Riding Out the Storm
Oct. 18th, 2010 01:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dancinghorseKind of jumping around the Adventures Of here. I've been at a flat gallop for months, still am really, but today is a stop-and-breathe day. Since September Camp and the lesson-neep post with the incredible bouncing Pooka, I've gone to Denver to sign ARC's at the indy booksellers' convention, filmed a book trailer (which should be done soon--I'm really really looking forward to seeing it; it's full of horses and desert and sky), and had a very successful Camp with ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sartorias and coraa and rachelmanija, ably assisted (and recorded in photos) by tcastleb.
Also we've had Adventures with the bad side of horses and horsekeeping. That was the week between Denver and trailer, when on Monday I dropped a water barrel on my foot and did not break it but ow. And then Tuesday while working Ephiny in hand, she eeked and levaded and half-pirouetted toward me and half-popped my shoulder out of its socket. OW. And on Wednesday, never to be outdone, Pook had a tweak in his back which we were working on through gentle bending and stretching under saddle, eeked in the same place Ephiny had, took off, and I lasted eight seconds. I'm glad I know how to fall. And I'm really glad I wear a helmet. OW.
He got some massage from S on Thursday, and I hobbled around and Coped. Rode a few days later, not Pooka, and still Ow. The next Thursday, with filmmaker there, we had a massage-and-ride with Pooka, which was good, but then she wanted footage of canter and riding in the desert. So I brought out Capria, who was more than pleased to be the Star. And that was a lot of fun. And will no doubt be included in the trailer. But Ow. I wasn't up for much for a couple of days after that. During which I had to get the place ready for Camp. Thank goodness for Best Housemate Ever, who stepped in when and as needed and never turned a hair.
Camp was the big one, the Vail-to-Vail expedition (from Sirens to DHF) as done last year, and they booked March as soon as they got in the door. We had the usual food, writing, reading, conversation, writing, writing, food, horses, food, writing...and of course a clinic with S. And a new wrinkle: horse-assisted yoga as documented in the previous post. MOAR BENDY PLAY, the horses say.
As Camp wound down, one of our favorite people (and photographers), Lynne Glazer, came into town. Everyone asked for author-photo shoots. If there's a sudden run on desert scenery in (very finely crafted) author photos, you'll know why. :) But all was not smooth for the shoot--even as Lynne arrived, so did an unexpected and strong storm. Rain we were expecting. Full-on haboob with wind wind (hay-shelter tarp blew apart) and torrential rain, not so much. We were out in it, rescuing hay and photographing horses. Lynne's photos are still to come--she's been working nonstop with photo gigs and has to get back to her main computer and start processing--buttcastleb was out there with us.
I'll note that Lynne is a very old horse person, has known and lovingly photographed Pooka since he was 4, and has bred two foals by him out of her beautiful Arabian mare. Lynne knows from the Boingities. But a whole herd of them? All in the air at once? That was a new thing. I talk about it, and horse people nod and smile and observe that isn't it wonderful when horses get all hyper in the rain, but Leaping Lipizzans are just a little bit different.
Most horses, they run, they jump, they buck. They roll-roll-roll and get up and run-run-run. Grand fun, and the muddier they get, the happier they are.
Lipizzans do all of that, but they add another dimension: the serious, and I mean serious, UP. It takes a lot of practice to keep up with all the airborne objects. It's been likened to being on the inside of a giant popcorn popper.
This is the classic Horses Runlikehell shot. You see it all over the world wherever horses are free to do their thing. (Camilla in front, Ephiny behind.)
Now the warp engines come on line. That's keed in front, Camilla heading Up, and Carrma behind.
Now the main event begins. Camilla does love her Airs.
And Ephiny is not to be outdone, oh no:
In case you were wondering if these movements are really hardwired. We did not catch courbettes, though there were caprioles. And plain old wild bucks and kicks
and rocket launches.
See? Adventures. And really, really cool horse maneuvers. Lynne got some great shots of Pook on Sunday evening--I'm eager to see those for myself. And to see what the various authors chose from their shoots. There was real photo magic happening, and some lovely poses and images in the raw footage that I saw. (Queen of the Wood, and the Dark Lady, and the romantic princesses with their white horses, and the comfortable author in flannels with the warmth shining out of her, because she was being herself.)
sartorias and coraa and rachelmanija, ably assisted (and recorded in photos) by tcastleb. Also we've had Adventures with the bad side of horses and horsekeeping. That was the week between Denver and trailer, when on Monday I dropped a water barrel on my foot and did not break it but ow. And then Tuesday while working Ephiny in hand, she eeked and levaded and half-pirouetted toward me and half-popped my shoulder out of its socket. OW. And on Wednesday, never to be outdone, Pook had a tweak in his back which we were working on through gentle bending and stretching under saddle, eeked in the same place Ephiny had, took off, and I lasted eight seconds. I'm glad I know how to fall. And I'm really glad I wear a helmet. OW.
He got some massage from S on Thursday, and I hobbled around and Coped. Rode a few days later, not Pooka, and still Ow. The next Thursday, with filmmaker there, we had a massage-and-ride with Pooka, which was good, but then she wanted footage of canter and riding in the desert. So I brought out Capria, who was more than pleased to be the Star. And that was a lot of fun. And will no doubt be included in the trailer. But Ow. I wasn't up for much for a couple of days after that. During which I had to get the place ready for Camp. Thank goodness for Best Housemate Ever, who stepped in when and as needed and never turned a hair.
Camp was the big one, the Vail-to-Vail expedition (from Sirens to DHF) as done last year, and they booked March as soon as they got in the door. We had the usual food, writing, reading, conversation, writing, writing, food, horses, food, writing...and of course a clinic with S. And a new wrinkle: horse-assisted yoga as documented in the previous post. MOAR BENDY PLAY, the horses say.
As Camp wound down, one of our favorite people (and photographers), Lynne Glazer, came into town. Everyone asked for author-photo shoots. If there's a sudden run on desert scenery in (very finely crafted) author photos, you'll know why. :) But all was not smooth for the shoot--even as Lynne arrived, so did an unexpected and strong storm. Rain we were expecting. Full-on haboob with wind wind (hay-shelter tarp blew apart) and torrential rain, not so much. We were out in it, rescuing hay and photographing horses. Lynne's photos are still to come--she's been working nonstop with photo gigs and has to get back to her main computer and start processing--but
tcastleb was out there with us. I'll note that Lynne is a very old horse person, has known and lovingly photographed Pooka since he was 4, and has bred two foals by him out of her beautiful Arabian mare. Lynne knows from the Boingities. But a whole herd of them? All in the air at once? That was a new thing. I talk about it, and horse people nod and smile and observe that isn't it wonderful when horses get all hyper in the rain, but Leaping Lipizzans are just a little bit different.
Most horses, they run, they jump, they buck. They roll-roll-roll and get up and run-run-run. Grand fun, and the muddier they get, the happier they are.
Lipizzans do all of that, but they add another dimension: the serious, and I mean serious, UP. It takes a lot of practice to keep up with all the airborne objects. It's been likened to being on the inside of a giant popcorn popper.
This is the classic Horses Runlikehell shot. You see it all over the world wherever horses are free to do their thing. (Camilla in front, Ephiny behind.)
Now the warp engines come on line. That's keed in front, Camilla heading Up, and Carrma behind.
Now the main event begins. Camilla does love her Airs.
And Ephiny is not to be outdone, oh no:
In case you were wondering if these movements are really hardwired. We did not catch courbettes, though there were caprioles. And plain old wild bucks and kicks
and rocket launches.
See? Adventures. And really, really cool horse maneuvers. Lynne got some great shots of Pook on Sunday evening--I'm eager to see those for myself. And to see what the various authors chose from their shoots. There was real photo magic happening, and some lovely poses and images in the raw footage that I saw. (Queen of the Wood, and the Dark Lady, and the romantic princesses with their white horses, and the comfortable author in flannels with the warmth shining out of her, because she was being herself.)
