Horses & Other Interests
With a combo deal from the photographer, I also got Greg’s first victory pass.
Jane Jacobs Photography
[Show Report: Mid-South Spring Premiere 2107, Riding]
[Show Report: Mid-South Spring Premiere 2107, Driving]
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
Mid-South Spring Premiere
Saturday, May 27, 2017
Northeast Alabama Agribusiness Center
Rainsville, AL
65. Academy Driving
1st – Greg & Memory Lane’s Spice Girl (Posh)
2nd – Katherine & HB Whizbang (Snippy)
Thank you to the Kasparian and Alvis families for their wonderful horses.
Official Photographer: Jane Jacobs Photography
Previous years [list of posts]
Lived Experience
We were equal in the regular trot and the flat walk. The difference was the extended trot. Greg threaded the line between getting the extended trot and keeping Posh from cantering. Me and Mr. Whizbang, not so much.
The extended trot is about power as much as speed. Of one fails to hold the front end, the horse will either run off or completely ignore you. Or both.
The first way, we nailed it. Strong, powerful trot. Beautiful reinsmanship on my part. I was congratulating myself on how wonderful I was (Need to stop doing that! [Report:Flub]), when I realized we were cantering. Ooops. It was a few steps in a back corner. Dunno if the judge saw.
The second way, I never got nuthin’. I was holding. I really was. I thought I was. Let’s go to the tape.
Photographic Record
First photo, awesome entry pass. Sitting up. Nice contact. This is the photo I bought. Over the course of the class, Mr. Whizbang slowing talks me out of more and more rein. By the last pass – when I was trying so hard to get the second extended trot – the reins are floating along his back. I’m still sitting up in fine style, but I have thrown the reins away. I’m basically saying, ‘Go Horsie Go’ and hoping the extended trot fairy wafts by.
While I thank Mr. Whizbang for a lovely drive, it appears that he still has my number.
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
Mid-South Spring Premiere
Saturday, May 27, 2017
Northeast Alabama Agribusiness Center
Rainsville, AL
66. Academy Showmanship Adult WTC with Sultan’s Miracle Man (Sam), 1st of 3
67. Academy Equitation Adult WTC with Sam, 1st of 3
70. Academy WTC Championship with Sam, 2nd of 10
Thank you to Courtney Huguley for the ever wonderful Captain Fabulous.
Official Photographer: Jane Jacobs Photography. View Photos > 2017 > Mid-South Spring Premiere > Academy > class numbers above. My photo disclaimer rant. This photographer’s watermark specifically says, “Not to be used on Facebook!” That’s how pervasive the problem is.
Warm-up – Where Am I?
‘I am riding saddle seat. I am riding saddle seat. I am riding …’ Can I convey to you the depth to which I wanted to ride off my lower leg? I trotted around the warm-up ring thinking, ‘Knees & hands. Knees and hands. Knees and hands.’ I finally convinced myself. When I pulled into the first line-up, I thought. ‘Well, good or bad, at least it was saddle seat.’
First Class – Flub
Sam has a habit of switching to canter if he doesn’t like what’s happening in the trot. During one of my passes in front of the judge, he threw in one step. Not one stride, one step, with one hoof. I caught him before it went anywhere. I was smug about my response time until I trotted past the ingate and heard, “Change.” I was on the wrong diagonal. I had been so busy congratulating myself that I hadn’t realized the little hop had throw me to the other diagonal.
Second Class – Scurry
As the last to exit the previous class, I was the last to enter for the second class. A victory pass will do that to you. Plus the judge had already seen the three of us. It was over in a blue, um, blur.
Third Class – Teachable Moment
I had a brief lesson in ring management thanks to one of the railside helpers. In avoiding the crowds, I ended up out at sea in the middle of the ring for the second canter. Katie Wood [Why I Ride] was the watcher on that side. She patted the wall in front of her. She had me come over to the rail, and then had me wait while the person in front of me cantered first. Saddlebreds are used to cantering on the rail, sometimes using the rail itself as an aid for the correct lead. Sam can pick up the canter without the rail, but why risk it? It was a small moment, taking longer to tell than to ride. Great trips are made of an infinity of little moments.
