Combined Driving Announcement

If all goes to plan – cross fingers – Greg will be making his Combined Driving debut in July. Coach Kate has kindly offered to let Greg take Lyricc in a local schooling show. The competition will have dressage and cones (show jumping), but no marathon (cross-country). The show is local for the horse. Driver and groom, OTOH, will be wearing out the Interstate to practice as much as possible between now and then.

If one wants to work on low-angle shooting, it’s good to have a fence to hide behind. Lyricc thought a person lying on the ground was a little weird, but no big deal.

low angle fence

The barn also has a mini who does CDE. Even the equipment is adorable.

mini bell boots

mini carriage

Thanks to Franklin residents, human & equine, for the opportunities, past & future.

CD Links on RS
Combined Driving Lesson, Cones
Combined Driving March 2016
Combined Driving Lesson

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

A Door Between Me and the World

Saddle Seat Wednesday

doorknob

My transmogrification into a curmudgeon continues apace.

Several years ago, when I started spending weekends at saddle seat shows, I had hoped to share my hotel room. I would save money. I would get to Visit! With! People! I would be In! The! Thick! Of! Things!

Alas, saddle seat is a social sport. One family might have multiple generations showing. Another family might have one member showing but accompanied by everyone from youngest sibling to Grandma. Hotel rooms tended to have 3 to 4 people in them already. Saddened, I would slink off to my lonely room, convinced that no one loved me. (Insecure? Moi?) I had a serious case of FOMO.

These days, not so much.

I have come to appreciate a quiet room to myself. I don’t have to wear my social face. I can stress out at 3 am without disturbing anyone. I don’t have to endure disorganized packing habits. The best case was having friends in the next room. I had my own space, but also people who might notice when the ooze crept under the adjoining door.

Either way, please excuse me. I’m going go be alone for a while.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Milton’s Remediation

Milton & I set out for a walk around the pasture.
He stops, ‘I don’t wanna.’
I make him walk on.
He stops again.
I make him walk on.
He doesn’t move, ‘I gotta poop.’
Me, ‘Don’t care. Shoulda thought that the first time you stopped.’

Milton is not pleased.
Halfway around, he is still pissed.
Just as I’m thinking how annoyed he looks,
… he spooks spooks violently away from the woods outside the fence …
… bangs into me, causes me to
stumble,
lose my glasses (!),
and let him go.

Take two.
We reunite at the barn.
Let’s try that again.
Nose chain the first time.
This time, I add a motivator.
A nice long one that reaches his side from my left hand.

I explain acceptable horse behavior.
I explain how acceptable horse behavior applies to him.
Milton gives me the stink-eye.
Milton gives me the stink-eye so badly I wonder if I ought to be wearing a helmet.
I double down on the obedience.

In short order,
‘Yes, Ma’am.’
We finish the walk attentive, if alarmed.
Granted, any horse can get you.
Milton is not as tough as he thinks he is.
~~~
Gratuitous Cat

Redneck Siamese
Redneck Siamese
Time to mow the tractor.
Time to mow the tractor.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Rodney’s Rehab

Bring out & set up equipment [Zap].
Rodney displays signs of approval fore and aft.
Put on patches.
Back therapy today, so crank up the number.
Leave horse in corner with fan.
Set up folding chair in other corner with better reading light.
A few minutes later, Rodney wanders over to have his face rubbed and generally get loved on. This is the view from my chair.

snoot 16 6 10

He’d sit in my lap if he could.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Letter Art: ASL

Alphabet
ASLU: Fingerspelling Introduction

Missing Possessive

In general I do not use the possessive “S” to establish possession in ASL … it is done by adding a slight inward twist to an “S-hand.”

ASLU: Possession

Process Notes
I’m trying to get better about dragging out the big camera for pictures [Clothes]. Some days I wimp out, e.g. for a simple snapshot [More Poles, ground poles. (Both pictures actually, but the between-the-ears photo had to be cell. No way was I risking dropping the slr from horseback. I was pretty proud of myself that I could multi-task on Rodney to the extent I did. But I digress.)]

For today, I had to use the cellphone. No way could I take selfies of my right hand using my left hand on the Nikon. This was hard enough. The letter G was particularly problematic.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Foto Friday: New Clothes

shirt & vest 2016

Ideally, I prefer Foto Friday to be about art & expanding my photo skills. However, I couldn’t wait to show off my new saddle seat Academy outfit. Isn’t it beautiful? Custom from Becker Brothers with intense shopping guidance from Reagan Upton, Stepping Stone Farm’s show ring style guru. As reigning National Equitation Champion (also ASHA 2015 Adult Eq High Point), Reagan knows a thing or two about looking good on a horse.

Speaking of photo skills, I had trouble adapting to the light and ended up blue-shifted. IRL, the outfit is on the border between red and blue. We could have gone with a red vest. It was pretty, but I was afraid I’d look like a car valet.

Your preference, bottom button undone for luck or done for neatness? Or perhaps undone for other, more esoteric reasons: Gq UK, Why do we always leave the last button of a waistcoat undone?, July 2012.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Becker Brothers card