What Is Work?

I get myself into the state wherein if I am not working 110% every day, then I am not working hard enough, and am therefore a failure. It’s fun being me.

Greg pointed out that the horses may have a different definition of work. I think work is riding, or jumping, or intense groundwork. They think work is anything that takes them away from hay, or grazing, or napping.

Anytime a human puts a halter on a horse and imposes her will over his (or his will over hers, or hers over hers, or … when will we arrive at a generally-agreed-on, gender-neutral, third person singular pronoun? Impose their will over them? Ones will over one? But I digress.), the horse is being trained, i.e. doing work.

Which is a roundabout way of saying the horses and I have been doing a lot of walking around the field lately. Rodney continues to handle it without stressing [Hillwork]. Milton continues to plod along [Counterbalance]. While he would rather give Rodney his dinner than admit this, I think Milton enjoys the attention. The part of me that is not screaming with frustration is enjoying the low-key, off-season work.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Hyracotherium, Guest Post

I love it when my friends travel & bring back blog posts. Welcome Michelle.

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mmd-houston-1

mmd-houston-3

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Photos by Michelle Duplichien.
Houston Museum of Natural Science  
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Spotted is a big fan of equid history.

rodneys-saga-sp-equus-skeleton-updated

Spotted in Boston
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Previous Travel Posts by Michelle
NACHS Recovery Day 1 Disney zebras, Orlando FL
Driftwood Disaster Statue Biloxi MS
Mardi Gras Parades, A Guest Post Metairie LA

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Letter Art, AlphaBooks: B is for Brown

2017-b-2

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A Good Horse Has No Color: Searching Iceland for the Perfect Horse
Nancy Marie Brown
Stackpole 2001

Previous Icelandic Horse Posts
[Riding in Reykjavik, a Guest Post]
[Iceland Imports, Guest Flyer]

B Authors on Rodney’s Saga
Broadhurst [Have You Met the $700 Pony? A Guest Plug] & [$700 Giveaway]
Benson [Guest Blogger: Linda Benson, writer of The Girl Who Remembered Horses]

2017 Alphabet


[A is for Anderson]

[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: Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One

To paraphrase the poet:
I repeat myself? Very well, then I repeat myself.
The blog is large, and I forgot what I said.

In 2013, Lola and I won first, second, and fourth. That would be blue, red, and white for those of you in countries what do their ribbon colors the wrong way around. Since the American flag is red, white & blue, I made the comment,

What can I say, I was feeling patriotic.
Show Report: ASAC, Clemson, SC

sc car

 

In 2017, Robert & I won the same combination of colors. I made the same joke.

Show Reports, Winter Tournament #1 & # 2, 2016/2017

Okay, so I repeated a one-liner. No biggie.

In 2012, I used a story about my father to make a point on inverse snobbery,

The idea that I am so cool I don’t have to prove to you how cool I am.
Cultural Commentary

In 2013, I told the same story at greater length,

Inverse snobbery means being so cool you don’t have to dress for the party.
Why I Drove a Beat-up Jeep to My Senior Prom

This was on different blogs. Excused on a technicality.

In 2016, I used a comparison between two barns to talk about how surroundings influence motivation,

The frog/pond ratio had altered dramatically.
Motivating Me

Imagine my surprise to find the same anecdote, told to the same purpose, four years earlier. I even used the pond analogy in the title. News to me.

It is better to be a small fish in a big pond.
The Fish/Pond Equation

The only solution is to go forth, do more, and have more to talk about. Onwards!
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Previous State of the Blog posts, list.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Exciting Announcement

Driving Thursday

Introducing the new competition team for 2017.

Bliss & Greg Photo by Kate Bushman
Bliss & Greg
Photo by Kate Bushman

Coach Kate has very kindly asked if Greg would be interested in showing the lovely & talented Bliss at driving events this year. Yes, please.

Since it’s the horse world, many things could go wrong, from soundness problems to personality conflicts. If all goes the way we hope, Bliss will have a job, Coach Kate will have help with her new horse at shows, and Greg with have an experienced CDE partner. Win, win, win.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Saddle Seat Versus Dressage, In A Nutshell

Saddle Seat Wednesday

Recently, I was asked how I would explain the difference between saddle seat and dressage to a dressage rider. Never ask me these things in person. I talk way too much. I finally came home, sat down, and consolidated my thoughts.

Both disciplines want the horse elevated through the shoulder & pushing from behind. Saddle seat horses go with more autonomy and are always collected, instead of extending & collecting.
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My dressage related comments & ponderments over the years.

2014

When a horse objects, I had been taught to turn the head to the inside & push past the Scary Thing with my inside leg. Unfortunately, Saddlebreds go off the outside rein and leg.
Show Report: Winter Tournament 2, Hartselle AL

Obedience Epiphany
Back To The Bigtime

… keep a steady hand and give sharp, jabby picks with the reins. This feels wrong at a cellular level. On the other hand, I have never truly grasped the idea of contact in any discipline. It could be this is the take-and-give that dressage instructors have been yapping on about.
Show Report & Tweets: Georgia Fall Classic 2014

Overall, the guest instructor’s method had more dressage stirred into the mix: bending, leg yield, changes of direction.
Clinic Report: Saddle Seat with Christy Parker

Headset

2015
Saddle Seat Vs. Dressage: Patterns
Dueling Disciplines What I say about H/J would be true of Dressage.
The Ups and Downs Transitions

2016
Riding Loose
Show Report: ASAC 2016 Two years later, I’m still confused about the concept of contact.

Thoughts?

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott