Another Voice Chimes In

Not all of my inner voices are vicious [Inside My Head, Time Management]. One is courageous to the point of stupid.

So there I was, watching a very good rider have a come-to-Jesus meeting with a fancy suit horse. Thought popped into my head:

Inner Voice: I could ride that horse.
Me: What?! You barely know how to ride a Saddlebred. You think you can school on one?
Inner Voice: Yup.
Me: Just because he is the same color as Sam doesn’t mean he goes like Sam.
Inner Voice: I got this.

I haven’t heard this voice for years. Last time, I was checking out a Baby Novice cross-country course, back when I thought Rodney & I might need the information. Walking past a Preliminary fence, I suddenly had the thought, I want to jump THAT one.

The voice has been know to write checks that my body can’t cash.

8) “Having trouble with your horse? Here let me try.”
[10 Reasons To Wear A Helmet]

OTOH, it’s the same voice that finally got me riding the Opinionated Jumper Mare after seven years of waffling. [Yin, photo]

She was so reliable, I remember coming out of a corner for a fence on the diagonal and knowing, with iron certainty, exactly where she was planning to put her feet 6 strides away.
[Bucket List]

Let’s be clear. I have no desire to ride the misbehaving suit horse. If handed the reins, I would run screaming, or fall over in a faint. My inner voice is delusional. But, it’s nice to know she’s still in there.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Texan in Tokyo, Blog & Books

Referral Saturday

Mineta drawing

Japan in general and Tokyo in particular fascinate me. When I found Texan in Tokyo by Grace Buchele Minta, I read all her posts, bought the three books then out, and began drumming my fingers waiting for her to write more.

Part of the appeal is her writing and her honesty:
I (still) get hate mail because I married someone who isn’t white

For me, the majority of the appeal is the vicarious travel:
11 Awkward signs found on Trains in Japan
Why Are Japanese Kids So Calm? Parenting in Japan VS America

In the Kickstarter campaign for her latest book, one of the tiers had the option for a personal sketch. “.. + Drawing of you/your loved ones! Send me photos and I will draw whomever you want on the inside page of the book.” Meh. I wanted to support the artist, but had no desire to see myself in comic form. Aha! I asked her for something at the intersection of horses and Japan: statue, racing, cartoon, whatever. She went with yabusame, a form of traditional mounted archery. More info, Wiki: Yabusame & A Modern Girl, Yabusame: The Japanese Art of Horseback Archery . Cool.

Mineta cov pic

Previous Saturday Referrals
Horseback Reads
Cover Girl
Snark-o-licious
Adieu

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

ISO Truck

We are being dragged, kicking and screaming, towards ordering a new truck.

What we want is simple, a 3/4-ton, extended-cab pickup, probably a Ford, capable of hauling a gooseneck trailer. Doesn’t exist.

Dealers carry striped-down work trucks or fancy, 4-door, leather-seated, lux wagons.

The used market has a few. If the price is reasonable, the mileage is not. We don’t need an old, high-mileage truck with problems. We have one of those.

New or used, the last time we had the towing package added after-market, the mechanic punched a hole in the gas tank.

Fortunately, unlike ISO a suitable date, or ISO a suitable horse, we can have a suitable truck made to our specifications, with the towing capacity dyed in the wool.

We are looking at the options and girding our loins to enter the lion’s den dealership.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Progress: July 2016

Progress report for last month.

Goal: Put halters on both horses twice a day. [Summer Plan]

Plus: Success. As possible. Some days I wasn’t around [MTCC]. Some days, I was physically present, but mentally absent, i.e. after an up-and-back, one-day Tennessee jaunt [Sidelines]. There were only one or two days when I said FTS entirely.

High point: Rodney wore a bit for one day of groundwork. He hated it. He opened his mouth. He stuck his head out. He acted like a spoiled brat turning his nose up at work. In short, standard horse histrionics. The operative word – in case you missed it – was “horse”. He did not have a Rodney reaction. He did not curl up like a shrimp. He did not retreat to his happy place. He did not tune me out. This is progress. I can deal with attitude (crosses fingers).

Minus: Did not do as much bodywork & groundwork as I would have liked. A lot more grooming and fussing with. OTOH, when the RealFeel(R) temperature is 106o, it’s hard to do much more than hose ’em off.

On blogging note, I need to get back to using more photos. Having my phone camera die [Hiatus] has cut down on the incidental snaps. I was more reliant on those than I realized.

August goal: more of same. Stir in more bodywork & groundwork.

Onwards!

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott