Monday Shoot

Empowered by a box of rare-as-you-like .22LR I drove to the range for some iron sights, off-hand plinking. First things first, shoot the miniature Dr. Pepper cans off the butts. It's fun when they explode, obviously, and I had their measure at around 50-70 yards. Then the Old Adversary, a steel plate turkey, which got a right telling off at 100 yards. Take that, turkey, and I like being able to hear the round connect. Plink. 

The Range

Then it was time for some AR fun and I practiced three round groups at 30, 50, 75 and 100 yards. Shot well at 30, unsurprisingly, and not badly at 50 -- pretty much 9/10 ring with a couple of Xs. Things spread out a bit at 75 and more so at 100 yards, obviously have to work at that. But what's the point, apart from getting out in the country, enjoying firearms and improving marksmanship skills?

Spurious Random Weber Shot

Imagine you're scouting along a trail, maybe through brush or mesquite, perhaps along a creek or a treeline, and there, all of a sudden, is your target. Maybe it's a coyote, or a hog, or a rabbit, and you have to take the shot. There's no time to rest on a truck, or on some kind of bench, or get prone, or whatever, so you have to shoot, standing up, fast and accurate (enough).

What?

A lot of people can't do that, especially with with iron sights (what if your scope breaks, eh?) and I think that's a mistake; surely it's part of basic skill-at-arms, and let's not forget, very satisfying to see the quarry go down. Not that I'm a particularly great shot or hunter, but still.

Shoot on,

LSP

Ride On

JB

To escape the stream of lying corruption that's pouring out of Washington D.C. like superheated plasma from an angry sun, I climbed into the truck and paid a visit to the horse.

Edgehill

JB was looking good and has put on weight nicely, thanks VS for looking after that, still, she isn't very fit because I haven't been riding very much. In fairness to me, I haven't had a lot of time to get in the saddle but it pays to make the time. Healthy body, healthy mind, and riding's one of the more enjoyable things in life, especially going fast.

Marston Moor

Saying that, I didn't go at any great speed with JB, just walk and trot, and I felt she showed good control. Still, she needs to be ridden more to "level up," I'll have to adjust the schedule accordingly.

Ride over it was back to HQ, the wires and a veritable avalanche of kindergarten style tomfoolery on the part of the Administration.

Naseby

I notice they've fallen back on the "we were just idiots!" defense. Remarkable. But hey, don't you dare criticize our rulers unless you want your 'phones tapped and the State's collection enforcers knocking on your door.

Mark Steyn writes about it here.

Ride on,

LSP

Ride On & Halloween Isn't Satan's Birthday

August was a good month for riding, which is strange because of the heat, but September and October were a bit of a bust. I foolishly didn't make the time. But that's changing now.

I was pleased to see that JB's put on some weight and was easy to catch, tack up and mount. We went for an easygoing ride around the 10 acre pasture she lives in, just walking with an occasional Western trot with lots of practice moving in a controlled way around mesquites and various trails. 

She did well, with good, willing response to leg and seat. I was pleased with that and it reminded me that riding's good for mind, soul and body. It also means a pastoral visit to parishioners, which is no bad thing either.

Downright Scary

Speaking of bad, some people think that Halloween is Satan's birthday. That's not true, it's the eve of All Saints.

Saints, pray for us,

LSP

Good Horse!

I love Texas

After an exhausting round of back to back pancake suppers and Ash Wednesday Masses with Imposition of Ashes, I figured it was high time to get out in the field and ride JB.

She was looking a little skinny, which is odd because she's being fed well enough. I wondered if she was being run off her food by another horse, or possibly her teeth needed floating. Then again, some think that the soil in her pasture is mineral deficient. Maybe all these aspects are conspiring together to produce a potentially bad result. Maybe, and a process of elimination will bring us to the truth, Viz. Move pasture, change diet, get teeth checked. The first and second of these things should/will be sorted out next week, after a small ten acre fencing project. But more of that anon.

In the meanwhile, I was impressed with JB's performance -- she's beginning to get the hang of neck reining and managed decent bursts of walk, trot, canter, with fairly well controlled gaits and cadence.

There was a time when those simple things would have been major breakthroughs. Now they're pretty much expected. A testament to the horse's temper and learning ability (she put up with me) and more than a few miles in the saddle.

Well done, horse.

LSP