The best way to keep drinks cold is good old-fashioned solid water.
We used to put our drinks in the refrigerator the night before and then use rechargeable freezer packs. This meant being organized enough to remember the drinks the night before and having enough room in the fridge. More importantly, this kept the drinks cool, but not cold.
Now, we fill the cooler with drinks, then dump one or two bags of party ice from the nearest gas station/convenience store. If it is a one-day show, we stop with Milton or do an ice run before we load. If it is a multi-day show, ice is our first order of business in the morning.
It’s not logistically convenient to buy ice each time, the semi-melted ice can be a pain afterwards, and we have had trouble with the cheap can’t-bring-ourselves-to-buy-a-Yeti cooler sweating all over everything.
However.
Having ice-cold drinks to hand has made all the difference in surviving sweltering summer horse shows.
Procedure
1) I post a photo on a given theme.
2) You comment below with a link to your photo on that theme.
3) We all click over to see what you have.
That’s it. No prizes. No rules. No submissions. For more explanation, see [Inaugural Edition].
Progress Notes
Another phone shot. Dragged the big camera out. Tried to be artistic. It was crap. I’m not being coy. Sometimes you can tell as soon as you press the button that nothing is there. I was aiming for gorgeous golden hour light wafting gently over a still life of muck bucket and fork, contrasting the sublime and the mundane. Ah well, insert Ira Glass quote, Advice for Beginners, beautifully illustrated by Zen Pencils. Still, I technically took pictures with my Nikon, so points for that.
Theme Commentary
“We must learn to honor excellence in every socially accepted human activity, however humble the activity, and to scorn shoddiness, however exalted the activity. An excellent plumber is infinitely more admirable than an incompetent philosopher. The society that scorns excellence in plumbing because plumbing is a humble activity and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because it is an exalted activity will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy. Neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water.”
John Gardner Excellence PBS: John Gardner, Writings
Hold the phone. I have been reading this quote wrong for years. I had only seen the second half, starting with ” The society that scorns … ” I took it to mean that we should not scorn plumbing as a humble activity. No. Gardner is saying that plumbing IS a humble activity but we should recognize excellence in it anyway.
Hmmmmf.
So, why is plumbing humble & philosophy exalted? I know which one I’d rather have working in my house.
I finally, finally convinced Rodney to walk quietly around his own pasture. The result is … frustrating.
On the plus side, Rodney is relaxed. He carries his head down & out. He moseys along. The reins lie on his neck. I have one hand on the buckle. If needed, I pick up one rein or the other to steer. Occasionally, I pick up both reins for a moment to get his head back in the game.
So what is the problem?
Rodney may be chill, but he is a chill corkscrew. Walking away from the barn, he tries to turn back. Walking toward the barn, he bends his shoulder toward the barn as if magnetically attracted. At all times, he plays The Path Is Lava. Walk to the left. Steer. Walk to the right. Steer.
He does this at a) super-slow speed 🙂 b) & constantly 😦 .
I understand resistance. Rider asks horse to do X, which is hard. Horse suggests Y, which is easier. Depending on the situation, rider either insists or adjusts. In this case, I am asking Rodney to walk quietly, in a straight line, along paths he walks every day of his life. What he choses to do is harder.
Rodney is actively working to make life more difficult for himself.
The night before the show last weekend [Report], I was much less nervous. I was glad to be headed into a dressage ring.
Well, there’s a sentence I never thought I’d utter.
Dressage ain’t never been my fave, but it’s closer to what I understand than saddle seat is.
Dwelling on the Differences
In the dressage ring, there is no traffic.
In a saddle seat arena, I have to make game-time decisions about transitions and lines in order to avoid other horses.
In the dressage ring, I don’t have to wonder if the judge is watching. The judge is always watching.
In a saddle seat arena, the judge only sees me for a few seconds. I never know which few seconds.
In the dressage ring, I know exactly when to do what.
In a saddle seat arena, my fate is at the whim of the announcer.
In the dressage ring, I can finally, thankfully go back to riding off my lower leg. My horse will not go airborne if I squeeze him like a tube of toothpaste.
In a saddle seat arena, my strongest aid is taken away. As for the airborne, it has happened. I have witnesses.
In the dressage ring, I know where the points are to be gained. When halting through the walk, to show several walk steps. Hold the halt. Make a distinction between a circle and a corner. And so on.
In a saddle seat arena, I am baffled. Sometimes I ride well and win. Sometimes I do – or think I do – exactly same thing, and land in the doghouse.
In the dressage ring, I’m not fighting everything I’ve learned over decades of riding.
In a saddle seat arena, it’s all about style, and I will always be riding with an accent.
Reality Check
In a saddle seat arena when I’m actually on a horse, I’m not this bad. I know more about showmanship than I did six years ago. When my partner is one who (whom?) I can leave to get on with his job (*cough*Sam*cough*), I can be flashy (‘I’ve never seen Sam overtake anyone.’). It’s been a long time since I’ve forgotten to finish my pass.
In the dressage ring when I’m actually on a horse, I’m not that good. I can discuss the nuances of dressage. I have been paid to write about the nuances of dressage. I cannot produce said nuances at will. My tests tend more toward rallying the troops, aiming for the letters, and realizing that my communication with my horse is not as prompt as I thought it was.
In reality, the achievement level is about the same. The anticipation is totally different.
With Milton, aka Moonlight Rainbow
Class 3 – 2015 USDF Intro Test A (Walk-Trot) – Adult, 2nd of 2, 55.313%
Class 4 – 2015 USDF Intro Test B (Walk-Trot) – Adult, 5th of 5, 55.625%
Highest score: 7, halt
Lowest score: 5.0, multiple movements
Most helpful comment: “Elastic” She was talking about contact, but it works for the whole horse. A better way to think about movement than, Come on, Milton! Move your bloomin’ arse!
Results will eventually be available at FCHP > Shows
How It Rode Warm-up 1
Compared to other outings, say the trail ride [Canadian Horse, detour], Milton was a star from the start. I got on. I walked around. I went in the warm-up ring. We trotted. No need for pony rides or remedial haltering.
I’d say 90% relaxed, 10% cranked. He looked around. He had reservations. When we trotted, he pulled a little, which is unusual for him. The possibility of a hissy fit was not on the table, but he had it in his back pocket in case he needed it.
We alternated between the open grassy space in front of the ring and the warm-up, see photo below. He liked being inside of the fence, but he thought the footing was weird. Not bad, not good, just weird. He had one small objection to an oncoming horse. After that, I stayed out of warm-up when it was a madhouse, but made a point of going in when the traffic was moderate &/or walking. It’s a balance between not upsetting the canoe and giving the canoe a chance to acclimate.
Test 1
Speaking of acclimating, I had planned to walk past the judge’s tent, but the bell rang before we made around the outside of the ring. What’s the deal, dude? This is a schooling show. Despite that, Milton was fine with the tent & the people sitting in it. He was fine with the photographer. What did he spook at? Husband Greg standing next to the ring reading the test. Silly git. We had specifically chosen to have Greg read so that he would have an excuse to stand near the ring and that Milton would hear his voice.
The test is so short that all we really had time for was Milton meet dressage ring. Dressage ring, meet Milton. Halt. Salute. Done.
Milton was enormously proud of himself for surviving the ordeal.
Warm-up 2
As soon as I got back on, I could feel the difference. Milton was over it. Whatever. I’m an old hand at dressage now. He left the possibility of a hissy fit back in the trailer. Too much work to carry around.
The biggest problem in warm-up was keeping him from being distracted by a gray pony mare. She was cute. He has good taste.
Test 2
In the ring, he did as well as when we practiced the tests. You can’t ask for better than that. No contact. No pace. But we don’t have those at home yet either.
Since the reader is near the ring, he was able to slip Milton a peppermint as we came out at A. Milton quite liked that part.
How It Looked First Test
Warming up before the test. Ground crew did not see what I felt.
Second Test
Alright, we were slow. But he was quiet and pleasant, so I’m still happy with it. Video courtesy of Sharon Melnick.
Sir Snowflake Cupcake does not like grass tips tickling his ankles. He made as much of a hash out of the weave pole exercise as possible. He finally knocked into one, tipping it over. Fortunately, I saw the pole moving, realized it was going to touch him, and was ready for the spook.
Milton: I’m being attaaaaacked! I told you this was a horrible idea!
Mister Hoppy Toad is certainly capable of launching into a meltdown from a standing start. However, most of the time, his hissy fits start off as spooks. He spooks, then converts the momentum into his wind-up toy routine [The Three Stages of Drill Team].
Milton: I! Shall! Express! My! Displeasure!
Captain Rocket Paws decided he was go for launch. Unfortunately for him, the same idea occurred to me 2 seconds earlier. Halfway into the first hop, I was all over his case.
Milton: Busted.
Next time, he may blindside me. This time, point to the rider.
Mark Twain in Hawaii: Roughing It In The Sandwich Islands
by Mark Twain
Mutual 1990, 2013
First published 1872
Discover Books, Baltimore MD
via ABE.com
Inkscape & GIMP, opacity
Oahu was the name of Twain’s rental horse. “… my attention being so much occupied by Oahu. The place was so steep that at times he stood straight up on his tiptoes and clung by his forward toenails, with his back to the Pacific Ocean and his nose close to the moon–and thus situated we formed an equestrian picture which was as uncomfortable to me as it may have been picturesque to the spectators.”
University of Virginia Library, Mark Twain in His Times: Scenes in Honolulu — No. 7
