h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It's on my entry guide list...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/A49220714?s_fromedit=1

let me know what you think!

Will do. It's a little hard to read right now, though, with all the line breaks!

yes... I dont know why that happened and I posted it in a bit of a rush, my laptop and I were in wifi range for about an hour and I had loads to do. Doesn't help that I forgot that the clocks had gone forward which meant I had a panic rush.

It definitely needs editing

Don't worry about it. That's what we subeds are for.

I'll help you put it in Guide ML, if you like, you'll just have to wait a bit because I'm moving tomorrow.

At first read-through, it seems logical. Though if I were you, I'd not capitalise words like "skirt" and "cantle" - put them in italics at first mention instead, if you like.

I capitalised them for editing purposes mainly, I did it in notepad so it would transfer easily.

I've tidied it up now, so it's readable! Problem is, every time I read it, I find bits to change

Good luck with the move!!!

Ah yes, that's much better. I'll put it on the "to illustrate" list then, shall I?

I suspect an illustration or two would make it clearer

We'll see whether we can do several

Hi, Robyn. Just swinging by with some Guide ML assistance.

First, if you're using Internet Explorer and Brunel, you can simply cheat. There are buttons in the editing pane that you can use - highlight a bit and click on the appropriate one for making it a paragraph, or a header, or whatever - and those are good for showing you what does what. It's easier to just put them in by hand later, though.

You don't really need a lot of different tags for that Entry.

First, change the Entry into Guide ML, then put in the most necessary tags.

Put a in front of each header, and a behind it.

Put a in front of each header, and a behind it. You don't need the tags around the headers, as it automatically leaves a line blank below.

It doesn't really matter where you put the tags, so long as they're before and behind - it might help to put them on a new line just so you can see what's what; the extra lines won't be visible in the Entry. I usually separate the entry into different paragraphs using the return key, then copy and paste the tags onto the front and back of each.

Adding a link to a hootoo Entry is easy. Copy and paste the following bit: in front of the word you want to link from, and behind it, remembering to put a space after the tag. Then simply put the A-Number of the Entry you want to link to where it says "A-Number" - it will make the list of Entries on the side automatically, and the titles.

The only other thing you might need right now is footnotes: Simply put right after the word where you want it - no space in between - and type in the text for the footnote, remembering to end it with a full stop. Then put a behind it, and it will do the numbers automatically.

Here is the first bit of your Entry, to get you started:



Tacking up is a term used by horsey types which indicates preparing a horse for work by 'dressing' it in the appropriate equipment. Sort of like Buckaroo but without the bucking, one would hope. Like Grooming, tacking up is an opportunity to see and feel the horse and it's actions and reactions, and for it to get to know you. A horse's reaction to having a saddle placed on it's back for instance can indicate to you how much warming up it might need before you work it hard.

Before you decide to take on the task of tacking up a horse, there are a few things you really should be sure of:

Firstly, is there someone with you who is knowledgeable about the process you are about to undertake? This entry is a guide only and cannot replace the direct guidance of someone who has done it hundreds of times before and knows what they are doing. This is to make sure that neither you nor the horse ends up uncomfortable (or kicked or bittenOn a safety note, it is advisable to wear a safety hat at all times when working with horses, and gloves are a good idea, too...) or traumatised from the experience. Secondly, do you know the horse? Has it been trained to do the work you are preparing it for? Is it familiar with the equipment (we'll start calling it tack from here on in, that's the proper term after all) that you will be putting on it? This, too, will have a bearing on how successful your attempts are and how you approach the whole thing.

Assuming you have a docile, well-trained and willing equine accomplice and an equally calm and able assistant to show you the ropes, we'll proceed with a description and explanation of the most usual basic tack you will come across for riding English style.

Saddle

Traditionally made of leather and stuffed with wool (although high quality synthetics are getting more and more common as they are easier to clean and require less regular care to keep them in good condition) this is what you will be sitting on on the horse's back. Air pads and foam stuffing are also getting to be more popular fillings and shapers as wool requires re-fluffing and stuffing regularly by a qualified saddle-maker because it tends to clump which can cause sore-spots for the horse.


Be sure to copy and paste that bit in *after* the




and you'll be fine.

*wish me luck, I'm going in!*(well, over my lunch break I'll have a crack at it )

Have fun - and feel free to ask if you need any help. I'll be afk for a bit, though, I'm meant to be tidying up the barns.

Done, edited again, some bits added, a few bits removed...

Hopefully it's better now than it was, it's taken me a whole afternoon of pretending to w*rk to do it!

Think I've got it sorted now, though...

(I think I'll have to write an entry on Buckaroo so I can link to it, to make sure everyone gets the reference!)

Looking good! I'll give it a proper read-through soon.

And I don't get the reference myself

Buckaroo is a children's game with a spring-loaded model of a horse who's rear end flicks up. You press it down into a standing position, and you have a variety of items to hang off the horse (it's a 'cowboy horse' setup so you have a lariat, a hat, that sort of thing).

The trick of it is that the catch that holds against the spring is not very secure so you take turns to put something on the horse without it bucking it all off... (and losing, over time, all the bits you have to hang off it!)

DA-DAAA!

I writededed it again!

Don't worry - I do that constantly with mine.