Wizard Rides 201, 202, 203: No One Here But Me-O
I started giving Wizard an extra meal of soaked alfalfa cubes because he has lost a little weight. He is a terrible cribber, so his owner decided to try the Dare Collar. Previously, Wizard was wearing no cribbing collar. In the past, Wizard’s owner has tried every cribbing collar imaginable, with no luck. The Dare Collar seems to be doing a good job so far with no rubbing or discomfort.
Monday, 11/22/10
We got a break in the weather and had several days of mild temperatures without rain. I took advantage of the un-November-like climate and rode outside under the lights after work. After several days of riding in company, it was a treat to ride alone and focus on our work. Since Wizard had just done a horse show the day before, I kept our workout light but worked on keeping him limber, asking for him to stretch his topline and free his shoulder at the trot and canter.
Tuesday, 11/23/10
Another nice day, another day of riding outdoors. I headed to the barn before work and set up an extremely simple course of jumps in the large outdoor arena. Most of the jumps were cross rails but a few were verticals, and I set up one line of trot poles so we could work on the exercise from last week’s riding lesson. The course was basic line-diagonal, and one of the outside lines was the trot pole setup. We trotted the first group of poles and then walked the second set. It took a few tries before Wizard got back into the groove of being round and relaxed. Once he was giving me “my” trot, we took the rest of the jumps. If he felt rushed, I slowed him or stopped entirely after a line. If he felt responsive and balanced, we continued to the next line. By the time we were finishing our ride, Wizard was giving me a wonderfully balanced canter. It felt like nothing I’ve ever experienced from him before- he is learning how to balance and focus.
Wednesday, 11/24/10
Before I went to work on Wednesday, Wizard and I headed out on the trails. He was feeling a little fresh so I asked him to trot as soon as we got across the street and onto the main trail. Wizard was snorty and felt energetic and interested in the trail. We rode for about half an hour, mostly trotting and then walking as a cooldown- it was a fun ride. I gave Wizard his hay cube mush and then he spent the rest of the day outside with his friends.
Thanksgiving at Camelot, by Penny Austin
They wondered what was going to happen. The night before had been very confusing. Lots of hustle and bustle. Men had put saddles on them. Men they didn’t know. And ridden them through the ring. There were people there. Some mentioned how pretty they were or how well they moved.
The tall hunter was nonplussed. He confided in the little black and white pony that the few seconds in the ring could surely not impress anyone. And he wondered where the jumps were. He continued his musing, mostly to himself.
The girls in the group, huddled together, each of them trying to impress the others with their past glories. One mentioned she had flown down the track in front of thousands of people. The older one, asked what had happened. The racing mare said she wasn’t sure. One day, they just took her away. She had been traveling awhile. The girls grew quiet. Each of them had had something similar happen. One day, they were loved, cared for, the next they were loaded up and taken away.
The paint in the corner stared out the window, lost in thought, or perhaps lost in memory.
None knew what their tomorrows would be like. Where they would end up. Some were worried. Others, just went somewhere inside that was safe and quiet. Perhaps they hung onto a sweet memory.
The little ginger colored dog saw their sadness, and taking pity on them, told them not to worry, that it was Thanksgiving.
They looked at her almost as one. The older gelding, perhaps the one who had been through the most, asked the dog, Thanksgiving, what is Thanksgiving?
The ginger colored dog sat down in the pen with them and began explaining.
“Why Thanksgiving is the day we all give thanks for the many blessings we have”.
The mares and geldings just shook their heads, most still lost in their confusion. The little pony, perhaps the most curious of the group, managed to say to the dog “we have had blessings in the past, but we don’t know what our tomorrows will bring and we are afraid.”
The little ginger colored dog stood up, shaking the shavings and hay from her bottom, and began to trot off. But before she did, she told the group, still wondering what they had to be thankful for, “don’t worry, my friends, you are at Camelot. You are on a list and a woman will come today and take your pictures. Your faces will be all over the place. Many people will say how beautiful you are and they will show your pictures to other people, and those people will wonder how you came to be here, and they will show your pictures to even more people, and so on and so on. And soon, very soon, your very special someone will see you and say “that’s the one for me”. And they will come to get you. You will have green pastures, and cool water, as much hay as you could possibly want. Oh and the best part, this person will love you forever.”
With that, the little ginger colored dog trotted off happily.
