Wizard Ride 264: Shapes of Things
Friday, 8/5/11
I snuck a ride in before work, in the beautiful weather. Days like these don’t come often in August. We rode outside in the big arena. Wizard was energetic from the lack of consistent work, and did his Seattle Slew war dance for a while while we warmed up.
The arena was freshly groomed, and I took advantage of it by riding in perfect shapes. We did a deep figure 8, and diagonal lines in a diamond shape from gate to gate. It really settled him to vary the pattern. I also let him break into a canter a few times- I usually don’t let him break if we are trotting. But after riding the patterns and letting him find his own stride, he settled. After almost 45 minutes, we got a really nice canter, with excellent contact and balance. Until he found that balance, he was tight over the topline, and I am still pondering if there are any issues. Nothing is jumping out, but it’s on my mind.
I hosed him off after our ride, and cooled him in front of the big barn fans. He’s putting weight on, and he’s looking quite nice.
Wizard Ride 263: Break My Stride
Saturday, 7/30/11
Remembering how energetic Wizard was on our last ride, I turned him out in the big arena before our ride on Saturday. Although he gets lots of turnout every day, he seems to thoroughly enjoy really stretching his legs from time to time. More than any horse I know, he runs for the joy of running, ears up, in big loops.
After his playtime, I tacked him up and we rode in the indoor arena. The sun was strong and I like to rotate arenas when possible. I decided to keep a little more contact than usual. When he’s really relaxed, he can ride on the buckle, but the contact on the bit helps our communication and gets him balanced. It seemed like it was a really good idea- Wizard was much more responsive and balanced than he was in our last ride.
We began with a walking warmup, followed by trotting first on the long sides and then working into shapes- shallow serpentines, figure 8s, circles. We worked into some shoulder-in and leg yield in both directions. I incorporated a little turn on the forehand and we are beginning the first few steps of turn on the haunches.
Once our trot work was limber and forward, we got to the canter work. Wizard was still hot, but not even half as hot as he was in our last ride. I went right back to our exercise assignment: simple changes. I asked him to walk in the center of each change in order to really get him thinking and slowing down instead of rushing into the next canter (me too!). He very easily breaks his stride in both upward and downward transitions if my timing is poor or if I rush him. There was some resistance, but also some significant improvement. My timing is getting better and his transitions are getting stronger.
Wizard Ride 262: Teenage Kicks
Tuesday, 7/26/11
17 days without riding really had Wizard feeling like a teenager. He was F-R-E-S-H! Nothing I could not control and it was actually fun, but my goodness! He even threw what I could call his first official buck under saddle. The neurotic rider in me immediately diagnosed him as having ulcers, a badly-fitting saddle, and SI joint issues, but it’s more likely that he was amped up from the time off and good food. I’ll reserve judgment until we have a few more rides under our belt.
We rode in the outdoor arena under the lights, and the bugs were not bad once the sun set. Riding patterns and asking for different exercises really helped, but the thing that helped the most was letting him canter, canter, canter. Once we cantered a while, he was able to trot. I’ve always that it’s a “Thoroughbred thing”, and it certainly worked for this Thoroughbred.
Riding Wizard was a bit like riding a wet noodle, though, and I knew we were not going to get a lot done, so we drilled our simple changes for a little bit. He’s FINALLY improving. Part of it is me finally getting around to putting in the effort and part of it is him getting fitter and more balanced. We were able to do a few simple changes with him picking up both correct leads. I never had issues with Alibar and leads, but if I don’t cue at just the right moment, Wizard falls apart.
I was really impressed with our final result, though we were both a sweaty mess by the end of the ride. I cooled him off and put him to bed with a pile of nice hay.
Bedlam Farm/Jon Katz and The Rescue Impulse
Many thanks to my friend at Oregon Sunshine for sharing these enlightening links from Jon Katz about rescue and what it means for people and for animals. I’ve gotten a lot of food for thought out of these posts and would love to know what you all think of them…
– Understanding the rescue impulse
Animals are a test of our humanity. They can teach us how to love, listen. They bring us to mercy and compassion. For me, humanity is not about animals, but people. Animals teach me to be patient. To swallow my frustration. To subordinate my ego in the life and needs of another creature. To give voice to a voiceless being.
They are not about hating people. Or judging them. Or feeling superior to them. For me, animals are never abused or piteous creatures, those are labels we put on them to feel better about ourselves. We do not rescue them. They rescue us. We join in this dance together, them and us. We are saved from a life of cruelty, righteousness. From arrogance. From the disconnection and hostility and greed that poisons the lives of people and drains them of peace of mind. – Animals and humanity
Wizard Ride 261: These Old Shoes
Saturday, 7/9/11
Saturday was the summer day that fills our daydreams in January. Temperatures were in the 80s, the sun was out, and the air was dry. Rachel and Lily accompanied Wizard and me on a ride to the tree farm. The flies were not as bad as they were in previous days since we rode in the middle of the afternoon and there was a dry breeze to keep them moving.
As I had hoped and expected, Wizard was even better on his second ride to the tree farm this year than he was on his first ride. He was more focused. The walk through the neighborhood went off without a hitch, and he carefully walked on the shoulder of the road for the brief bit of road riding that we have to do.
At the tree farm, we hopped over our favorite three logs in a very haphazard fashion. Then, we walked over the wooden bridge and rode the horsepath at a trot and canter. Here’s Wizard crossing the bridge:
The trot and canter work was very exciting for Wizard, and he gave my arms a workout, learning on the bit in earnest, hopping and swapping leads as we bounded along. He has a soft mouth, and he did not take off, but it was clear that he wanted to GO.
The horse path is maybe a mile long with a few very gentle hills, and it’s a lot of fun. After our little joyride, we walked the rest of the way through the tree farm. We ended up on an unfamiliar trail, and I dropped the reins as an experiment. Wizard successfully got us back to the main trail, by way of a pretty crazy trail that we’ve never taken before.
On the way home, Wizard walked with a purpose, but was relaxed enough to stop when a family wanted to pet the horses in the neighborhood. Lily was much more gracious and walked right up to the porch for her attention, but I was proud of Wizard for standing reasonably still :^)
As we reached the last leg of the ride, I heard a ka-CLINK with each step that Wizard took. It became more pronounced when we walked on pavement. Wizard’s shoe is loose. He’s actually a week overdue for the farrier (bad Sarah!). I checked out the shoe and it’s not loose enough to pull- just a tiny bit wiggly.
Wizard Ride 260: Hot Freaks
Thursday, 7/7/11
It was a HOT July day. Wizard and I took it easy and did not do any jumping and instead continued tuning up our flatwork.
We warmed up at the walk and trot. Wizard was distracted by the flies, and was not listening to every half halt. I understand that the flies are a bother, but he was tuning out my leg and seat and I did not want him barging through the aids. We trotted and walked every twenty steps. I half halted before the walk, and if he did not respond to it, I held the bit firmly in my hands so he “ran into” it. This took only a few tries before he was once again tuned in to my riding. It really is a joy riding him, most of the time, because he is so responsive. When he gets too wound up, he goes behind the bit, like he did in the photo above, but a little leg and softer hands gets him back into his forward mode.
We then worked on canter transitions. I found that giving him a half halt and then stepping the trot down a notch right before the canter really improved his trot to canter transition. It also helped him to avoid running into it. I worked hard on my leg timing and we only missed the correct lead twice. We did a few walk-trot-canter transitions in each direction.
At the canter, I asked for a hand gallop each way. The second he feels me let him out a notch, the Thoroughbred in him takes over. I love how his tail is out in this photo, and he’s straining against the bit- “Let me go! Faster!”
