING STOOD NEXT TO THIS WOMAN IN LINE UP. And yet I left Murfreesboro on Sunday without ever meeting her. That’s how weird Nationals is.
Maybe next year. (Twitch. Shudder.)
~~~
And thus we bring to a close this year’s recap of the National Academy Championship Horse Show. Best of times. Worst of times. It was Nationals.
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
Nationals Retrospective
Sandra Hall Photography
2013
Trump
Academy Adult Walk Trot
3rd in Pleasure
2nd in Equitation
[Show Report (start), list of 2013 links]
2014
Sam
Academy Adult Walk Trot Canter
3rd in Pleasure
2nd in Equitation
[Show Report, list of 2014 links]
2015
Eddie
Academy Adult Walk Trot Canter
2nd in Pleasure
2nd in Equitation
[Show Report, list of 2015 links]
2016
Iggy
Academy Adult Walk Trot Canter
3rd in Pleasure
Top Ten (4th) in Equitation
The picture is from 2nd in a preliminary round. Photo by Courtney Huguley.
[Show Report, list of 2016 links]
2017
Dottie
Academy Adult Walk Trot Canter
2nd in Pleasure
2nd in Equitation
[Show Report, list of 2017 links (pending)]
Update: When I see it laid out like this, it looks impressive. It didn’t feel impressive at the time. Can you have the Facebook effect with your own life?
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
National Academy Championship Horse Show
Tennessee Miller Coliseum
Murfreesboro, TN USA
November 2-4, 2017
[Show Report]
Friday Morning
16. Academy Pleasure Driving–Horse or Pony, 4th of 8
Saturday Morning
45. Academy Pleasure Driving–Horse or Pony Championship, 3rd of 8
With HB Whizbang, courtesy of the Alvis family.
I also drove.
I don’t understand the criteria for Academy Driving. I understand when someone makes a mistake: trotting during the walk, cantering during the trot, or failing to achieve an extended trot. (I’ve done all three.) Absent these obvious errors, the placings seem a bit of a dice roll. Unless, of course, the result is in my favor, then I think the judging is brilliant.
Therefore, I don’t tend to sweat the driving results.
The classes were about learning traffic management as much as anything else. The entries were mixed, from horses to ponies to a VSE. Imagine eight student drivers all going at different speeds. On Friday, I kept trying to get out of the way. On Saturday, I got better at waiting instead of always trying to get ahead of traffic jams.
In the second class, one fellow cut in front of me, to the point that I had to pull Snippy to a halt to avoid a collision. Twice. Did I get points for being aware of my surroundings, or demerits from not being aware enough to avoid the situations all together? Who knows. My ringside advisory panel said that I might possibly have avoided the first, but no one could have predicted the other driver making a sudden right turn directly in front of me. Everyone stayed safe.
When we managed to pay attention to our own driving, Mr. Whizbang and I continued to improve.
~~~
Alabama Winter Tournament 2017-2018
ERA Stables/Elite Riding Academy
Arab, AL USA
Saturday, Nov 11, 2017
[Show Report]
26. Academy Driving with Alvin Ailey – 1st of 2
Thank you to the Wamble family
Alvin loves to show. On Saturday, we stormed into the ring on the edge of who’s-in-control-here. While I had to apply a fair amount of whoa-there-horsie throughout the class, it was great to see the old man in such a good mood.
A grand time was had by all.
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
tldr: Survived the first. Rode the second. Rocked the third. Almost.
We interrupt this show report [Riding] to bring you a show report. Yes, It’s been horse show central around here.
Alabama Winter Tournament 2017-2018
ERA Stables/Elite Riding Academy
Arab, AL USA
Saturday, Nov 11, 2017
1. Advance Horsemanship WTC Adult – 3th of 4
2. Advanced Equitation WTC Adult (Pattern) – 2nd of 4
7. Pleasure Horse or Pony WTC Adult – 4th of 4
Thank you to Courtney Huguley for the willowy Whiskey. (W is big for an ASB. Shorter than Rodney, but legs everywhere.)
After the intensity of dancing on the big stage, I didn’t fancy taking Dottie for a shuffle around the barn floor at a hoe-down. Instead I rode Whiskey, a five-gaited horse who is rearranging his world view to include being a three-gaited Academy horse.
Apparently, the rack is similar enough to the canter that a) the rider must be very clear about which gait is intended, and b) five-speed horses are allowed to canter faster to prevent confusion. This is a learning curve for me. I do such a good saddle seat canter (Really, it’s stellar. Alas, no one cares. Saddle seat is all about the trot. But I digress.) that I have a habit of asking for too much (too slow) from horses who aren’t up to it.
In warm-up, I was all, ‘Eek, a new horse’, and Whiskey was all, ‘Eek, a new place’. So, the first class was decent, but conservative. Second class, similar. I managed to get my hands up and heels out for equitating.
Whiskey went in the ring with his second rider.
By the time I got back on, the multiple classes had taken some starch out of his bloomers. I felt comfortable pushing him for more flash. The winner of my first two classes was another woman from my barn on Snippy. She was going down. We dazzled the trot. I got the canter lead. I sat his canter. First place was ours! Until he lost count of his legs and fell out of the canter. Right. In front. Of the judge. Quickly repaired, but damage done. Bzzzzzt. Last. Oh well, if one has to have bad horse show karma, Winter Tournament is the place to have it.
~~~
Policy question. So, how do I label an image after fiddling with it? I want to credit the photographer. OTOH, what if they are appalled at what I hath wrought? Any copyright experts care to weigh in?
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
Virtual Brush Box 