The mares and the geldings wondered if this could truly be. If this “list” really was. And then, while they were all still muttering to each other, a woman came in with a camera. One by one, she took their pictures. And one by one, as each mare and gelding took its turn in front of the camera, a very special thing began to happen. They looked into the camera and sent their love to it, so that whoever saw their pictures would know. Would know that their hearts were loving and their souls were pure. They began to believe. They began to hope.
After all, it was Thanksgiving at Camelot.
©2010 Penny Austin, One Horse at a Time. Visit OHAAT on Facebook.
Wizard Ride 200: Horse Show 1
Sunday, 11/21/10
The day has come… our first horse show! The show was at my barn, so there was no shipping. The show was the most casual I’ve ever done- it was a fun, relaxed schooling show. In my youth, my trainers always made me wear the show coat even at the most informal shows (and on the hottest days!) but now that I’m doing my own thing, I dressed casually with breeches and a vest :^)
Warmup was great- I knew our classes would take a lot of mental and physical effort for Wizard so we kept it short and sweet. I did a lot of walking, getting him used to the weaving and circling of all the horses. We then trotted, working on stretching and making contact with the bit. I only did one spin at the canter in each direction and he (gasp!) picked up the correct lead each time.
I had a very nice support group at the show, including my mom (also photographer and groom), my friend Christie, and my dad later in the day.
So here’s a rundown of our classes and how we did…
Adult Rider- 18yrs or older. English or Western.
W/T Eq Placed 6th. Wizard bounced around quite a bit during his walk-to-trot transitions, but was great with the horse traffic.
W/T/C Eq Placed 6th. They asked for a canter from a walk (oh, hm, we’ve never done that before!). No time like the present, and Wizard bounced into a canter from the walk. Not the prettiest transition, but he had a fair amount of impulsion from the show energy and it was pretty decent.
W/T/C Pleasure Our best class (according to the judge). Placed 4th.
Beginner Horse – Open to horses and ponies in their first or second year of showing.
W/T Placed 5th. I was much more relaxed and Wizard mirrored me.
W/T/C (canter individually) Did not place. Wizard picked up the wrong lead and leapt around a little in the first few strides of the canter. But once he settled, his canter was nice. Problem was, the judge was only watching horses in one spot on the rail and we tended to be pretty awkward in that spot. Wizard was getting a little grouchy around the other horses. I think he was hitting his threshold for attention span. If the last class was not over fences, I would have called it a day. I was proud of his performance in the class but the class was large and in the grand scheme of things, it was probably not that pretty.
W/T Hack with two cross rails Placed 5th. Our best performance (according to me). The judge made a comment about a rider who cantered the cross rails so I made sure to really bring Wizard down to a serious trot between the fences. Wizard was thrilled to jump and I was thrilled with his performance.
In all, it was a wonderful first show. I did not fall off or get otherwise disqualified, and Wizard performed admirably. I’m quite proud of him- it was fun to show off the results of all our hard work.
Wizard Ride 199: Be Prepared
Saturday, 11/20/10
How to prepare for Wizard’s first-ever schooling show:
– tack up
– ride in the outdoor arena
– practice transitions
– practice halting
– don’t ride too long
– untack
– clip whiskers and chin
– bathe horse
– wrap horse up in a zillion coolers
– graze horse outside
– check to see if horse is dry
– give horse snacks in stall
– check to see if horse is dry
– visit barn buddies
– check to see if horse is dry
– when horse is dry, put on sheet and put horse to bed
– go home
– clean tack
– try to sleep!
Wizard Ride 198:Crow
Friday, 11/19/10
I am happily eating crow. I tried a new bit I would have never thought he’d like and Wizard loves it. I borrowed a dee-ring rubber snaffle. He accepted contact more readily and fussed less with the bit. I practiced combing the reins (see our last post) and the two of us seem to have taken a big step closer to contact.
The weather was sunny and cool and we were able to ride outside. My favorite arena to ride in is the big outdoor arena, and a quiet sunny morning is even better. We worked on transitions and riding into the corners, in preparation for a schooling show this weekend :^) Wizard’s canter work was a million times better than it was during our lesson- I’d guess that it was partially due to riding outdoors, partially due to me relaxing more, and partially due to getting a few more rides under our belt this week.
Wizard Ride 197: These Hands
Thursday, 11/18/10
Today, I had my first riding lesson with Carole. She is a local trainer/rider/instructor, and she has many years of experience. One of my favorite things about Carole is her skill with Thoroughbreds; as an owner of a beautiful, sensitive, chestnut Thoroughbred mare, Carole knows the breed well and can practically think like one.
Wizard began the lesson with uncharacteristic goofiness… prancing, fussing with the bit, and resisting my pleas to settle and focus. He was not bad per se, but was quite silly. He skittered around and tried to canter when we were trotting and bounced around, swapping leads every few strides at the canter. Part of the problem was all the time off he had, I think- he has only been ridden a few times this month due to my trip to Kentucky for the Breeders’ Cup.
Carole had a few suggestions about tack: 1) try a thicker bit to help with the fussiness 2) put the saddle a little more forward on Wizard’s back 3) shorten the stirrups by one hole
To put it kindly, my equitation is rusty. Carole (politely!) helped me with my leg, as well as issues with contact. To demonstrate contact points while in the saddle, she placed one riding glove under each calf. I rode at the trot and walk and the gloves fell embarassingly soon after we started the exercise.
We also did some work on our walk-to-trot transitions. I tend to rush him into his trot and he bounces into it. Carole asked me to really focus on a quiet, balanced, smooth transition. It took some concentration, but we eventually got it.
“Combing the reins” was introduced to help with my reluctance to make contact on the reins and also to help with Wizard’s nervous mouthiness on the bit. The reins were held first in my right hand, then my left, with one rein between thumb and index finger and the other rein between my ring finger and pinky. I let the reins slide through the first hand for a few inches and then reached forward with the other hand and took the reins in the same fashion, gently trading hands as I ran them down the reins. It was a wonderful exercise, because it helped me to take consistent contact and it encouraged Wizard to reach into the bit. The contact was neither active or passive, and it was excellent schooling for both of us.
A line of trot poles were set up with one group of three, followed by a second group of three (built up from one)- once we warmed up, we trotted the poles. Wizard bounded over them the first few times, cantering after the first set. Carole asked me to R-E-L-A-X my hands, my arms, and my face and not to rush (Wizard and I both tend to rush through life). She asked us to walk the second series of poles. Wizard was puzzled by this new exercise and it took us a few tries to get it right. We have both gotten pretty bad about hurrying around the arena and over obstacles and this exercise really showed our bad habit in broad daylight.
It was a real treat to work on two things that really improved us: combing the reins and doing trot poles in a downward transition. Wizard and I both got a lot of good from our first lesson.
Wizard Ride 196: Blowin in the Wind
Wednesday, 11/17/10
If it had not rained so much the night before, I would have ridden outdoors. The weather was cool and WINDY. Our indoor arena has wonderful footing and lighting, but when the wind is extremely strong, the arena doors make a little noise. Wizard is not a spooky horse, but the wild wind and the sounds in the arena had him a little on edge today. When we were warming up, he also heard the team of horses being hitched up for a wagon ride in the woods and it was very distracting for him. He was not spooking, but sort of craning his neck to figure out what the sounds were that were coming from the outside of the arena.
We walked for a while, riding in patterns to get his mind on our work instead of the outside world. I practiced taking contact and keeping it instead of feeding the reins through my fingers (an awful habit I am trying to extinguish).
At the trot, he bounced around and fussed for the first minute or so before paying attention to me. As we continued our work, he got much more focused and by the end of the trot sets, he was listening and was on the bit. I could not ride very long since I had to get to work and needed to have him cooled out and dried before I left. Our ride was relatively short and we did not do any canter work since I was on budgeted time.
It took a while to cool him out and get him dried. He is physically very fit, but his coat is dense. Welcome, winter!
Wizard Ride 195: Since She Started To Ride
Monday, 11/15/10
I know I’m addicted to riding when I spend a week in Horsey Heaven, aka Kentucky, and pine for New Jersey. It was so nice to be back in the saddle on Friday, even though I pulled my back pretty badly and had to rest it over the weekend. Miraculously, it felt all better when it was time to ride on Monday night :^)
Wizard looked like he recovered just fine from our marathon trail ride and was ready to go when I tacked him up. Our outdoor arena was perfect- it was holding just a bit of moisture and was harrowed in the afternoon. We rode under the lights in the company of my friend Kris and a fellow night rider. I carefully went over Wizard’s legs to check for any filling or heat, but they all felt great. I gave him a very long walking warmup and did a very low-key ride. Wizard was quite keen for some excitement. As soon as we were trotting, he was truffling and purring excitedly. The cool air and the time off did Wizard a lot of good- he virtually bounced through his transitions and floated around the arena. An unexpected benefit of Wizard’s energy level was his improved trot-to-canter transitions. To the left, he picked up the correct lead immediately and was cantering along like a seasoned pro. To the right, we got the correct lead after the third try. He played a little through the corners, tossing his head and doing a little bit of a fancy sideways crablike move. His hijinks were harmless and kind of fun to ride.
