I mentioned my recent funk [Recap]. My riding career is going nowhere. I’m seeing 60 on the horizon. Funk seemed a reasonable response.
Until.
We have been having problems with basement damp. Found and fixed cause. Swept out the water. Discovered and threw out sodden items. Spread bleach with liberal hand.
I feel so much better. The air coming up through the vents no longer smells like a Vogon’s armpit. Relief was immediate and lasting. Nothing in my situation has changed. My horse is still a twink. I’m still a galloping grandmother (in age, not in actuality). Now I have the energy to deal with it.
Over the years, I have come to the conclusion that horse misbehavior is rooted in pain. I’m starting to wonder the same about people, having lived through several examples in my own head [Antibiotics as Mood Elevator tooth & ear, Happy Heath News eyes]. I even took this into consideration. I could not find a likely cause. Damp. Who knew?
I am a precious, picky princess, with the resilience of a daffodil. This is not news.
Rumblings all day. Lost power once already. WeatherBug lightning alert alternates between Prepare to Find Shelter and Seek Shelter Immediately. Therefore, long essay on Lexington nostalgia will have to wait.
Bliss is revved up from winning the timed obstacle class.On a Sunday drive through the Kentucky Horse Park.The Sunday drive as seen from the back seat.Jewel and Kate behind the Alltech arenaKate’s phancy phaeton earns a gold certificate in the carriage judging.Carriage closeup.
Whip Hand Farm photos by Kate Bushman and Kevin Smith.
Greg & Bliss
21 Utility Vehicle Working – 4th of 7
22 Utility Vehicle Timed Obstacles – 1st of 7
23 Utility Vehicle Reinsmanship – 1st of 7
Utility Vehicle ReserveChampion
55 Double Jeopardy Single Horse with Kate Bushman as second driver – 1st of 3
Presentation Pleasure Drive – no place
Thank you to Kate Bushman for the horse, for the coaching, and for dragging us CDE types to a pleasure carriage show.
Official Photographer – Casey McBride. Friday Afternoon, Saturday Morning & Afternoon, Sunday #387-403. Bay horse, black jacket, helmet. In the Sunday photos, the red hat in the photos before ours is Coach Kate, accompanied by her husband, driving Jewel.
Thursday in the warm-up ring. Bliss & Greg are not in frame.
FRIDAY First Class – Zoom, Zoom
I thought the pair looked marvelous, full of style & flair. The judge, not so much. She thought they were too fast. Pfffft.
SATURDAY
Second & Third Class – In Our Wheelhouse
Simple cones courses while wearing fancy dress. Piece of cake. In Double Jeopardy, Greg drove the course, switch drivers, Coach Kate drove the course backwards. Not clear which of the three had more fun.
Waiting
Fourth Class – Redemption
After going too fast the day before, and two speed classes that day, could he reel it all back in? Why yes he could. For carriage driving, as with saddle seat, one trots into the ring. Greg walked down the entry chute. The audience – including yours truly – wondered why. As Bliss passed the ingate, Greg asked for the trot. It set the tone for the class: sedate, mannerly, elegant. I thought it was a snooze. I much prefer the zip of the day before. BSF, the trick is Friday’s energy with Saturday’s control.
The mature part of me recognizes that it’s all about the work. It’s nice to have the work rewarded.
SUNDAY
We all got dressed up – with me in groom’s attire – for a drive around the horse park. How cool is that?
Helmet Note
Greg was not the only driver at the show with a helmet, a minority, but not alone. A railbird floated the opinion that Greg’s outfit was too dark. Given the black hunt-cap style helmet and the black apron to match the cart, a dark blue or black jacket are about his only options. I liked how the helmet was integral to the outfit, rather than plopped on top. Plus, the dark outfit drew the eye to the horse. But what do I know. We are as likely to take up pleasure carriage showing as I am to take up hunters.
View From The Back Seat
I. Was. Exhausted. It is way harder to watch than to do. All the nervousness with none of the ability to act. Plus, carriage shows expect decorum from the spectators. I had to stuff a towel in my mouth – seriously – to keep from hootin’ and hollerin’ during the classes.
Heading home with an armload.
~~~
Hint solution [What]: We met up with Coach Kate in Franklin TN. She drove the ladies and the cart Greg would use. We followed with a box trailer containing her fancy carriage. No pressure.
After our initial success [Group Ride], the next time in the ring we played the mirror game.
We did drill team patterns during the walk warm-up, i.e. walking up opposite sides of the ring in parallel, passing at C/A, staying 180o from each other on a circle. This involved a lot of halt practice for Rodney. Dude has a big stride.
For individual work, one of us would do a pattern and other would have to match it. Milton is farther along than Rodney, but I was able to challenge them at a walk with a figure eight and spiral-in/spiral out.
I think this will be a good exercise for all four of us, particularly as the days get shorter 😦 and as Rodney & I are able to do more 🙂 .
