Virtual Brush Box

Update: Offer rescinded. I have lost interest in wrangling other people’s photos. Feel free to blog hop. LMK, I will post a link here.

Send me your ribbons!

I mean pictures thereof. Please. Over at Tails From Provence: Le Stressage (waves hi!), there is a picture of a French ribbon and plaque. The fourth place ribbon is a beautiful, dark red. A nice change from the anemic white that I am used to for fourth. I wanna see more. What colors do other countries use? What shapes? What lettering? Please send photos to rodneyssaga@gmail.com.

Since I know what US ribbons look like, this invitation is primarily aimed at non-US readers. American readers are invited to send pictures of visually arresting specimens. For example, an Appaloosa show with spotted streamers or the St. Louis multi-medallioned championship neck ribbon. If I get enough pictures, I will create a post &/or start a page. Anyone wanna play? Canada, I’m looking at you.

I’ll start. While saddle seat has a tradition of massively amazing ribbons, see below, my single most impressive ribbon is from a sidesaddle show. Granted, the National Academy ribbon is longer, with tassel, but this one has four colors, one of them blue, or what used to be blue.

Place: Grand Champion
Class/Division: Hi Point Rider
Show: All Side-Saddle Show
Horse: Just George
Rider: Kathy Tuttle
Date: Spring 1986
Place: Hi-Horse Farm, Maryland USA
Comments: Came with a 1’x2′ cheesy silverplate tray of which I am inordinately fond.
Photo Credit: Katherine Walcott

Ribbon pictures previously posted.
(Yes, I am 12 years old. Your point?)

Photo credits: Julie Wamble, Kathie Maunter, Faith Pack

All but the first photo are saddle seat ribbons. The dual champions pic is from 2014. The rest are ribbons from 2013 shows, all but the tri-toned 6th & 8th are mine. Yes, I enjoyed the year heartily.

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A common public fret is that social media is destroying the fabric of society. You’ve undoubtedly seen an image of two people – usually teens – seated together but each intent on a mobile device. The implication is that these hand-held hypnotizers are preventing the two individuals from engaging each other in enriching bonding activities.

Bullshit.

There’s a good chance that they are texting friends, maybe making plans for a party later on, maybe sharing minutiae of the day. Why shouldn’t they? Why not interact with people who are important to you than with whatever random hunk of protoplasm fate has seen fit to plunk down beside you?

For example, I spent several days last week watching on online friend* ride in the UPHA Chapter 5 Horse Show in Kansas City, MO, over 700 miles from my house. Ahead of time, she let us know the livestream website and her classes. I was able to wish her good luck before her ride. I watched her ride in realtime, including checking out the strength of the competition. Afterwards, I was able to congratulate or commiserate as appropriate. She was kind enough to post a brief recap of the class from her point of view. Was the experience any less real for not sharing the same cubic space?

We don’t live in caves any more. We don’t rely on our neighbors to scare off the tigers and hunt the mammoths. Why not seek out kindred souls at a distance? Why not chose friends by inclination rather than by geography?

(*Per my standard operating procedure [At Least I Got A Blog Post Out Of It:Names], I have defaulted to anonymity. The individual in question may fess up in the comments if so desired.)