Wizard Rides 177 & 178: Movin’ Right Along
Wednesday, 9/8 and Thursday, 9/9
I think next week is going to be The Week: I have plans to trailer Wizard over to the state park for a trail ride with my friends. I’ve never shipped Wizard anywhere, and he has not been off the property in a long time. I have confidence in him, but I’m also feeling a little nervous about it.
I preparation for our adventure, I took him out on the trails on Wednesday night. We were chasing daylight (thank you, September!) and returned to the barn at dark. He was wonderful during the ride. We had two encounters with crazy deer (a bunch were running around in a field and another crashed through the woods)- thankfully, Wizard takes them in stride. We walked, trotted, and cantered on the trails and enjoyed the break from our arena work.
On Thursday, I rode Wizard in the outdoor arenas, warming up in the smaller dressage ring and doing our jumping in the large ring. He was a little tense in his flatwork- I think I might need to do a few battery-charging, suppling sessions with him. But over fences, he was a star. The distances were not perfectly set up (bad me!) but Wizard is getting better with his jumping and was able to negotiate the jumps with more balance and timing than ever before. One time, I rode him in at an awful distance but he gamely took the jump, showing off his honesty, as well as my need to measure these jumps a little better! My mom took some pictures of our ride- I am pleased to see that I’ve closed my hip angle just a little bit from the last time we jumped. I’ve got all the time in the world, so little bits of progress are just fine with me.
Alibar: Two Years Later…
Two weeks ago, there were 47 horses at Camelot Auction who needed homes. The auction is on Wednesday night, and we have until Saturday afternoon to get private homes for the horses who did not sell on auction night. If these horses cannot find homes during this time, they are at risk for being shipped to slaughter.
I headed up to Saratoga Racecourse to photograph the Travers Stakes, thinking about the horses for much of my drive. I sent a text message to my mom asking if the horses had been sold, and continued my drive north. I arrived at the track and began my photo work. In the paddock before one of the first races of the day, I was taking pictures of horses and people when someone approached me. I probably gave him a blank look for a moment, but recognition flooded my mind as he introduced himself as Dr. Belgrave from Mid-Atlantic Equine. He is the director of the Internal Medicine Department and he worked with Alibar at the clinic when he was diagnosed with lymphosarcoma. I’ll never forget Dr. Belgrave’s compassion during Alibar’s stay at the clinic.
As I thanked Dr. Belgrave for his wonderful work and talked a little racing, I could feel my mobile phone buzzing that I had a text message. After I walked to the track, I checked my message: “ALL HORSES ARE SOLD.”
It was the collision of two worlds: my goodbye to Alibar and the weekly group of horses at auction looking for homes. It has been exactly two years since I lost my wonderful horse. I miss him and would love to still have him around, but it would have been selfish to ask for any more out of the time we spent. We packed about as many adventures and care into our 19 years together as we possibly could.
Wizard Rides 175 & 176: Summer’s My Season
Thursday, 9/2/10 & Monday, 9/6/10
The biggest bummer I encounter when blogging is that the times when I’m doing the most exciting things and thinking lots of thoughts I’d love to share, I’m usually so busy that it virtually prohibits sharing anything in my journal. Between horse racing, portrait work, rescue work, riding and everything else I do in life, the summer is ending on a REALLY busy note.
On Thursday, I started my ride outdoors, but the flies were awful so we moved the ride indoors. I did not get much done for the most part, but at the end of the ride, Wizard gave me some of the nicest canter work ever. He was round and soft with nice engagement, and his trot-canter transitions were much improved.
On Monday, we rode outside in the large arena at night under the lights. It was another easy ride, and we had a few more awesome transitions. Wizard is getting much better at moving from a strong sitting trot into a canter. He can sometimes go into a canter without the awkward rushing. We did a little hand-gallop work and I popped him over a few little cross rails and trot poles.
As an aside, little Beatrix is growing into a beautiful cat. She is 100% healthy now and shook off the virus like a champ. She is the most charming little kitten ever.
And now, to keep appreciating every last bit of summer before it ends….
