Wizard Session 82; JR Session 42: A Chance and a Reformed Hooligan
My friend Sarah has a young snowcap Appaloosa gelding named Chance in training. He shows quite an aptitude for jumping :^) If you’re in the NJ area and you’re interested, drop me a line and I can put you in touch with his connections.
Thursday, 6/11/09
The boys were dewormed with ivermectin. I started Wizard on MSM as an experiment- my hope is that it would help with any soreness issues.
Wizard’s kick injury is history- hooray! I started him lightly back into work, longeing outdoors in the dressage court for about 20 minutes. He seemed quite ready for the work, walking nicely during the warmup and giving me a very nice trot during the session.
My mother visited the barn for the sessions- she had not seen either of the hooligans work for a while so it was interesting to hear her observations. She was very impressed with JR. He has become quite consistent and workmanlike. His coat is glowing. His gaits have improved. He is developing muscle and losing some of his chubbiness.
Of course, even a reformed hooligan reverts to his old ways every once in a while…
After we longed, I did a little long lining work with JR. He had not done any long line work since the winter, but he picked it up right away. We walked in a few circles, tried a figure 8, and I let him do a little trot work. I am continually impressed with the amount of engagement he can achieve for his level of training. I think the key to him is to loosen him up- once he is supple, his fantastic short back and nice neck will help him be quite balanced.
Rock and Racehorses: The Blog 
Good luck with the MSM, I have used it on my horses and I think it helps but it also makes them hot! Strengthens and makes beautiful hooves and hair though.
Thanks Mandy! I tried it with Alibar a few years back and saw no results. I took it myself and all it gave me as a yucky taste in my mouth :^P I’ll keep an eye on behavior changes.