Virtual Brush Box

Gearing Up For the Dark Days

Cold. Unseasonably cold. This is the upside to having pasture ornaments. Go to barn. Pat noses. Tell ’em you will see ’em tomorrow. Or when it thaws. Retreat to house. No competition plans to be delayed.

I know, I know, it’s colder where you are. It’s all in what one is used to. Where I went to college, we would have been sunbathing in this weather. Plus, colder places have suitable facilities: lighted rings, competent road clearing, footing that doesn’t change to greasy soup at the first drop of rain, and so on.

So what to do instead?

Ride. Continue with lessons. The saddleseat barn has a small covered arena that is good for moderately bad weather. On really bad days, everything around here shuts down.

Get fit. Core strength for sitting well. Flexibility to go with the movement Aerobic conditioning to survive an entire cross-county course, jumping round, or flat class.

Read. Winter goals for riding books are to finish Riding for Success: Both In & Out of the Showring by Gayle Lampe [Saddle & Bridle, 1996] & to read Saddle Seat Equitation: The Definitive Guide by Helen K. Crabtree [Doubleday, rev. 1999]. For extra credit, read the revised edition of Lampe’s book, now with added chapters. Be interesting to see what else, if anything, has changed from the first book.

Got any other winter suggestions? (Please note, we are only discussing ideas. The motivation to implement them is a whole separate post.)
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Gratuitous Cat Picture

Percy. Photo by G. — Percy inspects the new load. Photo by G.

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Accessing Jedi mind control.
Go here: Haynet. (No need to join to vote but you might wish to consider. Nice place)
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RallyWe

I have Boosted a RallyMe athlete.

What? RallyMe is crowdsource funding for sports.

Who? Not gonna tell. I don’t want this post to be seen as a campaign for funds. I’m not above that, I’m just not doing it now. AFAICT, most of RallyMe is winter sports, so my choice is not hard to determine, if you must know.

Why? I tossed in a few bob (Doctor Who marathon last week) as small investment in following a RallyMe project.

Allow me to emphasize, I know nothing about this horse & rider beyond what is on the page. It’s a digital adventure, that’s all.

What have I learned so far?

Nothing is free. RallyMe takes 5%; PayPal, 3%. Doesn’t sound that bad until I calculate that 8% of $2500 is $200. For every dollar the athlete raises, almost a dime never shows up. That doesn’t count taxes (unless 501c3), buying & shipping swag, opportunity cost of organizing the whole shebang, and so on. Costs

It’s about the numbers. Start strong. Spread the net wide. Be open to everyone:

Aim to have 20 percent of your goal raised in the first 48-72 hours of your Rally. How To

Industry research also suggests that of the people you tell about your campaign, 10 percent will contribute that amount. Thus, if you need to raise $9,332, you’d need to get 125 people to contribute $75. If the 10-percent rule holds true, you’ll need to find a way to tell your story to 1,250 people. How To

“As much as 60 percent of your funding can come from people you don’t know. These are people who have an interest in, and share a passion for the activity you’re engaged in. Or maybe they’re people who you don’t know who have a special connection to the school you’re attending, or the town you come from. You never know.” What is

I shall report back.
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Accessing Jedi mind control.
Go here: Haynet. (No need to join to vote but you might wish to consider. Nice place)
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Vote. (In the interest of fairness, nominees listed here. If you vote from there, use the “HERE” link not the “VOTE” link lower down.)
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You can go about your business.
Move along.
Releasing Jedi mind control.
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Slow Starter

Even after a year, I get a little anxious about getting on the Saddlebreds.* I’m better than I was, but my stomach still twinges when I march up the mounting block. Partly, I only ride once (or twice) a week and don’t ride any one horse regularly. Partly, I take after Pratchett’s Bursar, “widely accounted as a neurovore i.e. someone living on his own nerves”. Mostly, it’s a complete lack of Quarter Horse start on my part.

*Except for Sam. My anxiety detector has decreed that Sam can Do No Wrong. Even when Sam misbehaves, he has a special dispensation that allows me to simply tell him to get over himself. Previous Horse had the same dispensation. Mathilda could lift her head to look into the woods and I would get all over her case. Previous Horse could canter sideways with me across the pasture and I’d just laugh at him.

