Wizard Ride 195: Since She Started To Ride

Monday, 11/15/10

I know I’m addicted to riding when I spend a week in Horsey Heaven, aka Kentucky, and pine for New Jersey. It was so nice to be back in the saddle on Friday, even though I pulled my back pretty badly and had to rest it over the weekend. Miraculously, it felt all better when it was time to ride on Monday night :^)

Wizard looked like he recovered just fine from our marathon trail ride and was ready to go when I tacked him up. Our outdoor arena was perfect- it was holding just a bit of moisture and was harrowed in the afternoon. We rode under the lights in the company of my friend Kris and a fellow night rider. I carefully went over Wizard’s legs to check for any filling or heat, but they all felt great. I gave him a very long walking warmup and did a very low-key ride. Wizard was quite keen for some excitement. As soon as we were trotting, he was truffling and purring excitedly. The cool air and the time off did Wizard a lot of good- he virtually bounced through his transitions and floated around the arena. An unexpected benefit of Wizard’s energy level was his improved trot-to-canter transitions. To the left, he picked up the correct lead immediately and was cantering along like a seasoned pro. To the right, we got the correct lead after the third try. He played a little through the corners, tossing his head and doing a little bit of a fancy sideways crablike move. His hijinks were harmless and kind of fun to ride.

The air was damp but the temperature was mild so Wizard was sweaty after our ride, so it took a while to get him all brushed out and dry. I’m considering doing a trace clip on him to manage the hair in the chilly weather.

She’s got a brown suntan starting just above her collar
Her lower arms they’re brown, but the rest is kinda pale
She’d buy betadine if she only had a dollar
And she’d live out in the pasture if she only had a tail.

And no i don’t see her much since she started with horses
No i don’t see her much since she started to ride.

Well her jeans they get like a wet saddle blanket
And her boots are like you’d figure
And her car is full of hay
Horses, humans if she had to rank it
You’d bet on they that canter
And them that need fly spray