Wizard Rides 493 & 494: Walking With Thee

Sunday, 6/2/13

I took Wizard on a trail ride with Kris and Sunny. For the first time, we rode in the LG Bridle- I’ve used it in the arena before, but never on trails. We rode at a walk, and went just under 3 miles. The LG Bridle was fine for what we were doing, but I definitely felt a loss of refinement and control. Wizard was more independent and also a bit more “looky,” but nothing that was bad enough to prevent me from riding in it again.

Saturday, 6/1/13

Wizard got his monthly dose of Pentosan, and I rode him in the outdoor arena. My back is recovering from a three-day photopgraphy spree, so I had to take it easy. We worked on our walk-trot transitions, and he volunteered a canter depart or two. Because he had a few days off, he was full of a little steam, so I used that extra spring in his step to my advantage, and we diligently worked on our lateral work, both leg yields and shoulder-in. I also did an exercise that has no name and that I sort of made up: I ask him to trot down the center line, and then ask him to swing his hindquarters to the right, then left, then right again. It helps me keep my leg aids even, and it helps to keep him even.

We trotted a cross rail, and Wizard ignored my back stiffness and leapt over it from three feet away. Fortunately, it did not jar anything loose, and I was fine. By the end of the ride, I was sunburnt, and Wizard was pretty sweaty, so he got a nice hosedown. Ahhh, summer.