Wizard Sessions 439, 440, 441, 442, 443, 444, 445, & 446: After You

This blog is entering its fifth year of existence, and one of the biggest things I’ve learned about keeping a blog current is that the busier I am, the less I blog. It’s unfortunate, because it usually means that I have more to say!

So I’ll try to catch up on what we’ve been doing for the last few weeks:

Firstly, after four months, the saddle is STILL NOT HERE. I ordered it in mid-October. After several calls and emails, the saddler got back to me and said that the saddle is complete and will be shipped within the week. It’s a good thing, because I’m running out of Downton Abbey episodes to watch at night (just reached Season Three- no spoilers, please)… I want to ride!

Secondly, the falling hairs are a welcome sight. Spring is just around the corner. Now we’re in for a season of blankets on, blankets off, and rain, rain, rain. But it will all be worth it when Wizard is grazing on lovely May grass and we’re riding in the park after work at night. We had a snowstorm and some days of unseasonably warm weather, making it an interesting month.

Saturday, 2/9/13
Sunday, 2/10/13
Tuesday, 2/12/13
Saturday, 2/16/13
Sunday, 2/17/13
Tuesday, 2/19/13
Thursday, 2/21/13
Monday, 2/25/13

These dates look about right, but they might be off by a day or two. Basically, I go to the barn about 4 days a week, and walk Wizard out in the Assunpink followed by long line work when there is decent weather and daylight. When the weather is poor, we work on the lines indoors. When I’m short on time, I walk him in the park without any long line work. His muscling is improving, and we work on different things in different sessions. We do transition work some days, spirals other days, and I’ve just started introducing a little work over a trot pole. With the lines sent through the higher rings on the surcingle, Wizard is less likely to curl behind the bit, which is very good. We’re able to work more with the lines connected to the bit, and do less work on the cavesson.

I asked the barn owner to increase Wizard’s feed just a little, since I want to see a bit more weight on him, plus he’s working a little more than he was this winter. On Tuesday, Wizard threw a shoe, despite wearing bell boots. It’s not a surprise, though, considering how wet the ground is from all the rain we got.

And now, we wait. New shoe tomorrow, and new saddle… oh… soon, I hope!