Wizard Ride 291: Blue

Wednesday, 10/5/11

I left work pretty late, and met up with Kris at the barn. She longed Sunny while I rode Wizard in the outdoor arena. While we were grooming, Wizard was very grouchy about currying- this is the second or third time I’ve noticed him recently being so unhappy with grooming. It’s a good thing I ordered the magic “blue Pop Rocks”, aka Omeprazole granules. I’ve long suspected ulcers in Wizard, and did some treatment with Ulcergard until I ran out of funds.

Through the wonders of the Chronicle of the Horse forums, I’ve discovered a MUCH cheaper Omeprazole treatment, with the enteric coating that is designed to handle stomach acid. Wizard got his first three sachets tonight, mixed with molasses and a little grain as a treat. He did not have any problem with the taste. Hooray!

Wizard was also goosey under saddle- he flattened his ears a few times when I put leg on him. It will be very interesting to see if the Omeprazole helps.

The arena was holding some moisture, but there was only one really wet section. Wizard did not handle it quite as nicely as he handles drier footing, and I never really got that schwung that he sometimes gives in better footing. We walked and then did a few halts, followed by the trot. I let him trot loosely for a few laps, then asked for a little stretching, and then asked for transitions from walk to trot to walk to engage the hind end. As we continued with the transitions, he started to use himself a little better and maintain more contact. The contact was not as good as it was a few days ago, though. We trotted a few times over teeny, tiny cross rails and verticals, which woke him up and got him moving better. He cantered out a few times, and I let him. Once we had done a few of the little jumps, Wizard was able to open his stride a little and give me a nicer trot. When we were done, we cooled out at a walk, and I put him to bed with some hay. Let the blue Pop Rocks begin their magic…