Wizard Ride 334: All The Same

Saturday, 2/18/12

I longed Wizard before I rode him. The weather was mild, so we worked outdoors. He wore his Back on Track sheet for about 2 hours before our ride. He was fussy about grooming, and was pretty cranked up when he was being longed. Spooking more than usual and leaping around on the longe are not typical Wizard behaviors. I’m guessing it’s a combination of not having much work and (hopefully) feeling better from Lyme treatment.

Once I was in the saddle, he was pretty much the same- tense and full of himself. In the very beginning of the ride, he was really swishy with his tail, plus his ears were pinned and he was kicking at me a little. But as soon as we walked a little bit, I was able to walk him on a loose rein. He got cranked up again at the trot. So we trotted. And trotted. We did big circles. And changed direction. Over. And over. And over. More trotting. And more trotting.

…..

MUCH later in the ride, Wizard actually settled and relaxed onto the bit. Maybe I’m just not riding him enough…? He’s a puzzle. I let him canter a few times, and we trotted a cross rail. He leapt over a trot pole, too. Never a dull moment.