The one where I own up to something - Part 1

Everyone who reads this site who actually knows me in person knows that I'm a science geek. I dig science, and while I'm certainly not the smartest scientist there ever was, I really dig things like bugs and molecular biology and zoology and anatomy. I also like geeky men. Craig is a real geek, and has gotten me into comic books and other geektastic things.

There is one very geeky thing that I do I have not admitted to, because it's really dorky and is something that many people make fun of. So I keep it as a dirty little secret in an attempt for co-workers and new friends not to think I'm a dweeb. However, this "thing I do", as of this weekend, now involves my horse, and so I feel compelled to write about it.

Okay, deep breath.

I belong to a medieval recreation society called the Society for Creative Anachronism, or the SCA. It's historically based medieval reinactment, kind of like the Civil War reinacters, but since it's historical we don't do fairies and dragons and elf ears. We do actual research into the period of 600 to 1600 AD and try to recreate those times in all ways, including knights, warfare, arts and sciences, and everyday life.

There are equestrian activities in the SCA, and at one point I was in charge of all the equestrian activities in our region, which is called the Middle Kingdom. Yeah, I know, really geeky right? Believe me there are plenty of geeks in the SCA, but some of my best friends I either met in the SCA or introduced them to it, so it's a very social organization.

Anyhow, I was the head of the equestrian stuff for a while, but then it got so political and sucky that it just wasn't fun anymore. So I stopped doing horse stuff and started doing other things, and was much happier. This was nine years ago. Just a few weekends ago I went to an event and a friend of mine convinced me to ride at an event again. I did it and decided that I'd like to give it another go, and actually bring Kaswyn to an event.

Now, years ago I had decided that it would not be a good thing to bring Kaswyn to an event, because what we do at events with horses are games. These games are similar, or in some cases exactly like, the training exercises that knights used to prepare themselves for mounted combat in war. I didn't think that Kaswyn should be in intensive dressage training and going to shows, but then go to an event and be able to play with in the pony games. I said for years that he would NEVER go to an SCA event.

Then I changed my mind, and decided that I'd like to at least try him at an event. I thought, well he was a very experienced show horse, a very smart horse, and he should be able to switch gears and go from dressage training to SCA horsie games without blowing a gasket or blowing a dressage test. I talked with my friend Z and she said that she would being her horse, also a first time SCA event horse, and she could pick Kaswyn and I up and take us.

It was on!

Would Kaswyn be the intelligent, thinking animal that I knew, or would he turn into Crazy Arab Boy and dump me into a ditch? Or worse yet, live out my husbands worst fear and injure himself at the event and blow our next show season or force himself into early retirement?

Part 2 - has pictures and videos! Oooo!