Looking Forward, SSF 2017

Saddle Seat Wednesday

New adventure.

At the barn, Robert, an older performance horse, is being asked if he would prefer the working retirement of an Academy horse. I am one of several beta testers.

This comes at the perfect time for me. I adore Sam. The part of me that is a quivering mess on the mounting block could sit on Sam forever. Quietly walking around on him soothes my soul. However. The part of me that can turn an Academy Driving class into a chariot race is finding the upper end of Sam’s range. Sam is starting to notice. He will do a few fancy steps for display purposes. If you press him for constant high performance, he will object. Loudly.

In non-horse terms, Sam is a station wagon. Reliable. Good for new drivers. Not to be used for sports-car activities. There are horses with sports-car talent and station-wagon attitudes. They are rare and do not come up for sale.

Sam is right. In the normal course of things, I am well past time for moving up to suit. However, I don’t wish to take on a third horse in addition to the two at home. This includes leasing as well as buying. If this limits my options, so be it. Choices have consequences.

Now I can ride a suit horse at Academy prices? Such a deal.

The downside risk is that Robert may decide he does not wish to be an Academy horse. He may decide he does not wish to be an Academy horse the middle of an Academy class. Hero or zero. Ah well, I ride (used to ride? will ride again? ride in theory?) Thoroughbreds. I understand the concept.

Yeah boy!

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

 

 

Looking Forward, Rodney

So this happened.

r-saddle-dec-2016

I have been riding sitting on Rodney bareback. One, to keep pressure off his back injury/scar, which is under the right-hand point of the saddle. Two, I like the idea of being able to slid off at the first sign of adversity. In a saddle, I tend to hang on until I’m in too deep rather than execute a timely emergency dismount. Three, bareback is more relaxing, right?

For a while now, my perceptive groundcrew has been after me to try using a saddle. I didn’t even consider the idea long enough to dismiss it. This is bareback. What horse doesn’t like bareback? Well, Rodney apparently. He thinks it’s weird. Rodney doesn’t do weird.

While I am more secure, Rodney is even more so. I’m not sensing the nervous vibe from him that I was getting before. Of course, the tension could have been originating from me, but I don’t think so. I think Rodney and I reverse the usual pattern. I pick up his nervousness, which my inner screaming monkeys turn into Sky-Is-Falling messages, which he then receives, amplifies and returns, and so on, and so on. Regardless of who starts the cycle, it’s on me to fix it.

“No matter what the problem is, whether it’s your fault or the horse’s fault, the solution is the same; ride better.”
Brain Training for Riders by Waldo (Trafalgar 2016)
[Reading Assignment]

So, we are still only walking and halting, but maybe, possibly, with a shade more ridability? The ultimate goals & underlying thesis remain the same.

Stratospheric dressage scores, smooth hunter rounds, scorching jump-offs, Finish on Dressage Score/Led From Dressage events.
[Haven’t I Been Here Before?]

Rodney has the talent to compete at introductory-level anything in his sleep. So, if we can get Rodney happy, he will be happy to work. That’s the theory.
[Stating the Obvious]

But seriously folks. Hacking in the backyard, maybe jumping a few fences. That would keep me content. For a while.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Letter Art: AlphaBooks 2017

New project.

Last year’s Letter Art [2016] saw me scrambling for horse-related ideas on the trickier letters, i.e. Q, X, Z, etc. [Zoonoses]. However, I want to stay with lettering on Sunday. I know it is not everyone’s fav, but it amuses me & provides an artistic outlet. Neither are things at which to be sneezed.

This year, my alphabet will be 26 horse books. The selection criteria is highly arbitrary. I’m going with what amuses me. (You may sense a theme.) Old books. New books. Books from my childhood. Books from my stint as a book reviewer. I like stories. Therefore, most of the books will be fiction or nonfiction narrative.

In an ideal world, each letter would reflect the content of the book, as with Penguin Drop Caps. Alas, I am not sufficiently artistic. I will be happy if I come up with any design at all. There will inevitably be weeks when I throw a standard computer font over the cover & call it a letter.

Process note: I did not consciously steal copy sincerely flatter this idea. OTOH, Jessica Hische is one of my design heroes [Swashes]. Her book, In Progress, lives in my inspiration pile. I may have read about the project, forgotten it, & then “come up” with the idea on my own. The mind is a weird place. At least mine is.

