Wizard Ride 282: Tame the Sun
Thursday, 9/15/11
The only way I seem to be able to ride in daylight is to ride before work or on my days off. I’m loving the change of seasons, but this fast sunset is messing up my game! Before doing my Camelot Auction photos, Mom and I went to the barn and I rode Wizard outdoors. The weather was variably warm/humid and windy/cool.
Wizard and I duplicated parts of Wednesday’s ride, warming up on a very loose rein at the trot. He stretched even more than he did the day before, and I can see those lovely complexus muscles in the photo above. Not bad for a cribber with a thick neck! The stretching works on his neck telescoping mechanism.
Since he was so loose and limber, I asked for a canter right away instead of doing a lot of trot work. It worked pretty well, and we did circles in each corner to keep him balanced and focused. He picked up each lead readily.
When he gets anxious or tries to rush or gets unbalanced, Wizard tucks his nose and goes behind the bit, like this:
I did some more work on loosening him, lifting my hands, and getting him above the bit. We trotted through the fanned trot poles, and then we took the hay bale jump a few times. First, we trotted in, and then cantered it a few times. When he was nice and balanced, I encouraged him to reach by giving a long crest release and lots of loose rein.
But when he rushed or got unbalanced, he got a short release with more contact:
We ended our session on a good note, trotting in over the jump, since he was beginning to anticipate it at the canter. He settled, and we called it a day.
Wizard Ride 281: The Bends
Wednesday, 9/14/11
The weather was hot and sunny, but it cooled down considerably by the time I rode Wizard. Kris and Sunny accompanied us in the big outdoor arena under the lights, on account of these short days! They really sneak up on me this time of year.
The footing was spectacular- just the right amount of moisture, and newly harrowed. Kris and I walked (and talked!) for a good long time before working our horses. I asked for some leg yields and halts before our trot work. At the trot, we did three 20-meter circles in each direction at three different spots in the arena, sort of like a snowman shape. Then, we worked on transitions, walking for a few steps, then trotting, then a slow trot, then a bigger trot, then a walk, etc.
I set up a little series of trot poles- two set up in a regular straight line, and four fanned out so that they were small steps on the left side and very large steps on the right side. When we approached them on a bend, we hit the center perfectly, but if Wizard bobbled, he hit them either long or short. He handled them really well. After a walking break while we watched Kris and Sunny doing their canter work (they’re doing great!), we did our own canter work. I asked for the canter from the walk on both leads. We got a decent one on the left lead and two wrong leads before the correct lead to the right. But Wizard’s canter was really nice. His tempo was fantastic, and he was not getting behind the bit- he was taking contact better. We did small circles in each corner in each direction.
We trotted the fanned trot poles one more time, and then approached a brand new obstacle for Wizard… hay bales! He jumped them beautifully.
Kris and I cooled the horses out, and put them to bed. We were in the saddle for almost an hour and a half, but a lot of it was walking. The breaks really seemed to keep Wizard calm. It was a really nice ride.
Wizard Ride 280: Running Faster All the Time
Monday, 9/12/11
I did not have to be in the office until 5pm (thank you, Keeneland September Sale), so I rode in the early afternoon before work. It was warm and buggy, but comfortable enough for what we were doing. I warmed Wizard up at a walk in the indoor arena, but took the ride outdoors because the arena was watered but not yet dragged. We then tried riding in the dressage court outside, but it was a little wet from the overnight downpours. We ended up in the big arena. The footing was wet but secure enough for trot and canter work.
My three mantras are: Tempo, Contact, and Clarity. Keep the tempo the same. Don’t let Wizard rush. When we go from a walk to a trot, he likes to bounce into a quick little trot. I made sure not to let him run into a trot, and it worked better. For the first five minutes of trotting, his neck was tight and his topline was a little tense. We kept going. We worked on contact. I have gotten much better about not feeding the reins through my fingers. I keep contact. Interestingly, I was wearing a very old pair of gloves that are not very grippy. The lack of grippiness almost helped because it made me actually close my hands on the reins. As we worked on contact, I also focused on my clarity of signals. I’m using the top inside of my calf for leg aids instead of cheating and bumping him with my heel. Wizard is light enough on the aids that he responds. I keep the signals clear, and I am serious about them. As I focused on all of these things, Wizard softened. He took the bit. His back loosened. His stride lengthened, and we slowed to a nice “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” tempo. We serpentined and did large circles, and trotted over two tiny crossrails. After the second crossrail, he cantered and I kept the canter going. I sat lightly in the saddle and worked on contact. I avoided driving with my seat. When Wizard rushed, I half-halted for one stride, and released for the next stride. On both leads, we got a nice “La Isla Bonita” canter tempo. Maybe Wizard can pick a hipper song next time :^P
I’m continuing my work to avoid over-thinking my canter signal, and just roll into it. It’s working, with practice!
Wizard Ride 279: In the Congo
Sunday, 9/11/11
The weather was not as sunny/muggy as Saturday, and there were not nearly as many creepy, nasty bugs. Kris and I went out for a quick afternoon trail ride before I had to get to work (Keeneland sale = late shift for me).
We rode a similar loop to the ride we did on Saturday, but in the opposite direction. Our Jackson, NJ safari began with a deer sighting. Sunny the Mustang led the way in the beginning of the ride, and it was a riot to see her change from her laid-back, placid self when she’s walking behind the leader to the alert, boss-mare trail leader when she’s in front. Her ears are up, and she has a purposeful walk as she marches along the trail. It’s so nice to ride with an adjustable horse like her. We rode through the puddles on the old training track, and crossed the street to the lovely flat cantering lane. Kris said she was ready for her first trail canter with Sunny, so Wizard and I led the way and he leapt into a canter from a trot with little urging. And I waited to hear Sunny’s strides change… but all I heard was a ground-covering trot! It turns out that Sunny has a seriously efficient extended trail trot, and was able to keep up with Wizard’s canter the whole time. We walked the last leg of the trail ride (video linked above), and got back to the barn in time for me to be only a little late for work :^P
Wizard Ride 278: I Would Hurt a Fly
Saturday, 9/10/11
Before I rode, I attended the Helping Hearts Equine Rescue tack sale. Got some GREAT deals, and took pictures of some of their beautiful adoptables, including pretty Laila, who looked like THIS at Camelot Auction a few months ago…
And now looks like THIS…
Although it was a sunny day, the air was still and there were quite a few flies around at the barn. Wizard and I headed out on the trails with Lily, Zeke, and Sunny. Kris had a citronella fly repellent noseband for her bridle for Sunny- the jury is still out as to how effective it was, but it seems like a good idea.
We rode around the longer trail loop and took the whole route in reverse from our usual direction. The entire ride took about an hour, and we had a nice group trot when we reached a long, level path. There were several puddles along the old training track path by a farm, and we used the opportunity for schooling the horses. Sunny showed off her trail skills by handling the water like a pro, and Lily and Wizard were wonderful as always. Zeke was not thrilled about the water- it looks like he will need some schooling with water in the future.
After we returned from our ride, I rode Wizard in the arena for about 10-15 minutes. We mostly worked on a soft, cadenced canter. I did my best not to make a production out of our transition. He rolled right into a nice canter on the right lead, but we sort of ran into the canter to the left. We popped over a little half-cross rail as a continuation of our “no big deal” training over tiny obstacles that Carole asked us to do in our last lesson.
Wizard earned a BAP with the crop, aka Mr. Spanky, when he stopped dead in the middle of the trail one too many times, diving his head down to scratch a fly bite. Itching and walking is just fine, but a dead stop out of nowhere several times in a row is not part of the program. In an emergency, it’s fine, but every time we have an itch, we don’t need to stop in our tracks. When I hosed Wizard off after our ride, I put a chain over his nose in order to avoid repeating his bathtime meltdown from a few rides ago. I did not have to do anything with the chain, and he stood like a stone while I fussed and scrubbed and trickled a little water on his face. As much as I always use a resistance-free method when training and schooling, sometimes the presence of something stronger than both of us stands as a reminder to behave and be safe.
Wizard Ride 277: Ocean Rain
Wednesday, 9/7/11
Ahhhh, more rain. After work, I headed to the barn to ride Wizard in the indoor arena. We rode with Rachel and Lily. Our ride was pretty straightforward, working on tempo and speed. Wizard was keyed up, in control, but still pretty sharp. At the canter, he was STRONG. I was pretty tired from a long week at work, so I did not really have the energy for a full schooling session. We rode for about 45 minutes. I need more sleep, and Wizard needs more work.
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Wizard Ride 276: These Arms of Mine
Tuesday, 9/6/11
Before work, I rode Wizard in the indoor arena. The horses have not spent a lot of time outside due to the rain, so Wizard was quite powerful. Our trot work was really nice, and he got himself onto the bit pretty nicely. Still lots of straightness issues, but we’re working through them. Our canter work, however, was tiring! My arms were aching by the time we were done. Wizard has a soft mouth, but he goes wayyy behind the bit when he gets revved up, so I was holding him when he tried to duck behind the bit, as well as check him when he tried to rush at the canter. The canter work is much more difficult indoors since the arena is a little smaller and the footing is harder than the outdoor ring. I don’t think Wizard was tired by the end of the ride, but I sure was!
Wizard Ride 275: Nervous Breakdown
Monday, 9/5/11
It was Labor Day weekend, and my friends and I decided to go on an adventure out to the tree farm. Christie took Mimi, a mare from Camelot Auction, Kris rode Sunny, and Emily rode Kon. Before the ride, I turned Wizard loose in the indoor arena to let him stretch his legs. He sometimes gets excited out of the longer rides, so I wanted to let him let out a little extra energy if he had it. He did not seem overly energetic, and trotted and cantered willingly but without any fireworks.
We all tacked up and headed out. The flies were out, probably due to the humidity. The barn owner told us about a different way out to the tree farm, and it was a lot safer and a little more direct than our usual route since it avoided the road riding. Wizard was fine on the familiar trails, but got a little hot when we reached the new trail. He was happy on the lead, but I could feel him getting a little bottled up.
When we reached the fencing for the tree farm, we had to walk through a thorny trail to get into the farm. We picked our way into the park, and took a walk to the front of the farm, where there are some logs that are perrrrrrfect little jumps. Emily took Kon over some, and he was a star.
When we walked back around the loop, we learned that the bridge that leads to the main horsepath was out due to flooding from last week’s hurricane. Bummer! We looked around for any alternate paths that might take us in the same direction. We found one near the entrance where we walked into the farm property. The path was more of a people trail than a horsepath, and it did not not look too promising, but we gave it a shot. The very beginning of the trail featured a tiny wooden bridge, with a cluster of picnic tables in front of it. Visually, it was a challenge for the horses, and Wizard stood in front of it, very unsure of himself. He has crossed a much larger wooden bridge many times before, but the smaller one was a no-go. I did not push it, and instead, Christie hopped off and led Mimi over it. Good girl! Sunny and Wizard followed Mimi willingly, but Kon was confused, and was able to cross it once Christie and Mimi went back and showed him once more that it was passable.
Once we got over the bridge, we were on a sticky, slick, slippery, swampy trail. There were small wooden enforcements, which really were not great for horses. All four of us agreed that the trail was not great. We continued on a little longer, but the horses were unsure and slipping a bit. Christie found a spot to turn Mimi around, and we all headed back toward the trail home. Before we got off the slick trail, Wizard got very anxious. He was nervous, and the more nervous he got, the faster his feet went. He was practically cantering in place, and thankfully the rest of the horses kept their cool as Wizard had a meltdown. By sitting quietly, I was able to get Wizard under control enough to stay on the trail. Having Mimi on the lead as I got him settled was helpful, but then he got more anxious when he realized he was in the middle of the pack. This was the first time Wizard had been this anxious on the trail in many months. It took about 15 more minutes before he was back to his normal self, and he was back to being his great Wizard self when we reached the familiar trails.
When we got back to the farm, I asked Emily if she wanted to ride Wizard. She was happy to take him for a spin, and he got along really nicely with her. She’s a lovely rider. They walked, trotted, cantered, and popped over a few little cross rails. He was wonderful, and I was really impressed with how she handled him.
Once he was cooled out, I hosed him off outside in the wash rack. When the water got too close to his face, he had another little meltdown. I think this is a sign that he needs some more work!
Wizard Ride 274: Easy
Thursday, 9/1/11
Wizard and I took it easy on Thursday, riding in the outdoor arena with Kris and her Mustang mare, Sunny. My mom took some pictures of us riding- it is great to see how Wizard is progressing.
Kris and Sunny are doing really well, too! It’s a delight to see her getting to know her new mare. They are a great team.
We warmed up at the walk and trot, doing circles in each corner, and progressing to shallow serpentines. Throughout the ride, we kept things simple and relaxed. I worked on incorporating trot poles and a few little cross rails into the flatwork, as Carole and I discussed in our lesson. The warm air and a long week made me a little lazy, and our ride was definitely an easy one for Wizard.
Rock and Racehorses: The Blog 