I cooled him out in the shade of the indoor arena, and hosed him off and parked him in front of a fan until he was totally cool.
Looking back on old photos, I see some good things about my riding. The shorter stirrups have really helped my leg. I’m sitting more securely and Wizard is rounder. Hooray!
October 2010
July 2011
Wizard Ride 259: Transitions
Tuesday, 7/5/11
I warmed Wizard up in the indoor arena in the evening after work. We worked mostly on a large circle, working on engaging his hind end by practicing walk-trot transitions. Once he was on the bit and listening to my leg, we ventured outside and continued our transitions at the canter. Wizard is improving, slowly. After I looked back at the blog, I realized that I’ve been taking it a little easy the canter departs for the past, ah, year or so. Time to move forward.
Wizard Ride 258; Miss Tuesday Ride 2: Bugman
Monday, 7/4/11
On Saturday, I attended the horse trials at the Horse Park of New Jersey. I was hoping to get inspired to maybe participate in a little one with Wizard next spring, but I was actually intimidated, even at the low levels. We have our work cut out for us! I stopped by the barn and gave him some snacks and grazed him.
On Monday, I stopped by my friends’ barn to visit them and their horses. Miss Tuesday’s owner was concerned about how she was moving, so I hopped on and trotted her around in each direction, both on contact and riding loose on the buckle. Tuesday is a lot of fun to ride- she has a nice internal rhythm and is very focused on her rider. And her County saddle is REALLY comfy!
Next stop was my barn, where Wizard and I rode on the trails with Kris and Lawman. Aside from the horrible summer flies, it was a fun ride. We trotted for the middle leg of the ride, and walked the rest. When I got Wizard back to the barn, I did a little arena work with him, mostly letting him go at a relaxed canter.
Wizard Ride 257: Goon Squad
Friday, 7/1/11
After work, I headed out to the barn for a trail ride with Rachel, her mare Lily, Rachel’s friend, and Goon, the new Spotted Saddle Horse that Rachel has on trial for her father. Goon is a handsome horse, and they were interested in seeing how he would do on the trails. We rode the usual loop, about 4 miles. Goon sometimes rode in the middle, and also rotated with me and Wizard and took the lead a few times. It was great practice for Wizard, and he did very well. The deerflies were the worst part of the ride- they get downright bloodthirsty on one sandy trail on the way back to the barn.
After we got back to the barn, I took Wizard for a spin around the outdoor arena, working on an easy trot and canter. Then, I cooled him out and put him to bed.
Wizard Ride 256: Don’s Upset the Rhythm (Go Baby Go)
Thursday, 6/30/11
It was a beautiful day, and Mom came out to the barn with me. After I warmed Wizard up, Carole rode him for a little while. Carole worked mostly in a half seat, sitting lightly and encouraging Wizard to move freely. After some trot work, she got him into a really nice, huntery canter. It gave me hope to see how floaty he can be. Carole is the first person I’ve seen ride Wizard at a canter, and it was a pleasant surprise! Carole has a really nice feel with Thoroughbreds, and Wizard seemed to appreciate her. It was actually really good for me to see that Wizard was playing with the bit with her as well, so I’m not the cause of his busy mouth!
After Carole was done riding, I did a little over-fences work with Wizard. We started with an outside line of cross rails. We trotted in, and cantered to the second jump in five strides. As usual, the first two times were really good and then I began to over-think things and we rushed the third time. Then, I halted Wizard in the middle of the line the fourth time so he would listen instead of immediately focusing on the next jump. It helped me to sit up and focus as well.
He took the line nicely the final time, and we moved on to an outside line on the other side, also five strides after trotting in. We upped the jump to a little vertical. Wizard blew through the line the first time, flat and fast- photo here:
The next time, I worked on keeping the rhythm the same and it really helped. Just focus on the rhythm and the horse will do the rest. I can’t jump for him, but I can make his cantering approach easier for a successful jump.
Rock and Racehorses: The Blog 