Jump, Sky, and Ground

Not much hooking time today, too many doctors, nurses, and physical therapists for my mother, and then a trespasser at the farm. I spent way too much time on the phone trying to solve problems, can't imagine how I could get by without a cell phone. However, I did get in more than my ten minutes of hooking time. I hooked a jump in front of the horse and rider - even though the rider is sitting on a dressage saddle. I set the jump down low so it would be reasonable for a dressage horse to jump it.

Of course, the dressage saddle is completely wrong for the Grasshoppers - back when we rode together, we either rode hunt seat or western. I didn't discover dressage until 1972 when I met Fritz Weiss who became my long time riding instructor. Fritz was a former Prussian Cavalry officer. I once wrote a magazine article about his experiences during World War II - his family raised Trakehner horses and were the last Prussians to escape on a ferry that took them from Prussia to Germany at a time when most Prussian Trakehner farmers had to drive their wagons and horses across a frozen ocean inlet - where they were bombed and about 90% were killed. Fritz was on the trek to Stalingrad when he had to shoot his horses that were pulling artillery. He was captured by the Russians and escaped from seven different prisoner of war camps. He walked from Stalingrad to Berlin in the middle of winter and found his wife and the baby who had been born while he was gone.

I also perused a very enjoyable little book today, Rag Rugs of England and America by Emma Tennant. I have to admit I mostly looked at the pictures because I was looking while I was on hold, but the pictures are of some very interesting rugs.