The Adventure of the Missing Hay Pile

This is a hay pile.
This is not a hay pile.

Milton does not look for his hay. He waits for Rodney to find a pile and then pushes him off. This becomes a problem when Rodney can’t find the hay.

After breakfast, the horses eat their morning hay in the pasture. Lately, I have been putting the two piles high up on the hill to get the horses in the sun/keep them out of the mud. It has not been an easy transition.

First day: Rodney mills around the usual service area. I walk up to the pile and rattle it. Rodney comes over.

Second day: I decide that I wouldn’t show Rodney the hay pile. I want him to solve the problem for himself. I stand back. Rodney searches the breakfast area. Milton comes around the corner. He stands looking at Rodney, ‘Dude, you had one job …’

Rodney continues to mill, looking gormless and lost.

Milton gives up with palpable disgust, walks up the hill, spots a hay pile, starts eating.

Seeing that Milton has hay, Rodney walks as far as the first pile. Milton is not interested in sharing. Rodney circles Milton, looking longingly at the hay, occasionally lipping at stands of dead grass, ‘Why is there only one pile today? Gee, I wish there was another pile of hay for me to eat.’

I start playing hot/warm/cold with Rodney, trying to herd him up toward the second pile. He cuts around me to get back to Milton and the first pile. I consider the possibility of administering horse IQ tests. Milton continues to eat.

Finally, I push Rodney far enough up the hill. He sees the second pile. ‘Oh look, more hay.’

Third day: Rodney goes straight to the hay.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Letter Art, AlphaBooks: Z is for Zigby

Zigby Camps Out
Brian Patterson
2003 Harper Collins 2002

Zigby and Friends (Not loading on my system)
IMDB: Zigby
BBC: Zigby

Process Notes, for my future reference: 75% Inkscape, 25% GIMP. Created majority of image in Inkscape. Opened in GIMP for cropping, border, watermark (GIMP didn’t like the Inkscape text) & conversion to JPEG. Also used GIMP (along with online color converter) to pick, convert & the import the cover colors. Might have been able to finish in Inkscape. Ran out of time & brainspace. Overall: slow, but I remember when using GIMP was slow and frustrating.

Update
Genre: Fiction, Children’s Picture Book
New Find
Did I read it? Yes. Doesn’t take long.
Horse Factor: Negligible. Adventures of an anthropomorphic equine.

Past

 

[2017 AlphaBooks]
[2016 Alphabet]
[2015 Alphabet]

[Project Explanation 2017]
[Looking for Letters 2018]

This year, I’m using names of horses in books as well as authors of books. Otherwise, I’ll run out of letters. I’ve already had to with Z, both this year & last. Which books would you choose?

Why reverse alphabetical? Why not? [2015 Alphabet On the ordering of the alphabet]

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Can You Ride It? A Link Safari

Camel? Yes.
Trek. Journey Beyond Travel: How to Ride a Camel Uncomfortable.
Oyster: What No One Told Me About Riding a Camel in the Sahara Desert Far away. Pretty pictures. Not so much about the camels.

Race. Abu Dhabi Digital Government: Camel Racing in Abu Dhabi
CNN: Camel racing: The multi-million dollar industry mixing modernity and tradition

Rides. The photo is an ancient one of wee me at the Bronx Zoo. Photo by Mom? Dad? Mom of friend? The zoo still has, although the saddle appears to have changed. Bronx Zoo: Camel Rides

Zebra? No
Slate: Can Zebras Be Domesticated and Trained? Too small & their lifestyle choices have made them too aggressive.
Thomson Safaris: Wild Horses Can’t be Broken: Zebra Domestication Attempts Condensed version of above info plus photo of four zebras pulling a cart.

Ostrich? Not really
Eventing Nation: How to Ride an Ostrich

Elephant? Yes
Elephants Forever: Domestication And Use Of Elephants Historically used for war & industry.

Please don’t. Counterpoint (not a happy read) Huffington Post: If You Love Animals, Here Are 5 You Shouldn’t Ride Due to living and training conditions (elephants & dolphins), behavior (manatees), or physiology (ostrich & dogs).

But, of course, it’s not that easy. “It is only tourism that can provide the money that owners need to care for their animals.” & “Just like the use of horses as ride and pack animals in the West, it all depends on how it is done.” Chai lai orchid: Elephants Facts and Myths

Rhinoceros? If you are this guy.
The Telegraph: South African game warden rides rhino It’s okay, they’re friends. “He also likes to tag cars, trucks and buildings with his horns, its like rhino graffiti.”

Cow? Yes.
Google cow jumping.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Rein Arrangements

Driving Thursday

Milton has graduated to the snaffle rein.

Driving bits come with several places to attach the reins. The gentlest is on the top ring. The farther down the shank > the more leverage > the stronger the bit. Last year, Bliss alternated between the snaffle ring and the first slot, depending on circumstance.

[New Equipment: Bit & Pieces]

When we first hitched Milton, Coach Courtney wanted stopping power. The reins went in the first slot. Once Milton proved to be a good guy (as much of a guarantee as one ever has with horses), Greg switched to the snaffle. Happy horse.

It’s a trade-off. Annoy the horse, but be able to stop him once he gets annoyed. Or have less brakes, but the less chance of needing said brakes.

Milton has made it clear that he does not wish to return to the higher leverage. Therefore, I too have graduated to the snaffle rein.

(A while back I said that Milton does not care what is in his mouth [With Great Bit Comes Great Responsibility]. I might have been wrong. Or this may still be true. Or it might have been true then and wrong now. All we can say is that with Greg driving, Milton prefers the snaffle. Since Greg long-lines him before I ride, I inherit the same bit configuration. If horses were easy, they wouldn’t take a lifetime to learn.)

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Show Photo: ProAm 2017

Saddle Seat Wednesday

Bzzzt … Thank you for playing … You are the weakest link …

Doug Shilfet Photography. Web image of purchased photo.

Originally, I didn’t want to remember anything about this show:

This is the first time I did not buy a riding picture. It was that bad.
[Show Photo: Pro-Am 2017, The Wonderful Mr. Whizbang]

In the interest of completing the historical record, I went back and ordered. Why buy a bad photo? There was at least one where Desi was cute. Mostly she looked annoyed. I was a cross between grinning jack-o-lantern and deer-in-the-headlights in all of them. It was a horrible show [Show Report: Riding at ProAm 2017, or Showing Without My Security Blanket I] that ushered in a horrible spring/summer [Sine Die Saddle Seat, Pondering the Hiatus]. Why not get the picture that reflects the true situation?

My trifecta of saddle seat sins: looking down, leaning forward, and riding off my lower leg. Observe the daylight between my knee and the saddle. At least my hands are up?

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

New Equipment: Riding Reins

Riding reins!

Riding reins for me to ride my horse!

BioThane reins from Two Horse Tack!

Why white? Why not? Since we are sharing the driving bridle at the moment [I Ride Milton!], I wanted a color that would not get confused with Milton’s black [Reins] and red (eventually, for marathon) driving reins. Since driving reins are removed when unharnessing, the potential for a tangled heap of reins is high. At least we will be able to sort by color.

So they get dirty. They are schooling reins.

Schooling reins that I will use to school my horse!

Schooling reins that I will use to school my horse who I rode again on Sunday! (Although getting on was harder than it should have been, or more accurately, harder than I wanted it to be. I will prevail! Eventually!)

I’ll stop! using! exclamation marks! at some point!

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott