Wizard Ride 317: Cowgirl in the Sand
Saturday, 11/26/11
A trailer full of cattle were hauled to my barn for a team sorting event, so I walked Wizard to the trailer with Zeke and Lily to show the cows to the horses. The slats were so high up that the horses could not see them but could hear them. The bumping around caught the horses’ attention, but they seemed just fine with the cows. Maybe some day I’ll actually ride Wizard with cows, but for today, we’re happy to just visit them.
We took the horses on a trail ride and rode the full loop at a walk. The horses were a little snorty and reactive, even though the air was warm and we rode earlier than we did on Friday. We heard a loud gunshot, but the horses were actually fine for that. By the very end of the ride, Wizard settled, and we did a short spin in the outdoor arena when we returned to the farm. Wizard was once again reaching nicely into the bit, and did not do any ear pinning in the arena. He did a little at the very beginning of the trail ride, but this was the least he has done in many, many rides.
This brings me to the photo above… A local embroidery shop removed Drosselmeyer’s name from the saddle pad and added Wizard. It is total horse racing nerd humor and I love it. Plus, it’s a cute saddle pad.
Thank you so much to everyone who shared their condolences and support for the passing of my wonderful father. He is greatly missed.
Wizard Session 315; Ride 316: Doctor’s Secret
Monday, 11/21/11
After work, I lightly longed Wizard, working in side reins for about 10 minutes of a 25-minute session. He was fantastic at all three gaits. After longeing, we played a little with the clicker. He targeted the ball and worked on a few of his “tricks”.
On Wednesday, my beloved father passed away after a courageous battle with cancer. It has been a very difficult time for the family, and it was a devastating loss. I have 34 years of memories of my dad, and I hope to share some of them on this blog. My mother shared 42 wonderful years of marriage with Dad, and we are both learning how to use all the good memories we have of him to gain strength to cope with this loss.
Just as he did three years ago when I lost Alibar, Wizard has once again taken up the role as therapist. His racing name is Doctor’s Secret. Perhaps the doctor’s secret is the equine therapist. Mom and I stopped by the barn on Thursday, and Wizard got to play in the indoor arena, and was quite affectionate with me. Perhaps he could feel the sadness on some level.
Friday, 11/25/11
On Friday, I spent an afternoon at the barn. It was so nice to breathe in the fresh air and spend time with the horses. There is something so comforting about the barn.
Our first activity was trailer schooling. My friend’s dad bought a nice three-horse trailer, and we decided to work on loading the horses so that we were not in for any surprises next time we haul the horses somewhere for a trail ride. Wizard planted his feet the first few times we walked up to the trailer, but then walked on when I twirled the lead rope at his hind end. As soon as he was standing in the trailer stall, we fed him a few handfuls of sweet feed. When he stood quietly for a few seconds, I walked him forward and we exited the trailer down the side ramp. I like the side ramp, because it keeps the horse going forward instead of having to back off the trailer. I loaded and unloaded Wizard several times, and he was great. He got a little excited when we walked down the ramp, but was under control and obedient. SCORE!
I put him on the longe line for just 5 minutes or so, because I wanted to let him loosen up and I wanted to see how fresh he was. He jogged like a western pleasure horse. When I tacked up and got in the saddle, he jumped forward a little bit, forgetting all his manners and schooling. I dismounted and got in the saddle again. This time, he stood quietly. We went on a very short trail ride with Sunny, Zeke, and Lily. We heard some gunshots in the woods so we did not want to get in the way of any hunters. Wizard was pretty frisky for the first leg of the ride, snorting and prancing and being a little “looky” when some deer bounded through the woods. He did the ear-pinning behavior and some kicking in the beginning of the ride, but was done by the time we got halfway through the ride.
When we returned to the barn, I rode Wizard in the indoor arena for about 30 minutes, steadily trotting. We did some circles at the end of the ride, but mostly rode a simple ride. He pinned his ears whenever Lily rode past him, but did not do much of it when we were doing our ride. He felt good, and I was mindful of my contact. I tried not to “drop” the bit, and held contact more firmly than I usually do, and he responded well. It was a satisfying ride, and I was grateful for the doctor’s secret.
Wizard Ride 314: Tonight, Tonight, Tonight
Sunday, 11/20/11
Sometimes, I really love riding at night.
After work, I headed to the barn. Before our ride, I turned Wizard loose in the outdoor arena and snapped a few photos while he pranced and played. The footing was too sticky for a ride, so we rode indoors. Wizard was less fussy about being saddled, and stood really quietly when I got into the saddle (I was less than graceful the day before and he was very forgiving).
The beginning of the ride was once again the onset of his ear pinning and tail swishing, but it extinguished itself for the most part. We rode in the arena with Pilgrim, another Thoroughbred, and his owner. We walked and warmed up with some simple trot work. After a few laps, he began to settle onto the bit. He was actually LEANING on the bit for a little while- it was such a different sensation for him, since he tends to duck behind the bit. We did circles in each corner in each direction, with a leg yield on the long sides. We worked on walk to trot transitions, and then he got tense and did the ear pinning thing a few times. After a walk break, we worked on a little shoulder in, followed by “stretchy circles”. The stretchy circles were a total mess- he was speeding up and not stretching onto the bit at all. Once I got a decent stretch in each direction, I called it a day. Wizard did much better than he did in the past, and I’m curious to see if the ear pinning extinguishes itself entirely like it did in the past.
The saddle seems to be working well for him. I did, though, have a little freakout when I was grooming him. I noticed two parallel lines of white hairs on the right side of his withers. The first thing I thought was that the saddle was causing pressure/trauma and it caused the white hairs. I frantically looked over the saddle for any parts that might be digging into him. I could not find a match, but then a light bulb went off in my head. I’ve been putting his Back on Track mesh sheet on him at night, so I pulled the sheet out and placed it on his back. Yup… the nylon strap that goes around his belly is digging into his withers when he lies down at night, and he usually rests on his right side. Grrrr. I guess he can’t wear it overnight anymore. It was digging into his poor withers.
The night air was a little damp- three days of rain are predicted. I hope Wizard doesn’t mind a few more nights indoors.
Wizard Sessions 311, 312, Ride 313, and Chiropractic Report: Through the Dirt and the Gravel
Wednesday, 11/16/11 and Thursday, 11/17/11
I’m lumping these two days together as one since I basically just turned Wizard loose in the indoor arena and let him go bananas on Thursday. On Wednesday, we had a little more of a planned routine, with some clicker work and free longeing. It rained for two days, so the horses were pretty stir-crazy in their stalls. Wizard was so cute when he was turned out in the arena- the footing was perfectly groomed, and by the time he was done, it looked like I had ridden him for an hour with all the hoofprints in all directions.
Friday, 11/18/11
Wizard had a VERY busy day on Friday. One of his paddock buddies was swapped out for Gatsby, a handsome Camelot Auction graduate. Wizard and Gatsby have very similar personalities, and got along like peas and carrots. They played all afternoon with no excessive biting or rowdiness. With JR, they played hide and seek, tag, and “who can rear up the highest”. After romping all afternoon, Wizard was pleasantly tired for the chiropractor- she was not my regular chiropractor, but she did a nice job and Wizard loved her. He really enjoyed the body work, and was quite receptive to her. She said his atlas was the worst area on him- worse than his back, pelvis, neck, etc. All the crookedness she felt in his pelvis felt old and fused, so she was actually not too worried about it. She said he had a decent amount of flexibility in his pelvis, spine, etc. She was amazed at his Gumby-like ability to stretch his legs, and asked if he had any ligament issues (knock on wood). She also asked if he was definitely 15 and definitely a Thoroughbred. I think she was wondering if he was older due to his teeth and maybe gaited due to his limber movement :^P She looked at the saddle fit and thought it was reasonable fit. She did not think it was too wide or narrow, but recommended shims for his wither pockets. After his adjustment, I lightly longed him to help him hold his adjustment. I put his sheet on him, since it was COLD out, and put him to bed.
Saturday, 11/19/11
The weather was milder on Saturday. I longed Wizard for just a few minutes to loosen him up. Then, I saddled him up… AND RODE! Hooray! Wizard went out with Zeke and Lily on the trails. For the first half of the ride, he was doing his same ear pinning, belly kicking, tail swishing routine. But about halfway through the ride, shuffling through the dirt and leaves, it subsided. We even rode to the hot dog truck, and he was very good. The only thing that caused concern is that he’s still tripping/stumbling on occasion- he did it maybe 4 times during the trail ride. When we got back to the barn, I brought him into the indoor arena for a little ride. There were trailers and people bustling around the arena, preparing for barrel racing. All the activity was PERFECT- it distracted Wizard enough to forget about his ear pinning and fussing :^) We rode for about 15 minutes at a nice, swingy trot, across the diagonals. He was perfect, he stretched into the bit, and I tested him with a good amount of leg. He was responsive and happy.
So was it the three weeks off from riding? The new saddle? The longeing? The new shoes? The chiropractor?
And, more importantly, will it be the same tomorrow?
Wizard Sessions 309 & 310: Ball of Confusion
Sunday, 11/13/11
The arena was freshly-watered and groomed, and the footing was really nice. My friend Kris rode and longed her mare Sunny while I longed Wizard. We followed our typical routine: walk with no side reins as a warmup, then trot with no side reins, then trot with side reins, then canter with no side reins. During our side rein work, I asked for a spiral in each direction. Wizard was perfect. In our last longeing session outdoors, he was cross-cantering, on the right lead in front and the left lead in the back. I see him do that at play sometimes, as well as in deeper footing. In the nice indoor footing, he picked up both leads perfectly.
Monday, 11/14/11
Another nighttime longeing session. I did a little pre-workout stretch work with him, including belly lifts (video here) and butt scrunches (video here). He longed really nicely again. He did a little cross-cantering again, but I was able to get him on the correct lead. It happens mostly on the right hand side.
I noted the sweat pattern on his saddle pad with the new saddle. It is straight down the panel on the right side, but a little patchy on the left. I think it is a combination of his crookedness and uneven muscling. He does seem less snarly about the saddle, so maybe he’s getting used to it and his back is loosening up. I asked for some more stretches after our longeing session, and he did them nicely.
When we were done longeing, Kris brought Sunny into the indoor arena to play with the big toy ball (pictured above). Sunny handled it well, despite her obvious lack of amusement at the large and strange toy. It reminded me of my wintertime soccer games with Alibar- video here: http://youtu.be/M6jV18C5OwU I need to find that clicker…
Wizard Session 308: Soon Enough
Saturday, 11/12/11
Wizard had a short longeing session under the lights in the outdoor arena. I think the new shoes are helping him to be less “chicken hocked” in his movement. His action is not quite as snappy and is a little more smooth and flowy. The footing was dry and a little sandy, so it was not the perfect test.
He did not put a foot wrong the entire time. He longed like an absolute champion. When I tacked him up, he got a little snarly when I was tightening the girth on his right side, and did not really care about the left side.
My plan is to keep working on strengthening Wizard in his new shoes before resuming under-saddle work. We’ll be riding again soon enough.
The dentist floated his teeth on Thursday. I was not there for the appointment, but my friend babysat Wizard and said he was a good egg. He still had signs of a little bit of his “wave mouth” on one side, but the dentist worked on it, and said it was not too bad.
Wizard Session 307: I’ll Be Back Up On My Feet
Monday, 10/31/11
I did another longeing session with Wizard, this time incorporating a trot pole into the workout. We worked in the indoor arena, and did some spiraling, plus work with side reins. I saw him trip one or two times, and it looks like he grew a lot of toe. I put a call in to the farrier to come out a little early in the shoeing cycle since he grew a lot of toe.
The farrier shod Wizard on Saturday (11/5). Our typical shoeing cycle is 6 weeks, but in the summer I do 5 weeks when it looks like his feet are growing quickly. The farrier did a lot of work on bringing his toes back. There was a really interesting recent discussion about negative palmar angles on COTH, and I’m wondering if working on his toes might help the hind end issues.
This is what caught my attention…
Here are some “diagnoses” that are highly suspect of negative hind palmar angles:
Sore back
Sore stifles
Sore withers
Sore hocksOther signs:
Mild hind lameness defying diagnosis
Stopping at jumps
Missing leads
Cross cantering
Heavy on forehandThese are some areas that can either be caused or exacerbated by negative palmar angles behind.
Even more signs:
“My horse needs regular hock injections”
“My horse gets regular chiropractic/acupuncture/massage therapy”
“My horse needs a saddle fitter”
“My horse needs regular Adequan/Legend/(Other) injections”M.W. Myers, DVM
Wizard also get a set of shoes that are lighter in weight and appeared to be smaller. On Sunday, my friend came out and massaged him. He was REALLY touchy in the beginning, but in more specific places. Last time she worked on him, she said he was basically sore all over. He was really resistant in the beginning on Sunday, but once he got into “massage mode”, he was back to being his usual responsive self. I’m going to do a few more longeing sessions and see how he feels to get back in the saddle.
Wizard Ride 304; Sessions 305 & 306: Spooky
Wednesday, 10/26/11
I took another shot at riding Wizard, and put him on the longe line before I rode. Same as all the other rides… looks okay on the longe, is okay on a loose rein with no leg, but gets all riled up when I give him leg or rein contact. Ears pinned, kicking toward the girth with his hind legs, and swishing tail. He’s been on the omeprazole for over 20 days, and I’ve seen no difference. Next step is a visit from the farrier (he’ll be at 6 weeks at the beginning of Nov) and a visit from the vet.
Friday, 10/28/11
At night, on my birthday, before my hot date with Mr. Andrew, I longed Wizard outdoors. He did some leaping around when I first asked for a canter, but was otherwise perfectly behaved. He worked in his surcingle, without side reins during warmup and cooldown, and with them for about 10 minutes.
Sunday, 10/30/11
I longed Wizard at night again, in the indoor arena. He worked with his saddle on, and I had a quarter sheet on him to keep his muscles warmed up. The air is CHILLY, after a weekend featuring snow, and two nights of temperatures close to freezing. Wizard did the same little leap when I asked him for a canter, but then picked up his lead perfectly. I only asked for a few rotations at the canter, since I don’t want to stress his joints on a circle. He longed in side reins for about 10 minutes, and the rest of the time during his warmup and cooldown, he did not have his side reins on.
I only featured the song “Spooky” because it’s Halloween :^)
Wizard Ride 302; Session 303: Year of the Cat
Saturday, 10/22/11
There was a barrel racing event at the barn, so folks were practicing in the indoor and outdoor arenas. It was still light out, so I dressed Wizard up in his Newmarket quarter sheet (bright colors so hunters saw us) and took him on a trail ride, just the two of us. He was goosey while he was groomed, and was swishing his tail under saddle, but stood like a fabulous boy while I got on at a random picnic table- all those cookies worked! Goodness, between the crisp air, the lack of serious riding, and the wildlife, we had quite an adventure! First and foremost, the saddle feels really nice- I think it will be a really comfortable trail saddle. The first creature we saw was a red-tailed hawk, silently navigating through the trees. I asked Wizard for a trot, and he leaped and pranced around so much that I brought him back to a walk for the rest of the ride. We saw at least a dozen deer, plus a truck in the woods where hunters had parked.
With each deer that leapt past the trail and squirrel that rustled in the leaves, Wizard snorted and balled up his energy. I felt like I was riding a keg of dynamite. He did not any actual spooks or spins, but did one of those great spook-in-place routines when a deer was startled by us.
On the final leg of our tense trail ride, a black and white object was barreling down the trail TOWARD us. Was moving fast like a small dog, but was colored like a skunk. It was a CAT. It must have been in a tussle with another cat or something, because it was absolutely flying. I could fee Wizard’s heart pounding in his chest through the sides of my legs as he stood there, rooted to the earth, stunned by the tiny, rapid creature. I don’t remember exactly what I said, but some sort of words came out of my mouth, and the cat veered off the trail and Wizard once again was able to move forward. When we got back to the barn, Wizard was much more settled, and stood very nicely in the outdoor arena as a schooling exercise while people practiced galloping and spinning their horses.
Sunday, 10/23/11
Day 18 of omeprazole. Day 13 of megnesium. Day 9 of nightly Back on Track blanket. Day 6 of robaxin. Now I’m wondering if there is an SI/arthritis issue going on. After work, I nipped over to the barn for a quick longeing session. Wizard was grouchy about grooming, but longed like a star, over a trot pole, and in side reins once he was warmed up. I did not ask for any cantering- just trotting at different speeds, and he was very responsive despite being a little sleepy and grumpy when I got there.
Wizard Ride 301: I Feel Much Better
Friday, 10/21/11
Before making my final-final decision on the saddle I had on trial, I took one more ride in it. Wizard’s demeanor has improved. He’s still a little grouchy about grooming, but not as sore as he was. Every night, he gets his Back on Track sheet on him, and I longed him before I rode to let him loosen up on his own before riding. I did not put side reins on, just let him carry himself how he wanted to carry himself. They had just dragged the arena and the footing was really nice. He went both right and left on the longe really nicely. When I got in the saddle, there was much less fuss and pinned ears than in the past few rides. I got a few cranky faces and swishy tails, but there was a marked improvement. He trotted left and right, and as we did more work, he got better instead of worse. I kept the ride short and sweet, and checked the sweat marks after our ride. The sweat was perfect down each side of his spine, with great spine clearance. Wither tops are not getting pressed by the saddle. The hair looks different behind the withers, but I’ve heard mixed things about that. I made up my mind to keep the saddle (and sell all of my other ones that don’t fit him). Fingers crossed for more improvement. I could really use some nice October rides!
Rock and Racehorses: The Blog 