Foto Friday: Instagram August 2017

August Instagram from @rodneyssaga.

Previous July 2017

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Driving Through Ohio, Guest Photos

Driving Thursday

When Coach Kate traveled to Ohio, she stopped at several driving-related shops. As one does. She was kind enough to let me use her photos as a blog post. I really oughtta give her Assistant Producer credit for Driving Thursdays. #vicarioustravel


Woodlyn Coach Company, Mt. Hope, Ohio, USA.
Henry Hooker phaeton, restored by Ivan Burkholder at Woodlyn Coach Co.
“That’s my father, Jack Bushman, standing, by request, with the Singer sewing machine, so you could see how large it was. It’s an original Singer Dash Machine model 67-1 for sewing patent leather over metal rod frames of carriage dashes and fenders. Ivan does all sorts of restoration work for cart, carriage and coaches.”
From Woodlyn Coach. “Half of my purchased pair. These are placed in the doorway of a carriage house/barn so that the wheel couldn’t pass too close to the doorway and catch the hub on wall. They are made of cast aluminum.  Heavy, but not as heavy as cast iron.  Ivan has the mold and can make more if someone else wants a set. ”
Wall of driving bits at Bowman Harness Company, Mt. Hope, Ohio, USA. Ironically, they did NOT have Milton’s new bit.
“These horses were at Bowman Harness. There was a steady stream of English and Amish in the shop.”

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

My Version of Retail Therapy

Saddle Seat Wednesday, Sorta

I tried to take a dressage lesson. Does that count?

The call went out several times. Who wants a lesson this month? It began to sound as if they would not have enough people. Given the lack of work Rodney and I have suffered this summer [Lately], a lesson would be an exercise in rediscovering the basics. If it was a matter of having to cancel for lack of interest, I said would be willing to give it a go in the backyard. Alas, the clinic was able to fill without me. No lesson this month.

Sniffle.

Plus, this confirms what I had supposed. I will not be able to continue these dressage lessons [Leg Yield] until I can figure a way to haul His Bulkiness around.

Sigh.

What does this have to do with saddle seat? At Winter Tournament – back when I remembered how to ride saddle seat – I was tied for High-Point Adult from Stepping Stone Farm [Results]. The prize was a $50 gift card.

I have been saving it for a special, preferably saddle seat, occasion. After finding out about the lack of lesson, I decided that LEGO therapy was in order. What better way to spend saddle seat prize money than as a consolation for another discipline crashing down around my ears? I give you, Ninjago City, Review.

My new toy, with help from two guys at the LEGO store. Yes, they know me there.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Milton & Me, Redux

We are quietly examining the schedule for suitable places for Milton to start showing with a cart. Yes, yes, many a slip ‘twixt the cup and the lip. It’s all tentative and progress-dependent.

One factor has become obvious. Greg doesn’t have the time. He’s busy working. (Go him!) If he’s to have a competition horse, I will have to work said horse during the week.

I don’t know how I feel about that.

I don’t know how I feel about that while my own riding continues to tank.

Or it could just be August. I hate August. [Hello September]

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Trailer Training

More stand lessons [Here We Stand 2013, Rodney Lately 2017]. This time, we are standing near/in the trailer.

Since the incident [Dubious Future], Rodney gets goofy when he leaves the pasture. When I went to get him for the farrier, he refused to leave the field. He broke his ground tie while I unchained the gate – he never does this – and ran to the far end of the pasture. When I hauled him back up, he would stop every 50 feet, ‘Don’t wanna.’ Walk. Pause. ‘Ain’t gonna.’ Walk. Pause. He thought he was headed for the trailer. Once out, he kept staring over his shoulder. Trying to keep his eye on the hideous white box?

First remedial session: No. Not hysteria, just no. Got on with inducement in the form of showing him the buggy whip. Second remedial session: no inducement, front feet on. Third (or maybe the fourth? I’ve lost count.) remedial session: stood on trailer eating hay. Backed off. Got on. Stood on trailer eating hay. Backed off. And so on.

In the Department of Silver Linings, it’s nice to be doing something I’m good at. Riding? Show nerves? No idea what happens inside my own head. Teaching a horse to be a happy-loading pony? I got this.

Update, another post about this session [In Chains].

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Letter Art, AlphaBooks: R is for Rubin

The Big Book of Hidden Horses (Trafalgar Square 2006)
Hidden Horses 2 (Half Halt 1994)
Horse Trivia (Half Halt 1995)
If Wishes Were Horses (Mountain 1995)
By Deborah Rubin

Rubin on Rodney’s Saga
The Return of King Arthur photo
Guest Post: Deborah Rubin – Life is a Puzzle
Best Laid Plans photo
Text Art: Q is for Quilt
Gift Celebration
Framed!

Deborah’s Blog
Life, the Universe, and Everything: Adventures of a Curious Mind
~~~
This Year

[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

State of the Blog: Belated Acknowledgement

I owe an assist to The Je ne sais quoi.

In March of 2106, I instituted the habit of ending posts with “Thank you for reading” [State of the Blog: TYFR]. I clearly remember having the idea while listening to the Winchester CD.

Equally clearly, I must have gotten the idea, at least in part, from Jeniese Hosey, author of The Je ne sais quoi. I was obviously reading her blog. In 2015, she was one of my Saturday Referrals [Cover Girl]. On the post just prior to the one I cite I’m On The Cover of Redbook!!!, she ends with “Thanks for reading.”, See Jane Write Bloganista Mini-Con Recap. I must have read it dozens of times.

This proves the theory that one needs to be exposed to an idea multiple times before it sinks in.

[List of previous SotB posts]

So, thank you Ms. Hosey … and thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott