From the TDN Blog: Photos and Results of the Garden State Horse Show’s $4,000 Thoroughbred Jumnper Classic
On May 5, Kentucky Derby Day, I attended the Garden State Horse Show and photographed the $4,000 Thoroughbred Jumper Classic. You can click here for my photos and writeup of this fantastic class and all the classy competitors.
Wizard Ride 360: Grinding Halt
Thursday, 5/3/12
I tacked up Wizard and rode him in the outdoor arena. He’s still lame. It’s subtle, but it’s there. It’s the right front, and it’s worse around turns. He’s not upset by it, actually, he rides really nicely. We just took a quick spin at a walk, trot, and canter, and Mom took pictures. He was willing, forward, and happy. He picked up both leads comfortably, and was happy to travel in the wet footing. No ear pinning or anything like that. I’m wondering if the pre-ride Maalox is helping neutralize the ulcers temporarily before rides. The farrier is due on Monday morning, and I’ll talk to him about putting pads on him and see if he has any ideas about the lameness.
His quarantine period is almost over, and we’re going to start his UlcerGard treatment. He will be transitioning to 24/7 pasture, and not a moment too soon; he dropped weight from the move, and is cribbing as much as he did at the old barn.
So in the meantime, I’ll just keep visiting him and pouring money into him.
We all know about Hansen, Bodemeister, and Union Rags, but the real wiseguy horses this week are Mommie’s Luke and Bob’s Big Bunch. Click here to read about two Thoroughbreds who are competing in this Saturday’s AA-rated Garden State Horse Show’s $4,000 Thoroughbred Jumper Classic.
The good thing about getting to the barn almost every day is all the time I get to spend with Wizard, but it invariably also means that I get backlogged on blogging! The more stuff I have to write about, the less time I have to do it…
Wednesday, 4/18/12 If each day continues to be better than the last, I’ll be very happy. Kris and Sunny took a lesson in the outdoor arena while I longed Wizard in the indoor arena. I tacked him up (slightly more successfully) in the indoor arena while Sunny was in there, which kept him much quieter. He still wriggled and fidgeted, and he still hollered to Sunny while he was working, but everything was less extreme than it was the day before. After his longeing session, he grazed in the big paddock. He did quite a bit of trotting and cantering between fits of grazing. All in all, better than the first day. And that is progress.
Thursday, 4/19/12 My mom came out to the barn with me, and I did another longeing session indoors with Wizard. He was more tense than he was on Wednesday because Sunny was not with him. Our work with tying/grooming is going slowly- he spins when he gets distracted (which is a lot these days!).
Friday, 4/20/12 There were two mares in the indoor arena, so Wizard stood reasonably quietly while he was tacked up. As a temporary solution to our tying issues, I borrowed my friend’s Blocker Tie Ring. I like the idea, because if something really blows Wizard’s mind, the tie ring gives him just a little slack, which can sometimes prevent a full-on freakout. But my brilliant idea failed, because Wizard slung his head downward and *BOINK* the thing popped open. Loose horse, thankfully at a walk. Hm.
I rode him in the indoor arena, and he was pretty good. He was a little tense, so his trot was pretty choppy, but he was listening to me and settled a little bit by the end of the ride.
Saturday, 4/21/12 In an attempt to keep Wizard’s routine from becoming stale, I took him out for his paddock grazing time before working him. We mimicked tying outdoors since Sunny was out with us- this was our first work in the outdoor grooming area since last Tuesday’s adventure. Her presence kept him more relaxed than usual, and I was able to push his training comfort level a little more than usual. I longed Wizard in the outdoor arena, and he was very willing and reasonably relaxed.
On Sunday, Wizard got the day off. It rained, it poured.
Monday, 4/23/12 Before work, I went to the barn for a ride. The arena was pretty soggy from all the rain, but it has a good base and I was able to get a little riding done at a walk and trot. When I got in the saddle, he did his usual kick/ear pin thing, but not with as much gusto as he did in the past. After riding, he got a little grazing time.
Tuesday, 4/24/12 After work, I had a really nice ride in the outdoor arena. Unfortunately, I’m feeling that funkiness on the right front leg that I have felt a few times in the past. Most people cannot detect it when they watch him longe, but I can see it and I can feel it. Although he was not quite right, he rode really nicely, reaching for the bit and responding really nicely to my leg. And when I got on him, there was NO ear pinning, no kicking, nothing. YESSSS. Is it the Maalox that I give him before every ride? Whatever it is, it’s making me happy.
