Guest Post Invitation & Rules

Wanna write a guest post?

Added II Most of this post pertains to text generation. Text not your thing? A single photo would be awesome.

As I mention below, my only requirement is a photo of something vaguely horse-shaped: sign, statue [Driftwood], live horse, horse farm [Hipico Del Mar], whatever.

Bonus points for a panorama shot of the location. [Horses of NYC 2015] Many, most, almost all of my travel posts are guest posts and a majority of those are photos. [Vicarious Travel]

Want to write something as well/instead? Terrific, keep reading.
~~~
Recently, I have asked a few people if they would be interested in expounding a particular subject into a guest post. I hereby open the invite. Below is the result of my emails on the subject.

Added Horses not your thing?: How about a local equestrian statue [Hudson Valley Horses]. Or horses on signs [Horses in Boston]. Or, that one time you rode at a fair and why you will never ride again. Or why you think riding is a waste of time; respectful discussion invited on all topics, but expect pushback in the comments if you go controversial. Or the equestrian look in mainstream fashion. Or horses in movies, music, books. Or … we’ll think of something.

~~~

Content
Probably best if the subject is horses, or at least equine-adjacent. This is a wide umbrella and I’m comfortable shoving a lot of things under it.

Let’s agree on a subject before you start. If it’s something I can’t wedge in, I don’t want to waste your time.

Deadline
Up to you. I tend to run guest posts on Mondays. I read somewhere that was a high traffic day. Otherwise, whenever you get to it. The blog is daily & I have no plans on stopping any time soon.

Update: Haven’t noticed any spike in stats for Mondays. Guest posts now run on whatever day is relevant to the content. Deadline still whenever.

Length
Also up to you. One on showing a model horse was over 1600 words [All Hail Augustus Invictus, A Guest Post]. One on book plates was about 1000 [Guest Post: Amy Kilkenny on Equine Bookplates].

We can always split it over several days. Short is okay too. It’s all about mixing in new ideas and different voices. (And yes, not having to do the typing myself.) If you’d like more examples, search “guest post” on the sidebar.

Important details
… hmm … can’t think of any. It’s not a huge blog, so I can’t promise huge exposure, but I do have some nice people who read it. Similarly, I don’t pay, so it would have to be for giggles.

Style
Up to you. Formal essay. Avant garde stream of consciousness. Whatever. If you want to send me a draft, we can bounce it back and forth a few times, or you can send me the text and tell me No Word Shall Be Touched.

I’m not big on profanity, unless it’s done well. Usually it’s just laziness. I’m not big on negativity either. Back when I did book reviews, if I hated a book, I would pass over it rather than pan it. That said, there are many, many ways to get one’s point across without being mean.

I bet that’s no help at all.

Images
Your own or with photographer’s permission.

People
If you mention other people, get their okay first. People can be weird.

For Authors
Very interested in helping promote your book, particularly if you would care to share a behind the scenes look at the writing thereof [Amber Heintzberger, co-author of Modern Eventing, on Babies & Books].

Right of Refusal
You will have total control over the text. I won’t make any changes without discussion. OTOH, I reserve the right to nix the whole idea if – for whatever bizarre reason – we can’t come to an agreement. As do you. Standard practice.

Whatcha got?

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Show Report: Mid-South Spring Premiere 2017, Driving

Driving Thursday

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

Show Report: Mid-South Spring Premiere 2017, Riding

Saddle Seat Wednesday

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 I-Got-This Training Theory

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

Letter Art: SketchBox Fail

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.

[Pen & Pastels]

Then I began to struggle. I never got this where I wanted, but at least I achieved content.

[Watercolor]

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