In jumpers, one has a first round to see the course. In eventing, one has dressage before cross-country. In riding at home, I believe in easing into the project. Get on. Walk about. Trot on the buckle. Canter ditto, if possible. Walk again. Do a few circles. Get the kinks out. I refer to this as allowing the horse to have coffee and read email before getting to work.

No so with saddleseat. The idea is to enter trotting and ramp it up from there. Oh, there might be some walking up and down the barn aisle if needed, or a slower trot to start out, but the overall idea is up and at ’em from the get go. This is way more work** than I am ready for straight out of the box.

**update: per comment below, immediate focus is my problem more so than immediate work. Squirrel!
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Gratuitous Cat Picture

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Accessing Jedi mind control.
Go here: Haynet. (No need to join to vote but you might wish to consider. Nice place)
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Vote. (In the interest of fairness, nominees listed here. If you vote from there, use the “HERE” link not the “VOTE” link lower down.)
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You can go about your business.
Move along.
Releasing Jedi mind control.
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Text Art: We Know Who We Are

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Accessing Jedi mind control.
Go here: Haynet. (No need to join to vote but you might wish to consider. Nice place)
Click this icon on the sidebar:
Vote. (In the interest of fairness, nominees listed here. If you vote from there, use the “HERE” link not the “VOTE” link lower down.)
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You can go about your business.
Move along.
Releasing Jedi mind control.
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They Said It Couldn’t Be Done. Horse Show Version

The shock! The horror!

The barn is at a horse show without me. When I said I wasn’t going to this show, no one – not husband, not friend, not instructor – believed me. As this is the first show I have missed since starting saddleseat, I understand their dubiousity. However, I was always pretty sure that I wouldn’t be going.

Back in the summer, I figured missing this one show would be a token gesture of restraint. I was planning a full-on push for Nationals. It would only be fair to stay home and show my face around the house, at least once in a while. I would be heartbroken to see them go off without me but I would bravely endure.

Post-Nationals, not so much with the heartbreak. After putting on my show clothes five times in three days (removed between sessions for cleanliness), I’m ready to give the vest & tie a rest for a few months.

I am not done with showing. Not in the slightest. The first Winter Tournament is coming up in December. As with last year [My First Show, Sorta], I will use the winter shows to acclimate to a new division. Cantering here I come. For giggles, I will be moving directly into Advanced WTC Adult. It is the only level that asks for patterns. Last year, competitors in these classes also showed in suit classes, so I may be outclassed from the get go. Reduces the pressure. Plus, I get to ride in a sweater and schooling jods. After a few months of low(ish)-key showing, I will be ready to move back up to the big shows come spring.

I’m not burned out on horse shows. Just a little crispy around the edges.

Good luck to all! Go Team Stepping Stone!

Title updated because, apparently, I like this title: They Said It Couldn’t Be Done, April of 2012
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Accessing Jedi mind control.
Go here: Haynet. (No need to join to vote but you might wish to consider. Nice place)
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Vote. (In the interest of fairness, nominees listed here. If you vote from there, use the “HERE” link not the “VOTE” link lower down.)
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You can go about your business.
Move along.
Releasing Jedi mind control.
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Foto Friday: Spotted at Sunset

Roaring: Yeah or Nay?

I have been full of requests for advice & calls to action this week, haven’t I? Opinions on progress, blogging votes, prying into your wish lists, and now roaring.

A horse for sale is advertised as “does roar”. He has been scoped and it hasn’t been a problem for him in his current life. OTOH, the horse hasn’t done a huge amount of work, so perhaps the limits of the problem have not been tested.

Previous Horse had a respiratory issue from his racetrack days. The exact nature escapes me at the moment, but we carried a vet’s letter in the trailer in case it ever came up. It never did. Bottom line, I have no experience with roaring in horses.

What think you:

Bravely run away?
OR
Minor problem unless I am trying to get around an Advanced cross-country course?

No advice on your part will be held accountable for any subsequent action on my part.
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Gratuitous Tree Picture