Wizard Rides 224, 225, 226: Wunderbar!

Wednesday, 4/20/11

Before work, I stole over to the barn for a quick ride. I put Wizard on a longe line before riding, just for my own peace of mind. He played a little in the cool air, but was mostly responsive. We took our first trail ride of the year. He was lovely, just fussing a bit when a squirrel jumped out in front of him. He is really nice to ride in an arena, but on trails he really shines. His walk is H-U-G-E, and he strides out powerfully. When something startles him, he “spooks in place”, which is a priceless attribute in a horse. I made the little video clip above on our ride. To enjoy it to its fullest, be sure your speakers are turned out. I do a very ungraceful THWAK into a tree while trying to video Wizard- Wizard, unsurprisingly, does not care.

Friday, 4/22/11

Another trail ride for Wizard! My friend rode Lawman (photo above), a beloved lesson horse at my barn. Lawman is an easy-going horse with an interesting past. He was once a Texas prison horse, and from what I’ve heard, those horses have a lot of training and have seen a lot. It makes sense, because he’s a really solid citizen. We rode around a short loop, and were out for about 25 minutes.

Saturday, 4/23/11

One more ride on the trails for us! This time, Lily and Philadelphia were our equine companions. It was the first time my friend was taking Philly on the trails since she moved to the farm, and she was awesome. We took a slightly longer loop, and all the horses had a great ride. After we were done, I rode Wizard in the outdoor dressage court at a trot for two laps in each direction. It was our first time trotting since I hurt my back and it felt great!