Wizard Ride 486: This Will Be Our Year

Monday, 5/20/13

I don’t know if it’s the magical saddle, the magical new bridle, the spring grass, the riding lessons, the Pentosan injections, or a combination of everything, but Wizard and I had one of our best rides ever, and certainly the best ride of the year. We rode a loop around the park at sunset, walking and trotting for about 4.1 miles. I’d guess that we trotted between 1/3 and 1/2 of the ride, including the HORSE PARK! Yes, Wizard felt comfortable enough on the cross country field to trot in a sensible fashion in the footsteps of my eventing idols. In the past, Wizard could only muster a tense walk or a nervous bounce, but he was loose and willing and relaxed and snorting happily through a good portion of the field.

A really nice thing that I inadvertently taught him is to walk when he feels unsure about something. If we rounded a corner at a trot and something looked out of place or like something that required a second look, he did not scoot or rush, but instead slowed to a walk. That is a great way to handle things in my book! And his downward transitions feel really nice, as if he’s taking a page from our riding lesson books and applying it to our trail work.

Around curves, I was able to ask for a little bend. Wizard felt surefooted and relaxed throughout the entire ride- no stumbling or hinting that he would like to go home. It felt like he would have ridden another 10 miles if I let him. The weather sharply changed from the cool mist on Sunday, and the air was pretty warm and humid. I saw indigo buntings, rabbits, and deer. The air is heavy with that summertime scent- I’m not sure if it’s honeysuckle, but it’s the smell of summer for sure. And I saw my first firefly of the year.

We trotted up the red sandy path, and when we reached the final stretch toward home, Wizard relaxed into a swingy, rhythmic walk and strolled all the way home.

His weight looks just about perfect. He’s gets 4lbs of feed twice a day. He’s eating a mix of Pennfield Energized Senior (for flavor), Purina Ultium (for calories), and Triple Crown Senior (for fat). The spring grass in his pasture is doing the rest of the wonderful work. This weekend, I “banged” his tail, taking about 4 inches off the bottom, both cleaning up the sunbleached ends and shortening the tail a little for tick protection. It looks very sharp, and he looks a bit like a proper show horse. Now we just have to act the part :^)