The air was damp but the temperature was mild so Wizard was sweaty after our ride, so it took a while to get him all brushed out and dry. I’m considering doing a trace clip on him to manage the hair in the chilly weather.
She’s got a brown suntan starting just above her collar
Her lower arms they’re brown, but the rest is kinda pale
She’d buy betadine if she only had a dollar
And she’d live out in the pasture if she only had a tail.And no i don’t see her much since she started with horses
No i don’t see her much since she started to ride.Well her jeans they get like a wet saddle blanket
And her boots are like you’d figure
And her car is full of hay
Horses, humans if she had to rank it
You’d bet on they that canter
And them that need fly spray
Wizard Ride 194: Sprawl
Friday, 11/12/10
On Friday, I learned that one can indeed get away from the sprawl. My friend Erin drove up from Maryland with her Morgan mare Belle and picked up Wizard and me for a trail ride in Assunpink Wildlife Management Area. On our last trip to the park, Wizard was extremely reluctant to load into the trailer so I had some concerns about how he would handle himself this time. There were several differences, though, in the trailering situation, so in the back of my mind, I was secretly hoping he’d hop right on. Erin’s trailer was a large, tall, airy stock trailer with no divider- the trailer was a step-up and not a ramp. Belle was already on the trailer, happily munching hay. I walked Wizard up to the trailer and he took a look inside. I straightened him out, and BOINK! he stepped right inside!
YESSSSSS!
I grinned ear-to-ear after seeing him load so easily. He trusted us… it was just the trailer he did not trust last time out.
Erin is a top-notch trailer driver and Wizard arrived at the park happy and interested in our adventures. He unloaded as easily and stood quietly while he was saddled and when I got on. The first fifteen minutes of the ride were a little dicey for him, as he had not been ridden since I went to Kentucky and the weather was dry and cool. We tried a trot a few times and he just about jumped out of his skin, hopping around, and doing a few half-rears. I kept my cool and kept him moving forward and eventually he got the hang of things and settled.
Since Erin had never been to the park before, I was the guide. Before our ride in September, I had not ridden in the park in over a decade :^) We did a few trot and canter sets through the fields. The cantering seemed to settle him the most. He crossed the stream with a little trepidation, but more confidence than last time. The park was stocked with pheasants for the hunters and we flushed a few along the way, but both horses were quite good about it. We rode out past the sheep farm and toward a road. We took a little branch off the road and found a fantastic trail with logs on it, and took a few little jumps. Well, they were little jumps but Wizard took them like they were huge. We cantered down and back up a little valley, and Wizard was excitedly snorting when we stopped. He really enjoyed the jumps!
I was in search of Stone Tavern Lake, which we visited last time. We had some trouble locating it this time, so I asked some hunters. They seemed surprised that we were headed there, and said it was two miles down the road. Wizard and Belle are perfect trail buddies, since they have the fastest walks I’ve ever seen on three-gaited horses. We made short time of the trip to the lake and headed down a dirt road to the shore. The lake looked very different from last time, since we were on a different side. Belle, the seasoned trail mare that she is, stepped right in the lake and looked as if she might dive all the way in if Erin allowed her to do so. Wizard stepped right in the lake, but got a little nervous when the waves lapped at the shore. We took a quick picture of our friends in the lake and headed back on our way. The weather could not have been nicer, and Erin and Belle are wonderful company. I’ve known them both for several years and it’s always a treat to spend time with them.
So how do we get back? Hm. We let Belle have her head and hoped she’d wander back to the trailer. We had been out for a good long time and it was time for Wizard to get back since he is not used to long rides. Locating the trailer proved more difficult than we expected. Wizard is usually no help in these matters, since he’ll just ride along wherever I point him. He did drift a few times, but it seemed like it was the wrong way.
Belle took us to a few trails and a few uncut trails- she was working on a way back, but it seemed to bring us back in a circle. I called my friend and we got directions back. Even with the directions, it took a little while to get where we wanted to go.
By the time we got back to the trailer we had ridden for about FOUR HOURS. I slithered out of the saddle and untacked Wizard. I had no expectation of riding nearly that long! I put his cooler on and grazed him for a little while. He hopped back on the trailer like a pro and we drove back to the barn. I gave him a good rubdown at the barn. I hoped he would not be half as sore as I was!
And who said you can’t get lost in New Jersey??? We got far, far away from the suburban sprawl.
Next Stop: Breeders’ Cup 2010!
Rock and Racehorses: The Blog 