Previous years [list of posts]
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
The plan is to use the contained spaces of Stepping Stone Farm, pictured here, for progress in both riding and driving. So far, so good. Last weekend, Milton shipped over, worked well, and stood quietly while being rewrapped. He seemed to enjoy his adventure.
Onwards!
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
Last week, Rodney was proud of himself for mastering an exercise [By George]. That’s the goal for all of his work. Remember the high school science demo that used air pressure to cavitate a can, UW-M Wonders of Physics: Collapsing Can? That’s how Rodney’s mind works.
Overwhelming External Pressure
When the world is too much, Rodney collapses mentally. Since he’s 1400 pounds and has feet, he runs off. Inside, he’s a heap of crumpled aluminum. [Aftermath of an Explosion, walking up hill 2011; Weekend Report, trotting in-hand 2013; Walking Along, leather halter 2016; and so on and so on]
No Pressure
No threat. No collapse. Nothing to prevent the above from repeating. This is where he is with dressage. Good but not great.
Internal Support
Not just doing, but doing with volume and projection. Throwing energy outward. I want Rodney to know he can, to feel sassy. He needs to be ready when the inevitable happens: an exciting environment, or a spooky jump, or an amateur moment on the part of his rider. I want him to have sufficient internal conviction to handle external pressure. I want him to be able to say …
Life
… ‘I got this.’
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
What is failure? Who decides?
Two-thirds of the way through, I am declaring failure of my SketchBox foray. While there could be a sudden reversal with the last two boxes, at this point I’m not holding my breath.
The original impetus for my six-month subscription was a thank you to a friend (waves Hi!). I signed myself up as well to give us an activity that we could enjoy together while separated geographically. It would, in some ineffable way, make me more artistic. I used the Sunday lettering posts as an excuse [P&P].
It started well.
Then I began to struggle. I never got this where I wanted, but at least I achieved content.
For April, I never even got that far [Wallpapering, no photos of box or attempts].
This month’s box arrived.
Watercolor didn’t sound too bad. I’d already done one. Determined to succeed, I bought extra paper and a watercolor book with inviting and clever exercises.
I have touched none of this in weeks. I make plans. I castigate myself. I make promises. I shift the pile back and forth.
Who am I kidding? One doesn’t become artistic by osmosis any more than one learns history by falling asleep on one’s textbooks.
I don’t have to. I apparently don’t “want” to [Definitions]. Why am I making myself crazy?
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
@RodneysSaga – active briefly, inactive once again.
@RodneySagaBlog – active, for now. Post alerts, except for weekends [Weekends Off].
Aside from a set of horse show tweets [Nationals], I had not Twittered since January of 2016. Then came Rolex 2017. I followed anyone who was posting on websites, Facebook, or Instagram. I even resurrected my Twitter account. 7 Rolex tweets, listed below.
What to do now that I was back in the Twitterverse? Eureka! I will post biweekly equine bon mots … and I will use the hashtag #horsewords …. and it will catch on …. and I’ll create a whole Internet movement … and I’ll gather the best ones into a book and …
Pfffffffttt.
I came up with 2 since the end of April.
You’d think I could do words. I do words here. I can post. I post Instagram. Ah-ha. cute cat photo op.
Snap. Post. Done. Does Twitter work this way for me? Alas no. Twitter continues to elude me. Dunno why.
Any advice to improve my appreciation of Twitter?
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
Previous state of the blog [posts].
Tweet Storage for April and May 2017
12 tweets & retweets
https://twitter.com/Rubiks_Cube_74/status/857683492389441537
I retweeted her retweet of
https://twitter.com/InspowerMinds/status/857683313691168769
Previous Tweet Storage
Show, October 2016 [Show Tweets, NACHS 2016]
Kitten addendum [SSF Kitten Tweets]
End [Tweet Storage as of April 2016]
Virtual Brush Box 