Virtual Brush Box

Foto Friday: Spotted at Sunset

Sunset photography class at Oak Mountain State Park (class details). Props to instructor Meg McKinney [Meet Meg] for arranging a fabulous sunset for us to photograph.

Previous Oak Mountain Classes
[Foto Friday: Bird at Oak Mountain State Park]
[Spotted at Oak Mountain State Park]

Waka-Waka

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Foto Friday: Delay

Thursday evening: Long day. Good day. Swam. Ran errands. Found interesting book to read. Double sessions with both horses. Dog & I went on our walk. Stick a fork in me, I’m done. Photos will be posted first(ish) thing Friday morning.

Back soon.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Surviving the Drive

Driving Thursday

Each lesson at Whip Hand Farm is framed by a seven-hour, round-trip drive. Because of the home horses, we go up and back in a day. Here’s how we’ve tuned our routine.

Take the Comfortable Car
The Fiat is a great car [Today, photo]. It is also a cheap car. One way to keep the cost down is power it with small squirrels. The one in charge of the AC simply cannot keep the car cool in the summer, particularly for the passenger, who gets the rising sun on the way up and the setting sun on the way down.

Manage the Stops
You lose time from when you lift your foot off the accelerator until you are back on the highway at speed. Therefore, it’s hard to stop in less than 15 minutes. Stop twice and, you’ve blown half an hour. Coffee and morning soda will not allow us to head up without a break. Often we are able to get back down without stopping. TMI.

Bring Food
We have a cooler of drinks and a basket of food. Turning the truck into a rolling picnic is a) cheaper and b) means the highway reststop at the border rather than pulling off for a gas/convenience store. Time saved.

Provide Entertainment
Audible on my phone. Podcasts on Greg’s phone. Both sync with the truck’s audio system. After almost 30 years of marriage and almost 40 of knowing him (?!?), I still enjoy Greg’s company. However, a bit of narrative provides diversion for those long, flat, straight highway miles.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Life Lesson in a Trailer Spring

We took out the trailer partition to see if Rodney would like it that way [Future]. We put it back for Milton.

One of the elements is the large spring that swings the divider away from the horse. Due to the tension required, it was a bear to get back on. We used brute strength. We used levers. We finally squoze it on using a large clamp.

It was on upside down. The pointy end faced the horse. We took it off. Turned it around. It popped on as easy as you please.

The lesson here is not difficult to determine.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Leading Him On

On our walks, Milton has graduated from a chain over his nose to a plain leadrope. Okay, the ears are still back, but it’s more ‘Whatever, Dude.’ and less plotting misbehavior.

Milton has also relaxed sufficiently to be on a leadrope at Stepping Stone. Although we always pack a chain leadshank, just in case.

Chain posts
[Milton 2.0]
[Milton’s Moods] Photo source, last year.
[Milton’s Remediation]
[Proper Walk Protocol] Still on a chain in late May, this year.

Does this photo shoot come with cookies?

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Rodney Lately

Here we stand. Literally.

Rodney’s trailer kerfuffle was five weeks ago [Dubious Future]. He injured his right hind leg above his ankle. It was never very bad & gets better every day [Rodney’s Feet]. But slowly. Oh, so slowly.

We’ve been doing stand lessons at the mounting block. If I sit on the block, he will stand next to it forever. If I mount up, he feels the need to move off. This tells me he is not at peace with having a rider on his back. So, I sit on the block. I stand on the block. I lean on the saddle. I get on. We stand. I get off. I sit, stand, lean, get on. And so on. And so on. It’s good for his mind and it’s something we can do while his ankle deflates.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott