Wizard Ride 273: …But Not Serious
Wednesday, 8/31/11
Riding lesson day!
After watching part of Kris and Sunny’s lesson, Wizard and I had a lesson with Carole. I had him warmed up before the lesson, so we got right to business. First order of business was my position and how it was affecting Wizard at the trot. The big things I had to remember for this lesson were: roll my left thigh out a bit, stop leading with my left shoulder, lift my hands and soften my elbows, and focus on the tempo of Wizard’s trot. Carole said that she asks her young riders to sing their A-B-Cs to regulate the speed of the trot, and I was worried that she was going to make me do it, ha ha! Thankfully, I just sang it in my head and it actually helped to keep Wizard at a regular pace.
I explained to Carole that Wizard and I had been struggling with canter transitions, so she really took some time to work on them. First, she asked for a walk-to-canter transition. What? But ours is terrible! Just do it, she asked. And so we did. And it was actually really good! I have not asked for one in forever because they used to be so awkward. With some careful timing and balanced riding, we got a decent one in each direction. We really worked on the leg aid being part of the walking motion, rather than an awkward tap on the side with my heel (bad me!).
At the trot, we also worked on canter departs. It turns out, I was over-thinking them and we did a lot better when I did not take half the arena waiting for the perfect trot. We did not rush, but we did not dawdle. After just one transition, Wizard began to anticipate, and after a few more, he was doing his war dance. Tempo, count the steps, ask for my trot, and influence him with my posting.
Once we were cantering, we worked on getting me to soften my hands and ask Wizard to stretch his nose out instead of curling it to his chest. Every other stride, I gave with my hands without throwing the reins away.
The plan was to do some jumping, but with all the intense flatwork that we did, we decided to jump next time. It was a very productive lesson. I always get my money’s worth with Carole! We discussed my “homework” for future rides, and I asked how I should approach jumping. Carole agreed that doing small jumps and sets of trot poles during flatwork was a good idea. Do a figure 8, trot a cross rail. Ask for a canter, hop a little jump, and keep riding. Don’t get too serious about the jumps. Let him settle and learn that they are not the most exciting things in the world.
Wizard Ride 272: Swap Meet
Tuesday, 8/30/11
These days just keep getting shorter and shorter. By the time I got to the barn after work, we only ad time to ride the short trail loop again. Our of curiosity, I checked the time. The short loop is 40 minutes, which actually is a reallllly nice warmup before a ride. We rode on the trails with Sunny and Lily, and Sunny led the way on the trail back to the barn. Wizard was really easy-going about being in the middle.
When we got back to the barn, we did some work in the arena. It was a pretty easy ride, walking and trotting, working on circles and looping around the jumps. We did our best to impersonate Lily’s western pleasure jog, but Wizard’s slowest trot cannot compare to her well-trained Quarter Horse gaits.
For fun, Rachel and I swapped horses. It was really neat to see her ride Wizard- I only have trusted a handful of people to ride him. They got along very well. After a few minutes of figuring out the saddle, steering, gas, and brakes, I started to get the hang of Lily, too! At first, I felt like a little kid who was just learning to ride. When I realized that it was basically like riding Wizard but in a western saddle, I did a lot better, ha ha.
The air was so cool and dry that I did not have to hose Wizard after our ride. His coat is getting a very slight plushy feel to it. Fuzzy coats are just around the corner…
Wizard Ride 271: On Fire
Monday, 8/29/11
The arena was damp from all the weekend’s rain, but the farm drains really well, so we were able to ride outdoors. I walked Wizard around the property, and then started our trot work in the arena. He felt a little funny, sort of an odd bounce in his step. I wasn’t sure if he was hitchy or just feeling silly. My hunch was the latter, so I hopped off, stripped his tack, and turned him loose. He ran around the arena like his tail was on fire. I guess being cooped up in a tropical storm will do that to you.
After he got his ya-yas out, I re-tacked him and rode. By that time, Kris was in the arena with Sunny the Mustang mare. We both worked on some bending exercises and transitions, doing circles in each corner of the arena, and working at both the walk and trot. Wizard felt GREAT. He was softer on the bit than usual, and perfectly happy to take a little contact. We worked on circles around the jumps, and practiced change of bend and direction. Our ride was so nice that I booked a lesson for this week :^)
Wizard Ride 270: Storm Warning
Friday, 8/26/11
We had a stretch of nice weather before Hurricane Irene, and I headed out to the barn after work to squeeze in one more ride. Wizard and I hit the trails with Lily, Zeke, and Sunny (all ridden by their respective humans). It was dusky, so we took the short loop again, and got back just barely before it was dark.
After the trails, I bopped around the outdoor arena with Rachel and Lily, and we played a little with riding the horses side-by-side. At my old barn, we used to do drill rides in the wintertime, both to sharpen our riding and to get horses used to riding on close quarters. Wizard made a few grouchy faces at Lily, but seemed to get over it once we did a little more. We walked, trotted, and cantered. He had one moment of hopping around when we got our left lead, but was otherwise pretty good.
In the photo above, Wizard is sporting my phone number, written in cattle crayon, in the event that he had gotten loose during the storm (he’s fine). Since then, I’ve heard from friends and family, and everyone is okay, thank goodness.
Wizard Ride 269: I See A Darkness
Wednesday, 8/24/11
“Oh, we’ll be able to see the trails!”
(famous last words from me)
Wizard and I were accompanied by Rachel and Zeke on a twilight trail ride that ended in total darkness. We rode the shorter loop across the street, and by the time we hit the final leg of the trail, I could barely see my hand in front of my face. Thankfully, Wizard knows the trails so well that he took us back. And Zeke, who is new to the barn, followed us like the promising trail horse that he is. I’m looking forward to the cooler weather, but not these shorter days!
Wizard Ride 268: Mustang Sally
Tuesday, 8/23/11
While Tuesday will be remembered by most as the day of the Virginia Earthquake (mild swaying and shaking was felt here in Jersey), I’ll remember it as the day my friend Kris officially got her first horse, Sunny.
Sunny is an 11-year-old Mustang mare, and Kris adopted her from Helping Hearts Equine Rescue. I’m so happy for them both, and wish them many years of happiness and fabulous rides together.
In the morning, I rode Wizard before work. The weather was STUNNINGLY beautiful- crisp but still warm. We rode in the outdoor arena, which was damp but packed down enough that it was not boggy.
Before my ride, I turned him loose in the arena. The combination of a chiropractic adjustment, a set of new shoes, and a few days off turned him into a racehorse! It always makes my heart sing to watch him run for the fun of it. He ran several laps, punctuated by a few playful leaps.
Our ride was good. Wizard was a little wobbly and chompy, but he felt very powerful and was responsive. We worked almost exclusively at the trot after warming up, doing shallow serpentines, shoulder-in, and leg yield work. Toward the end of the ride, I trotted him over a few cross rails and let him canter out. If he anticipated, we went back to complicated arena work and then tried the cross rail again. We got a few good efforts, in which he focused and did not get too eager.
With Hurricane Irene on the horizon, I’m hoping to get a few more rides done outdoors before we are banished to the indoor arena.
Saturday, 8/20/11
I was at my friend’s barn visiting her and her filly, Brigid. Two riders returned from a trail ride, raving about the weather and lack of bugs on the trail. I hiked while my friend rode in the park, but I longed to ride the trails, and made a phone call to a friend. She said I was welcome to ride Miss Tuesday in Assunpink Wildlife Management Area. Whoopee!
I saddled up (with her fabulous County saddle!) and we walked through the park for over an hour. Due to the recent rain, we avoided the most boggy parts of the park, and rode through soybean fields, woods, a stream, and up and down hills. Here’s a video…
On Monday morning, the chiropractor did an adjustment and acupuncture treatment on Wizard. She said she felt the same soreness in his right hip that my friend felt, as well as a little soreness along the his back on the left. I asked if it felt like saddle soreness, but she did not think it was. She did a few cervical and thoracic adjustments, and was pleased with how he responded. She also liked his topline and neck muscling. After his adjustment, I hand walked him for a while and then hand-grazed him in the warm morning sun.
Wizard Ride 267: Moonage Daydream
He’s come a long way, baby!
Monday, 8/15/11
Due to all the rain, I rode indoors at night after work. Wizard’s weight is close to perfect, and his coat is glowing. Ahh, the low-maintenance days of summer! I’ll be dreaming of the hosedowns, moonlit barnyards, and blanket-free nights by January for sure. Before our ride, I turned him loose in the arena, and he did a little cantering around.
We warmed up on a loose rein, gradually picking up more contact. I tried to be very light with my leg and tried to keep a little more contact with my hands. I tend to let the reins feed out through my fingers- bad habit. I also rode a few laps with no stirrups, something I have not done in a long time. It felt great!
As the trot work continued, I added more shapes and worked on bending and straightening. Trot down the long side, 20 meter circle at E, trot down the diagonal at the end. I introduced serpentines, and then worked on transitions within the gaits. Wizard was still swishing his tail and reacting to leg pressure. I have a call in to the chiropractor and she will be seeing him early next week. When we did big-trot-little-trot on the long and short sides, Wizard got tense, and his stride shortened. I worked him back into being relaxed. Once Wizard was warmed up and working, we rode a rudimentary version of the old Training Level Test 1, including the canter work. Wizard’s canter departs were better than they were last time we rode. We had some good moments, plus it was getting late, so I ended on a good note.
Wizard Ride 266: Quantum Leap
Thursday, 8/11/11
It was another sunny, dry day, unseasonably pleasant for August. Wizard and I started our ride in the dressage court. The footing was a little slick from the recent rain, though, and after warming up, we rode in the big outdoor arena.
I felt less tightness in his back, but he is still reacting when groom him, and I’m putting in a call to the chiropractor for an adjustment. He has not had one in over a year.
A noticeable improvement was how free he was in his shoulder. I could feel him reaching up and out more in his stride at the trot. A boarder at the barn also remarked that his stride looked big.
We spent a good amount of time at the trot, using serpentines and transitions work on balance and straightness. We then trotted in to some cross rails and cantered out. Wizard has not jumped in a while and was LEAPING over even the smallest jumps.
He took off long…
He took off short…
I should have out out more ground poles to slowly work him into the jumping, because he was practically jumping me out of the tack. He was so enthusiastic and so forward. We need to make those cross rails not so exciting :^)
Wizard Ride 265: Figure 8
Monday, 8/8/11
Another perfectly-groomed arena, another day of riding shapes outside in the ring. This time, I set up single poles at the center of each loop of a 5-loop serpentine. Wizard was great through the warmup and all the trot work. We incorporated some lengthening exercises, as well as a little lateral work. At the trot, he went over the poles softly and in a relaxed manner- at the canter, he rushed. I also rode down the center line at each gait, working on straightness, a bugaboo for us both. At the canter, he was tight through his back again, less than he was last time, but still not right. When I groomed him, I noticed that he was a little tight over his right hip. I’m going to have my friend do a massage on him next week to see if she finds any other sore points, and then decide if he need the chiropractor, the saddle fitter, or the vet.
Rock and Racehorses: The Blog 