Compostulating With The Times

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Simplification Ceremonies and HorseSticks-reprised

As we all know, I have too much space and time in my head.


HorseSticks, first in a series of 'toons about riding. or Not.


Anybody notice a correlation between this picture and the cartoon above?


I chickened out of going to the Master Clinic, drat! I just can't, okay, won't, drive late at night when the temperature is hovering around freezing, and the roads are shiny wet/frozen/maybe black ice. Call me a coward, it fits, in this instance. My energy ebbed a lot, with all the heavy snow slogging. But the cool thing is I found my notes from 1983, of the George Morris/Christilot Boylen Clinic. The notes even make some sense!

CB at 16.


GoLightly's Christilot Boylen Clinic Notes, 1983
"Shoulder-in, is the beginning of half-pass. BIG problem, is quarters leading. Travers on a diagonal = good half-pass!"
"Increasing pulling will decrease effectiveness. Horse must carry himself".


Sound familiar, anyone?? Hmmmm?

"Pirouette training - 90% of horses will do it too small, train it BIG".
"Problem in extensions - rider thinks work is accomplished in itself, should just balance, Collect, increase energy, and then let it go."
"Passage and Piaffe - Horse must be gifted, ultimate outcome of schooling. Energy is channled upward, with rhythm and cadence maintained. Easier to piaffe from rein-back, than from halt. Transitions are JUST as important".


Cool, huh.
1983. Boy, were horses even around then??

OH, re: the above oddity! I was messing around with making a Centered Riding cartoon for Union Square, even though she's abandoned me for the pleasures of wordpress. Her blog is still great, btw. Mine, not so much, apparently.

I realized something, as I was messing around. Please, people, try to think of yourselves as sticks. Try to just look at what I'm showing you up there.
Sally Swift's "Stubby legs", to me, means that you don't really need your lower leg to stay on, at all. And you don't, at all.

HorseStick Kits will be available on this site. Watch for future updates!

Don't just snort and think I've lost my mind again.
Well, maybe I have, but that's not the poinT. The point is, on a horse, you cannot fold in two. Unless you know how to make your shoulders touch, and your hips fold.

You are just that simple, though. I mean, WE are. I mean...

Random Amazing Old Horse, who's name I recall being spoken with reverence. I think an early horse owner I knew had some lovely youngsters with his name in their lineage. Princequillo I'd take HiM home:)

Oh, truly bad movie of funny Blaze and the naughty rubber chicken.
The donor, Millie dog, had never really shown an interest. Both girls, first shown it, were frankly horrified. Maybe because the chicken is wearing clothes, in very poor taste...

Anyway, Blaze is saying, EwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwWWWWWWWWWWWWWW, I don't even like TOUCHing it! That's disGUSTing! It makes great noises in it's squeaker, too. I will never understand dog logic when it comes to toys. Flip LOVES squeakies! They BOTH love floppy, squeaky things, but the things are usually fake-furrier... hmmm.



To the END of February!!!!
Seemed to take forever.

Sorry, just one teensy gloat? Hockey GOLD for Canada, Men AND Women!! The men knew they'd never survive/live down losing, after the women won. I mean, c'mon! I saw their faces in the box, after the women won. Boy, they were SERiously Serious.
Now if we could just channel all that energy for such ultimately trivial pursuits into...

Ooops, didn't mean to type that out loud.
(originally posted in March 2010. Wasn't I in a great mood?!)
Amazing how quickly times can flip, and blaze.

16 comments:

Natalie Keller Reinert said...

You are SUCH a baby!! lol!!!

I hearts you GoLightly I does.

Natalie Keller Reinert said...

OH the pictures finally loaded (snark) don't forget I'm on a blackberry here......

I LOVE HORSESTICKS AND I DEMAND MORE!!!!!

Sherry Sikstrom said...

Whoo Hoo Canada got gold!!! I heard we are breaking all kinds of records for medals in the winter Olympics too! Most Golds won on home soil! and something else .I actually watched the winning goal (which I never see)
Love your post as always

PrairieFarmer said...

Really, Canada won a gold? Are you sure you all know what to do with something that shiny?
(runs, hiding...).

BrownEyed Cowgirl said...

Congrats on the Hockey win to all you Canadians.

We watched. It was an awesome game. Sshhh...Don't tell my honey, but I was actually rooting for Canada.

I don't know, it just seems appropriate.

nccatnip said...

I am with US on this one- we need more horsesticks. Really we do. More than carrot sticks, that is for sure.

GoLightly said...

Can you believe it??
14, fourTEEN, golds!
Oh, I can hardly lift them, SucH a heavy metal.
gloat, gloat, gloat:)
It was a giddy Monday, for a change.
Oh, the US team was amazing, believe me, it was a helluva a great game, great to watch ReaL Hockey for a change.
It could just as easily have been silver for Canada.
We were unlucky with the goals scored, and lucky to have Sidney Crosby at just the right time!
Sidney for Prime Minister!

Whining obviously works, ya know, US.
I use what works:)
You commented, I am happy:)

sorry about the humungasoid pictures and video. I can't help it.

I am avoiding work.

kestrel said...

Woohoo for Canada! I am so impressed by every athlete that even shows up for the games, what resilient children, to have that much weight on their shoulders.

bhm said...

Canada won the most gold metals. Does that me we won the olympics?

Natalie Keller Reinert said...

Happy with a comment? You'll love this. . . .

Cut-N-Jump said...

I like a good hockey game no matter who's playing. Olympic teams or NHL. It's the fans that can be a bit, well, annoying.

But Yay Canada! It takes a lot just to get there, but to take home so many medals, gold in fact, Yay Wooo!

GL, I put up a few pics on my blog about saddle fit, but how it correlates to the riders position. Even in a western saddle.

GoLightly said...

Totally fazinating, CNJ.
My brains are over-loading.
Nothing new there.

So THAT's why! DUhhhhhhhHHHH.
Man I'm slow..
Oh well, at least I get there.
Eventually.
Off to play with sticks.
Not sharp pointy sticks!

Cut-N-Jump said...

13th! Yay! GL, ya gots me a bit confuzzled. Are you going to post something to explain your new found enlightenment? I am hoping so.

nccatnip said...

14th!!!!!
GL- you was stuck!!!

GoLightly said...

Patience, please.
It's so obvious, I'm kicking myself.
It's, it's...

snicker.
Further enlightenment to follow, if I can remember it all at once.
Need help with a horsie problem, first.

Cut-N-Jump said...

Are you taunting me to take it to email? Cuz I can ya know. Lol, but then nobody learns squat from something they cannot be a part of.

Patience be damned. I have none of that for some things.