Wednesday, 4/25/12 After work, Wizard and I did a quick ride in the outdoor arena. I kept it light since I still feel that right front funkiness. He gave me a nice canter on the left lead. He’s not lame, just feels funny. It’s making me crazy, because he’s SO good in the outdoor arena. Grooming is getting better, but he is still wiggling, twitching, and shimmying while he’s tied.
On Thursday, Wizard got the day off.
On Friday, Wizard got the day off from riding, and grazed with Sunny for an hour. I think I have the Blocker Tie Ring figured out. User error made it pop open (yes, I don’t know forwards from backwards). Once I had it figured out, it worked better. Wizard fiddled and did a little pulling on it, and seemed to understand the tying thing a little better.
Saturday, 4/28/12 On Saturday, we had our best tying day so far! He fishtailed while I tacked him up, but stood politely when I stepped away from him, and actually settled in, took a deep breath, cocked a hoof, and relaxed for a moment when I was organizing part of my grooming box. I longed him for just a few minutes, and I’m thinking he does not need pre-ride longeing anymore after this. Wizard was happy to be working in the arena with his old friend from the previous barn, Miss Tuesday. I got in the saddle, and there was no ear pinning, no kicking. The right front funkiness was not as noticeable as it was a few days ago- I can still feel something. We trotted poles, and we did just a little canter on the right lead. We did more canter work on the left lead- his canter was actually pretty nice to the left. Miss Tuesday’s owner asked if we were ready for our first trail ride to the park (YAYYY!), and I was game for it. It was a tiny little trail ride, just enough to get him out and let him graze on some tasty grass in the first big field before heading home for some paddock time. It was getting pretty chilly and dark by the time we finished up our paddock grazing time. The walk from the grazing paddock to his paddock with Sunny is usually a great training opportunity, since Wizard always wants to try to drag me, or jig, or power walk. Now that he is learning his routine, he is pretty much back to his normal self (who walks pretty fast).
We walked to the grooming area, where he stood the best he has stood so far. It’s funny to me that he’s best under saddle and the standing and tying is the big challenge. The other big challenge is separating him from horses. We are making progress, surely and steadily.
Wizard Ride 351: The Only Place
On Monday, Wizard hauled to our new barn with his Mustang buddy, Sunny. They loaded on the trailer like perfect angels, and other than a little enthusiastic nibbling on his friend, Wizard shipped very well. When they arrived at the barn, they unloaded just as well, and settled into barn life by grazing and taking a little hand walk around the property. They figured out the automatic drinkers quickly, and were lounging around eating hay when we left the barn that night. What a promising start. I made plans with my friend to take a ride out into the Assunpink with Miss Tuesday on Tuesday morning, and went to bed with visions of trails and pastures dancing in my head.
Tuesday, 4/17/12
On Tuesday, I bounced out of bed, eager to ride my horse (Yes! My horse!) at the new barn. We moved to this barn to work on hills to build up his hind end, and I could not wait to get cracking! I boarded at my first barn for 13 years, and at my second barn for almost 5 years. I like to stick around at barns and was eager to make a good impression at this new place. The barn setup is different from my old barn. We’re on pasture board, so Wizard has a shed but no stall. He currently shares a paddock with Sunny, aka Wizard’s lady friend, aka the cutest Mustang ever. They are in quarantine for a few weeks, which is the barn’s policy to make sure that incoming horses are disease free; it also gives them time to acclimate to pasture. While horses are in quarantine, all manure must be disposed of in certain containers. You might be wondering why I’m mentioning this, but you’ll soon find out how big of a part manure played in my day.
Noon-12:20: Organize all the tack I need for the day. Pace back and forth between tack trunk and tack room and try to remember where all my stuff is.
12:20-12:35: Visit Wizard and Sunny in their paddock. Take Wizard out and let him graze outside of the paddock. He looks happy and like he settled in nicely overnight. Good Wizard!
12:35-12:45: Attempt to lead a rearing, whinnying, flailing Wizard down the driveway to the tackup area. Realize that I am not properly equipped to do so.
12:45-12:55: Put Wizard back in the paddock while I pick up the giant pile of manure that he deposited in the geometric center of the driveway. Get my gloves so I don’t end up with rope burn when I take him back out of the paddock.
12:55-12:56: Between frantic whinnys, tell my friend Cathy that I will not be joining her and Miss Tuesday in the park for that wonderful walk we talked about.
12:56-1:10: Do the Grooming Dance with Wizard. We practiced some single tying at our other barn, but he was usually cross tied for grooming. I am pretty sure he will get himself hurt if I tie him in the tackup area, so I attempt to groom him while holding him as he circles, whinnys, and passes yet more manure.
1:10-1:15: Bring Wizard out to the outdoor arena to let him stretch his legs. Realize in horror that all he wants to do is run over to the horses in the adjacent paddocks. Catch the galloping, whinnying, sweaty horse before he touches noses with anyone. Pick up a pile of manure one-handed with a pitchfork while holding a whinnying, spinning, sweaty Thoroughbred in the other.
1:15-1:25: Bring Wizard back to the indoor arena. Longe him for a few minutes. Use all my zen horsemanship powers to keep him at a reasonable speed.
1:25-1:26: Realize that Wizard’s Maalox is still in the tack room. Until he settles in at the new place and we treat his ulcers, my vet recommended dosing him with Maalox before rides. Between whinnys, I ask Cathy to get the Maalox.
1:26-1:30: Learn that syringe-dosing a horse who already has a bit in his mouth is one of my many terrible ideas of the day. Maalox is spilled out of the syringe and out of Wizard’s mouth onto my shirt, my britches, Wizard’s bridle, and the tackup area mats. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see the very nice boarders looking on with concern, helpless because I beg them to stay away from the whinnying, sweating, circling Thoroughbred. One intrepid boarder sweetly brought a paper towel over to me so I could get the Maalox off of my hands.
1:30-1:45: As I clamber into the saddle with all the grace of a baby elephant, I realize that I have become quite spoiled by the deluxe, three-step mounting block that my friend’s husband built. That mounting block is still at the old barn, hopelessly far away from where I want it to be. The ride was the easiest part of the day. Wizard was nervous, but at least it was familiar. I was very concerned about stressing him out, so we kept the ride quick. Once he started stretching into the bit a little, we ended on a good note.
1:45-1:48: Quickest untacking session ever.
1:48-2:00: Worst hose-down session ever. In a rare moment of forethought, I kept the bridle on Wizard. So glad I did. He was kicking when I hosed down his back legs, and trying to bite me when I hosed his shoulders.
2:00-2:05: Bring whinnying, sweating, circling, soaking-wet Wizard to the indoor arena to halter him.
2:05-2:10: Walk Wizard with Miss Tuesday to the 2-acre pasture where he is allowed to graze under supervision while he becomes acclimated to grass. He was not too bad. I wonder if he’s as tired as I am. Pretty sure he’s not.
2:10-2:30: Turn Wizard loose in the pasture and watch him take turns grazing and touring the pasture at a trot and canter (see photo above).
2:30-2:40: Lead Wizard back to his paddock. Graze him for a minute before putting him back in with Sunny so he does not learn to drag me to the paddock (too late).
2:40-3:00: Rub my aching, sunburnt arms while I watch Wizard roll, take a drink from his waterer, munch hay, and chill out with his friend Sunny. Calmest horse ever.
3:00-3:30: Put away all my tack, which looks a bit like a crime scene. Pick up the rest of the 15,000 piles of manure that he deposited everywhere we went. Think about how I will do this all over again tomorrow.
Words of wisdom from Cathy: “He’s been here less than 24 hours.” It was hard to remember this, and it helped me to remind myself as I struggled through even the simplest tasks. He’ll be better tomorrow. Right?
Wizard Ride 350: Change is Now
(pictured: Wizard and his birdy friend)
Monday, 4/9/12
First, the veterinary report, and then a bit of good news…
The first part of the vet appointment was another under-saddle evaluation. First, I rode him for a few minutes. He did his usual thing with the kicking and ear pinning. Then, the vet blocked his front feet. Then, I rode him again. He was more on his forehand, and stumbled more. At the canter, he nearly went to his knees. The vet did not see any notable changes other than the stumbling (some horses move out better if their feet hurt before they are blocked). Because he was so grouchy about having no food for his scoping, I decided to longe him to see if there was any change in his gait. The vet and I both did see some more freedom in his shoulder and more reach when he feet were blocked. She recommended talking to my farrier about experimenting with pads.
After 10 hours of no feed and 6 hours of no water, Wizard was properly prepped for his endoscopy. He was sedated, and then they put the tube up his nose so we could see what was going on in his stomach. The diagnosis? Grade 1 – 1.5 gastric ulcers (on a 0-3 scale). On this page, they sort of looked like the Grade 2 ulcers.
The vet recommended treating him for a month with UlcerGard.
We decided to hold off on the SI joint injections for now, since we won’t know what helped and what did not if we treat him with too many things at once.
And now…. drum roll… The Good News. After 3 1/2 years, I am officially a horse owner again. I signed the paperwork and Wizard is officially my horse! After working with him for so long (and for over 300 rides!), it seemed like the right time. I am so appreciative to Wizard’s previous owner for letting me work with Wizard after I lost Alibar (back when I started this blog!).
And the rest of the good news…
In order to strengthen his hind end, I made the difficult decision to move Wizard to another barn with more hilly trails. Several barns said that they could not board Wizard because he is a cribber. After doing extensive barn hunting, I decided upon a barn that is next to Assunpink Wildlife Management Area. With over 6,000 acres of trails, we will have more hills than we know what to do with. I will miss my friends at Handy Acres very much. I have close to 5 years of very happy memories there.
And so, a new chapter begins.
Wizard Rides 346; 347, 348, & 349: Did We Miss Anything?
Wednesday, 3/21/12
After work, I rode Wizard in the indoor arena with the hackamore again. He was a little snarly and pinned his ears a few times- definitely less cheerful than he was for his last few rides, but nothing alarming. We did basic walk/trot work, changing directions pretty often to keep him focused.
Thursday, 3/29/12
The vet came to the barn to do Wizard’s spring shots and we also did an under-saddle evaluation of his issues. She could not detect any lameness per se, but did see him do his kicking and ear pinning routine. It was a relief to have a professional watching us and evaluating us. She was pleased with his overall condition, and said I have been very kind to him in my process-of-elimination method of figuring out his issues. She also liked the way his saddle fit (yay!).
Her recommendation for our next step is to 1) block his feet and try him under saddle again, followed by 2) tranq’ing him and scoping for ulcers, followed by 3) injecting his SI joint. The appointment is scheduled for Monday, April 9. Cross your fingers.
Friday, 4/6/12
I took Wizard out on a trail ride with Kris and Sunny. Throughout the entire ride, he was quick and tense. We did the shorter loop, and when we hit the intersection where we could go home or keep riding, he blew a little fuse and did some leaping and misbehaving. He threw a little tantrum. I sat as quietly as I could, scolded him verbally when he resisted the bit, and then he settled back down a little for the rest of the ride. When we arrived at the barn, I did ringwork with him in the dressage arena. He was better in the arena than he was on the trails, so we did some canter work. His canter was bunchy and tense. He picked up the wrong lead a few times and only changed in front when I asked for a flying change. After our ride, I groomed him and let him enjoy some spring grass.
Saturday, 4/7/12
Wizard was MUCH better today. We basically repeated our ride from Friday, but did the trail loop in the other direction (I love being able to take the loops in both directions). Wizard happily walked the entire ride, and did not throw a fit when we rode through his least favorite intersection.
We returned to the barn and did flatwork again in the dressage ring. His left lead canter was actually kinda decent. He stretched onto the bit and I was able to give him his head a little. The right lead was rough- he kept throwing his haunches to the inside and threw an uncomfortable buck. I hesitate to call it a buck, since it’s not exactly a naughty-horse=type buck. It’s more like a horse who is not sure what to do with his body. He was very willing and honest throughout the ride, and we got some nice trot lengthenings. Some of the other lengthenings were a little surly, but nothing too bad.
I gave him a bath and let him graze with his friend Sunny again. Ahhhh, springtime.
Wednesday, 3/13/12
After work, I rode Wizard in the indoor arena. I set up a “course” of trot poles: line, diagonal, line, diagonal. We worked in bending, with shallow serpentines, and incorporated the trot poles into the ride. He was responsive and less swishy with his tail. He only pinned his ears once during the ride. It seems like the Springtime Wizard is back.
Saturday, 3/17/12
Wizard and I took a quick trail ride with Sunny and Lily. We took the short loop around, and then returned to the indoor arena for ring work. Wizard did not pin his ears at all when I got into the saddle, which was a first in months. Hooray! His hind foot slipped once while we were working on transitions from our little trot to our big trot. I also think he felt a tiny bit uneven. My friend could see it when he went around corners, too. Hmmm.
Curiosity got the best of me, and we tried a little canter work at the end of the ride. Zero improvement. Swishing tail, pulling on the bit, uneven in the hind end. Oh well.
We took the short loop again at the end of the ride, and then I sponged him off. The weather is incredibly warm, and Wizard is basically living outdoors these days, which seems to be very good for him.
Sunday, 3/18/12
My local tack shop was having a 20% off sale, so I finally picked up the Tory Leather Jumping Hackamore that I’ve always wanted to try. It is basically a piece of rolled leather with rings for the bridle and the reins. There is no criss-cross, and there are no shanks. It’s really basic.
I rode Wizard in the indoor arena, and he rode pretty well in it. He was very relaxed, but we did lose a lot of our refinement/bending/etc without a bit. I couldn’t really create any impulsion, so he was sort of dinking around the ring without using himself. Brakes and steering were fine. I did a lot of work on serpentines to keep him listening to me and to work on getting him bending around my leg. We were able to do transitions within the trot. The hackamore was a great tool for my equitation, too. It enabled me to keep a steadier contact with the reins, because Wizard was not fiddling with the bit. I was able to get him to stretch down, too. Wizard just likes the fact that he can eat bigger carrots with his hackamore than he can with his bit :^)
Like Saturday, I felt a little unevenness in his gait- it was super subtle, but I felt something. And we have about 2 weeks left of Lyme Disease treatment- woo-hoo! Then, I’ll have the vet come back out and evaluate him and decide our next step.
Wizard Rides 341 and 342: The Best Around
Sunday, 3/11/12
Wizard and I took a ride on the trails with Lily and Sunny. Before we even left the property, he was prancing and jigging. We walked toward the outdoor arena and he started balking like he thought I was going to ride in there. So, of course, I then had to get him to go in the arena, even though we were not planning to ride in there. It was not difficult since I had two horses and riders who were perfectly willing to ride in there, and Wizard followed them right in.
On the trail, Wizard was not a fun ride at all. He was spooking and bottled up like he was going to launch. These were the same trails we rode a million times, and that we calmly traveled, on the buckle, all summer and the summer before. He wasn’t happy on the lead, he wasn’t happy in the middle, and he was not happy in the back. We had two tense moments, one as we were crossing the road, and one at the juncture where we head onto the last leg of the ride. All I could do was smile and sit quietly and get through the ride.
It was one of those trail rides that made me think, “whew!” when we set foot back on the farm property. And we walked up to the dressage ring for some trot work.
Blog readers, by now you can probably predict how the ride went in the dressage arena.
Yes, he was GREAT. Relaxed, responsive, rhythmic. We didn’t ride too long, because I had to get to work, but he was really good.
Scratching my head.
Monday, 3/12/12
And the next day, Wizardologists, I tacked him up in the same tack and rode at the same time of day. There was very little tail swishing when I got on this time. I went out on the short loop with Sunny, and we rode behind them. Wizard was calm, happy, perfect. No nervous chewing, no prancing, no dancing. Happy, flat-footed walk. When we got back to the farm, we rode in the dressage arena, and he was really good. We warmed up at a walk, and then trotted stretchy circles in both directions. Then, we worked on big-trot-little-trot, followed by serpentines.
My HOPE is that he’s finally feeling better from the Lyme treatment, but it is also the exact same time that he always feels better every winter/spring. Plus, they just started leaving the horses out at night last week. Who knows, but I hope this means I have the real Wizard back for the summer.
Wizard Ride 340: Let’s Go Back to Work
Saturday, 3/10/12
I fell into a bit of a funk when my back started feeling funny, and I was only heading out to the barn to groom Wizard and prepare his medicine. I also was pretty wrapped up in some photo projects. But today, I hopped on and had a REALLY great ride!
We rode in the dressage arena, where the footing was shallow and pretty firm. There was actually a little crust over the sand, but when we walked over it, we broke the crust. Right when I got on, Wizard did his unhappy dance, pinning his ears and kicking a few times. But it was a pretty mild version of the dance. As we walked toward the arena, he did a few more kicks. But the ONLY resistance I felt during the entire ride was right at the beginning. He swished his tail when I picked up the reins, but all of his transitions were perfectly willing. I was as subtle as possible with my leg aids, and just kept my hands quiet and “there” for him. We only did trot work, but I tested him with a leg yield each way and a little shoulder in. No fussing, no fighting.
It the Lyme treatment finally working? Is his annual springtime awesomeness showing up and his annual wintertime funk ending? Was it a fluke? Only time will tell. I hope this means we can get back to work. He’s such a fun horse.
Rock and Racehorses: The Blog 