Wizard Ride 126: The Fat Snaffle

Thursday, 3/25/10

Since I started riding Wizard again, I’ve been using an Ovation OV Curve Oval loose ring snaffle. Many of the horses I’ve ridden prefer less metal in their mouths, but Wizard seems more comfortable with a fat snaffle. Maybe he has a big mouth. I liked how he went in the Happy Mouth mullen D-ring, but I could not feed him treats when he wore it (poor thing, ha ha). He is still very active with his chewing, but I think the loose rings and the thick bit are easier for him to handle.

Our ride was a huge improvement from the ride just a day before. My mom was out so she snapped some pictures. I warmed him up at the walk in both directions, noting that he was more tense to the right (as always). I was able to get him to relax and walk on a loose rein and on contact without fussing with his mouth, which was something he could not do on Wednesday night. Our trot work was also vastly improved. He still pinned his ears on occasion but I rode him through it and he became more relaxed, both to the right and left. I did some circles and changes of direction. The good news is that I prefer riding to the right so I’m hoping that between the two of us, the sidedness will work itself out. I rode for a little over half an hour, and was very satisfied with our progress.

Product rave: ProChaps! I bought a pair of deeply discounted half chaps from Horseloverz. The chaps are awesome! They are slim-fitting, with no snaps or straps- they simply zip from top to bottom. The material is comfortable and they are great for riding. Two thumbs up!