Open to recommendations for all letters. Open in particular to recommendations for those tricky letters. I plan to (re)read all of the books. I really don’t want to have to read Xenophon cover to cover.

Which books would you choose?

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Looking Back, State of the Blog 2016

What limited ponderment I have to offer, I gave on the blogiversary [Five Years, clicksaver: it keeps me amused]. On to statistics.

By The Numbers
Post number – 1810
Posts this year – 366

Daily since – August 25, 2014 [Meet Milton]
timeanddate.com calculates 860 days, therefore 860 posts, from then to now.

Near daily since first post – Dec 22, 2011 [We Begin, Again]
timeanddate.com calculates 1837 days. Therefore, I missed 27 posts in 3 breaks over 5 years. (2015 recap has break details.)

Top Posts 2016
Per WordPress, as of yesterday.
Threads Make Feathers, Guest Post
Fever Rings
More Mental Mess
Fotography Friday: Texture
USDF Interview: Sabine Schleese, Schleese Saddlery
USDF Interview: Heidi Zorn, Premier Equestrian
USDF Interview: Susan J. Stickle, Equine Photographer
Rodney After Dark
Not My Horses, Not My Barn
Show Report, Sorta, NRHA 2016

Top Posts 2016, written in 2016
The only difference is that Texture comes off & Postcrossing makes the cut.
Threads Make Feathers, Guest Post
Fever Rings
More Mental Mess
USDF Interview: Sabine Schleese, Schleese Saddlery
USDF Interview: Heidi Zorn, Premier Equestrian
USDF Interview: Susan J. Stickle, Equine Photographer
Rodney After Dark
Not My Horses, Not My Barn
Show Report, Sorta, NRHA 2016
Postcrossing

Top Posts All time
Only one 2016 post, Threads Make Feathers, on list.
Watching the Tevis 2013
Fotography Friday: Texture 2012
Why I Ride by Katie Wood 2015
Fever Rings 2013
Help Me Name My Horse, Prize Offered 2012
Show Report: Mid-South Spring Premiere, Rainsville, AL 2013
A Short Tribute to Amy Tryon 2012
What Happens at a Model Horse Show? 2015
Threads Make Feathers, Guest Post 2016
Meet Milton 2014

Past Posts
2015 [Looking Back at 2015]
2014 Did I skip this recap? Hard to believe.
2013 [2013 In Review]
2012 [End of the Month Commentary – By the Numbers]

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Looking Back, Driving 2016

Driving Thursday

We continue the 2016 trend of having a stellar year with other people’s horses [SSF], while our own imitate doorstops [Rodney & Milton].

Saddle Seat
Both of us took lessons and showed, when available. Me more than him. Some people don’t feel the need to show at every possible opportunity. Imagine that.

Posh & Greg MSSP 2016 Photo by Sandra Hall Used with permission
Posh & Greg
MSSP 2016
Photo by Sandra Hall
Used with permission

Because I have no agenda for driving, I fail to get in my own way. I do it for fun. At this point, I show in a cart better than I do in a saddle. Seriously. The peanut gallery has repeated sent me into the ring with the exhortation to ride like I drive.

Alvin & Katherine MSSP 2016 Photo by Sandra Hall Used with permission
Alvin & Katherine
MSSP 2016
Photo by Sandra Hall
Used with permission

I drove in 8 shows; Greg in 5. Three big shows; two for Greg. In that time, I encountered one non-Stepping Stone competitor. I don’t understand why more people don’t drive. It’s a hoot, the horses love it, & most Saddlebreds are taught to drive, at least a little, as part of their training.

One of my milestones for the year was learning to properly drive an ASB in the show ring. [Pro-Am, MSSP]

Combined Driving
In 2015, we piddled with the idea [Show Report]. In 2016, Combined Driving took off for us.

Greg took his first lesson.
[Combined Driving Lesson]

Greg competed twice.
[25 Years in the Making]
[Show Report: MTCC 2016]
[Show Report: MTCC Driving Derby 2016 in Photo and Video]

We created the Combined Saddlebred Driving Pleasure division.
Figure 8 [Show Report]
Course [Show Report]
Obstacle [Alvin’s Big Green, Show Report]

We did so much driving that I instituted Driving Thursdays on the blog.

Go Team Walcott!

Lyricc, Greg & Katherine MTCC Driving Derby 2016 Photo by Elizabeth Hickman
Lyricc, Greg & Katherine
MTCC Driving Derby 2016
Photo by Elizabeth Hickman

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott