Nothing new to post, really, but I feel like I should check in once in awhile, anyway. I've been working on a few scribal projects and would like to get to Pfaffy very soon to finish my banner and make some sleeves for my bows. I have a quiver in mind I'd like to make, as well. Pfaffy's going to get a workout. :)

Crystal Ball

Our Barony's biggest event of the year, Crystal Ball, was this weekend. Besides just generally being an enjoyable event, Court was particularly wonderful! Many of our Baronial members received amazing awards. Read on for the full list:

Event tomorrow

My barony's biggest event is this weekend. Crystal Ball is a dance-centered event, but with martial tournaments and much socializing. Even though I don't dance, I'm looking forward to seeing friends I haven't seen in awhile!

There will also be an A&S display going on. I'm hoping to come home with some new inspiration and ideas. Because I need more projects. ;)

Ila-liqaa',

The Good News...

...is, I think I have finally identified how to spell my name in Arabic!

The bad news, of course, is the few times I've needed to sign something, this isn't how I've spelled it. Oh, well, I can start learning this correct version for the future!


Ila-liqaa',

Link post updated

I updated my links post!

Equestrian and Middle Eastern Persona links

So You Want to Be a SCAdian Bedouin Woman?

I'll tell you now, it won't be easy. There is a dearth of information regarding the Bedu in period, and women in particular. Do you know how many period depictions there are of Bedouin women? Here, let me share the entire collection with you:

Rum A.S. 52

Thanks to being able to hitch a ride with Master Avery over the weekend, I was able to attend RUM. It was chillier than anyone would have liked, but I met some great people, reconnected with others, and attended a very interesting class on 10th c. women's dress in Baghdad. I also was able to test both my tent and our new propane heater (now named Franz) in cold weather. Both performed admirably. And as usual with teaching events, I've come back with some new ideas for projects, including spiffing up some of my early attempts at scrolls, plant-dyed scarves, and more kamis ideas.

Mounted War Games was this past weekend, and was again a stellar (no pun intended, Constellation) event. Everyone was wonderfully friendly, the food was great, and the schedule full and entertaining. I got to spend a lot of time on the archery range, saw gorgeous equines, spent time with friends and made new ones...plus we didn't get rained on until the trip home. I came away with ideas for Crystal Chamfron and new A&S projects, as well, and generally had a great time. Whether or not you are an equestrian, MWG is definitely worth your time. The Barony of Shadowed Stars does an outstanding job with this event.

A rarity-- a photo of myself I like. Here I am helping represent Shattered Crystal's equestrians at our Baronial investiture at Baroness Wars:

 (Photo taken by Saraswati of the Barony of Ayreton, who was kind enough to grant me permission to post it here.)

Hanging from my right shoulder, you can barely make out the bridle I wove for Aziza. She only wore it once, but I still think of it as "her" bridle. If or when I get another horse, I expect I'll remake it from scratch. I'll be a better weaver by then, anyway. :)

I think I'm going to try the Persona Pentathlon LII. More anon.

Link to explanationa and rules

Edit: more. :) I spoke with Philippe (my laurel) tonight about possible projects. I'm going to compile ideas here for my future reference.


Research paper (definite)
Bridle
Saddle
Neck rope
Saddle bag?

Some helpful links for Scadian equestrians and Near/Middle Easterners

WIP

I thought it might be handy to have a collection of my favorite equestrian and N/ME links in one post. I expect this list to build over time.

Equestrian Links
Mounted Archery Resources
Building Games Equipment
Easy Equestrian Equipment
A Proper Tourney Fence
Period Riding Garb From Your Closet
Horse Tack and Equipment from Gulf Wars 10
Ilaria's Home Page
Costume of the Military Horse
The A&S Faire and the Equestrian

Near/Middle Eastern Persona Links
Dar Anahita
Arabic in the SCA
Linda's Studio
Miriam's Middle Eastern Research Blog

Tack Inspiration

More from the Morgan Library & Museum:

"Bābur and Two Companions Racing: This is the second of two miniatures in the Read Mughal Album that were formerly part of the British Library's Bāburnāma (Memoirs of Bābur). According to Bābur, when he looked back to see how far Qambar-˓Alī and Qasim Beg were behind him, his girth strap snapped, causing him to fall on his head. 'Although I stood up immediately and got back on,' he wrote, 'my brain did not return to normal until that evening.' This miniature is probably by the artist Parasa, to whom four others in the British Library's manuscript have been attributed."

(Mughal ca. 1590–92, with borders added early-19th century)

Scribal Inspiration

From The Morgan Library & Museum site:

"An Aristocratic Smithy: Part of a Persian prince's education included gaining proficiency in a craft. For example, Ibrāhīm Mīrzā, the nephew of Shah Tahmāsp (r. 1524–76), excelled in carpentry and made musical instruments. Here a youth in a bright orange robe and henna-stained fingernails is making a horseshoe. This painting and three others in the Read Persian album appear to be copies of lost works by Ḥabīb-Allāh al-Mashhadī, an important painter at Governor Shāmlū's court."

My 100 Days of A&S challenge master post

Day 1, July 18 - needlebook class
Day 2, July 19 - finished a scroll
Day 3, July 20 - mixed paints from pigment
Day 4, July 21 - finished mixing pigments, then promptly upended the palette because I am that gifted
Day 5, July 22 - organized my scribal printouts more efficiently in prep for choosing my next projects
Day 6, July 23- scribal research

I've decided to participate in the 100 Days of A&S challenge. Participants work on something A&S-related for at least 10 minutes for 100 days in a row. If you miss a day, you start over. I expect my pattern to be something like this:

Monday

Day 23 - Worked on my banner

Tuesday

Day 24 - Research for my paper

Wednesday

Day 25 - Finished a scroll

Sat

Day 1...

But I'm doing it anyway. I may give up before I get 100 days in a row, or I may make it to the end, but either way I'll have accomplished more than if I hadn't tried at all.

If you want to participate, you can pick any start date you want. If you want to be part of the Facebook group, you can find it here:

Facebook 100 Days of A&S Challenge

Good luck to you!

Small update:  I have offered to teach a small class on cross stitch at a Baronial meeting. Not equestrian-related and only peripherally persona-related, but I thought I'd mention it here so later when I think to myself, "When did I do that class?", I'll be able to look back here and know.

I'm debating whether to prepare a handout or not, and if I do, what to include and what to leave off. Such dilemmas for something I expect to take less than an hour!

This past weekend was the Equestrian and Animal Husbandry Symposium hosted by the Shire of Riviere Constelle. They had a wonderful selection of classes (and a fantastic venue!) and were very welcoming. I had some great conversations, met some long distance friends, and got to do two things at the same time I've never done before-- rode an Akhal-Teke, sidesaddle. (A special thank you to Cindy for letting me ride your lovely horse. I hope we meet again.) If they host this event again, I encourage you to go!

As usual, I left the event with new ideas for A&S and equestrian projects. After I've had time to sift and sort these thoughts, perhaps some of them will appear here as actual works in progress!

Well! After some adventures in the mundane world, I am finally getting back to my blog. I hope to post more regularly from now on, but as the previously mentioned adventures are not yet over, I can't predict a schedule. I will try, though!

I am currently serving the Middle Kingdom and Midlands as Regional Equestrian Marshal. I'm very interested in helping people get involved in the equestrian community, and as such, I thought I would share some tips for how to behave around horses. Please keep in mind that this is in no way an all-inclusive guide to the safe handling of horses (whole books have been written on that subject), but is meant as a starting point for the uninitiated.

A Few Suggestions for Meeting Horses

The main thing to remember, which may seem obvious but is easily forgotten around well-behaved and friendly horses, is that they are large and heavy prey animals with minds of their own. (As prey rather than predator, horses are prone to flight over fight; the longest-lived wild horses were not the ones who stood around waiting to see what everybody else was running away from.) Couple this with a horse's limited field of vision and you are virtually guaranteed, given enough time around horses, to be injured. The idea is to minimize the risk and, when the inevitable happens, the injury. Here are a few things to keep in mind which may help achieve both:

* Horses are prey animals. They may be large and strong enough to hold their own against you, but they don't necessarily know that. Nor do they know that they can hold their own against your cloak, your hat, your veil, your strange-smelling armor, etc. Things that flap, make sudden loud noises/sudden movements, or “appear from nowhere” (i.e., without warning from outside that limited range of vision) can trigger a horse's flight instinct. It is not unreasonable to call out to a horse you're approaching if you're not sure it sees you; if this makes you feel self-conscious, a) remember that we walk into convenience stores dressed this way and b) you can call out to the horse's human instead if that makes you feel better-- just to be sure the horse knows you're coming. Happily, the horses of our barony seem inured to the noise and motion of an event, but be aware that even the calmest horse can blow its cool. The horse always has a reason...we just don't always know what it is.

* Do not approach a horse without the owner's permission. Even a horse you know well might be having a bad day, or be feeling poorly and therefore cranky. It's always best to check in with the (much safer) horse's human.

* Any good equestrian will tell you that you can't say a horse absolutely will not bite, or kick, or spook. They may have never done it before, but as soon as you say it, the horse will find a reason and a way to prove you wrong. They're perverse like that. Always be aware that even the best-trained horses will make their own choices sometimes and behave in unpredictable ways. Just be alert around them and don't assume that they know (or care) where you are in relation to their feet, heads, or rumps.

* Do not let a horse rub its head on you. Besides being a rude habit on the horse's part, if s/he is wearing a halter or bridle, you can wind up with bruises from the hardware on the tack. Some horses will rub vigorously enough to toss their muzzles head-high, resulting in the human scratching post getting a bit shank or even hard horse teeth whacked across the face. It feels just about as miserable as it sounds. Avoid it.

* If you get permission to pet a horse and you reach for the horse's forehead (which is human nature), the horse may toss his head. He's not necessarily being unfriendly; he's just trying to watch your hand to find out what you intend to do to him with it. Because a horse's eyes are on the side of his head (prey animal!), he can't see what's directly in front of his face. You can still pet him on the head, but slow movements are called for.

* If you must pass behind a horse, stay as close to the horse's rump as possible-- touching, preferably, if the horse will allow it; check with the owner for the horse's rump-passage-tolerance. Many people will advocate passing behind a horse “at a safe distance,” but the problem with that is figuring out the safe distance. Some horses, when kicking behind, may just lift a hind leg and let fly; others may get their whole bodies into it and step backwards before kicking. Horses' legs are strung together with dependent sets of ligaments; the power of the kick doesn't begin and end with the little fetlock (ankle) or even the relatively small hock, but from the back and through the pelvis to the hip and on down to the hoof. Like an atl-atl, the force is beautifully efficient and magnified. Imagine getting struck in the jaw by a sledgehammer wielded by the strongest fighter you know. On the other hand, passing close by the hind end of a horse minimizes the damage by minimizing the force he can muster-- he can shove you around a little bit, but he can't get a good swing going. Best, of course, would be not to pass behind a horse at all if you can help it, but when you must, up against the horse is better than a few feet away.

* On a related note: if a horse is tied to something sturdy (a tree, a fence post, etc.), don't duck under his neck to get to the other side. A panicked horse can bolt forward, squishing you between himself and whatever he's tied to. Even if nothing panics him, he may lift a foreleg to shake off a fly or just to paw the ground out of boredom. While getting whacked with an errant foreleg is not as painful as a full-on kick, if you've just taken a knee to the head or a hoof to the shin, that probably won't be much comfort to you.

* Don't feed a horse without the owner's express permission (even if you've fed them before). Horses have stupidly sensitive digestive systems, and can (and will) eat things that will make them sick or even kill them. They are, like humans, one of the few animals that will eat themselves to death. Don't think “it's just a carrot” or “just a handful” of whatever-- ask the owner, just in case. Believe me, they'll thank you for it.

* Don't wear sandals, slippers, and other light footwear around horses. Big horses. Limited field of vision. Hooves like stone. Be kind to your toes and keep them the shape they are.

* I saw this warning on another group's equestrian website, and while it horrified me to think you'd have to tell people this, better safe than sorry: No live steel around the horses. Ever. Seriously. Remember all that talk earlier about how they can move in unpredictable ways? They are also marvelously prone to bizarre accidents. And always remember-- an injury that, to us, may seem minor can necessitate the on-site destruction of a horse. And an emergency euthanasia is not something you want to see or be a part of. Ever. I would hope that no one in the SCA would be silly enough to pull a live weapon around one of our horses, but if you ever see it done, be understanding if the horse's owner goes bats about it. It's justified.

* To conclude, please keep in mind that while this list may make it seem like horses are insanely evil, they really aren't-- they, like us, just have their own personalities, quirks, phobias and bad days. They are also fun, funny, and affectionate. We, unlike our medieval counterparts, don't have horses because we have to; we have them because we enjoy them. There's a reason why we love them so much. Come find out what it is.