Wizard Ride 174: Suzie Hehn Clinic
Thursday, 8/26/10
After such a long time with any riding lessons and just a camera to tell me how Wizard and I look, it was such a positive experience to have an experienced horsewoman evaluate and work with us. Suzie Hehn is a local judge, as well as a wonderful rider.
The focus of the clinic was on working toward a successful experience in the hunter ring, but dressage and other disciplines were discussed as well. There was a very nice balance of evaluation of the ability of horse and rider, exercises for improving horse and rider, and the overall impression that the horse and rider would give in the show ring.
My clinic session was a flat class, working at the walk, trot, and canter. She was pleased with our walk, especially since Wizard’s walk is purposeful and balanced. At the trot, she first evaluated my position, and then worked on how to get a more balanced ride out of Wizard. One of the most important pieces of information I gleaned from the clinic was that my hands are a little shaky. She saw some movement in them at the trot at times and thought it might be contributing to Wizard’s busy mouth- he tends to over-work the bit sometimes. I could never really see it in photos, but it made a lot of sense. Once I really concentrated on “posting into my hands” and keeping them truly still and soft, Wizard responded. Sometimes little details like that are impossible to feel from the saddle without a pair of eyes on the ground.
Bitting was also discussed, and I’m planning to keep trying bits to see what Wizard likes best. Suzie also agreed that trying different adjustments on the cheekpieces of the bridle was a good idea- some horses like the bit to float lightly in the mouth and some prefer more stability.
Our session consisted of four horse/rider pairs, including us. It was a hugely helpful training experience to ride in a group and it made me much more confident for future show experiences. Wizard was absolutely perfect at the walk and trot, and got a little keyed up at the canter but settled really nicely in the group. For most of the clinic, canter work was done in pairs or individually, but all four of us did canter at one point and Wizard exceeded my expectations.
At the trot, it was suggested to take a little more contact of the bit. It seemed counterintuitive to the work I’ve been doing with “floating” the reins and trying to get Wizard moving forwardly, but the contact seemed to relax him into a nice rhythm and it balanced him nicely. It’s the same advice I received from a friend out west who rides dressage- now that two respected and experienced horsewomen have suggested it, I need to really take the advice seriously :^) Our speed was also appraised- Suzie felt that I might be able to get a little more impulsion going and a more blanced trot by slowing our speed down just a tic. My work on forward and soft is creating great results, but it’s time to take more contact and expect a little more from the horse.
At the trot, Suzie introduced lateral work, first as a leg yield, then as a shoulder-in. To the right, Wizard’s work was quite nice. I grinned from ear to ear when Suzie remarked that it was obvious that we do a lot of work on these movements. We did a leg yield off the wall to the quarter line, and then back to the wall in each direction. We worked on shoulder-in down the long side of the arena. I was reminded that it’s okay to exaggerate my inside and outside legs during this work, and it was quite effective when I slid my leg back a little more than usual in each direction- I could feel Wizard really bending around me.
Circling was discussed, and Suzie encouraged me to invite Wizard into more circles at the canter as we gain balance and a more steady tempo. I could feel him getting strong when we left the circles, but a half halt brought him back to me reasonably well. Below is a video of a little bit of canter work, and you can see him resisting my half halt a little and then responding- I was a little too messy with my hands.
This was the first time I’ve seen myself on video riding Wizard; this, too, was extremely helpful… and humbling. Sometimes I feel much more balanced than I really am. From seeing this video, I realize I have a long way to go- I also realize that I need to exercise more and lay off the carbs!
As an aside, YouTube has a funny feature that allowed me to do an audio swap and add music. I chose Magnapop, a band I fondly remember from high school/college. Another artist available for these audio swaps is Mike Ferraro, who is releasing a full-length album soon with a band which includes my husband :^)
The clinic was a fantastic experience, both for schooling Wizard and for receiving excellent comments and suggestions. Onward and upward!
Wizard Ride 173: Stay Loose
Wednesday, 8/25/10
Wizard was treated to another massage session by my friend. She’s tuning up for her certification exam. She felt some changes and some things stayed the same. There was still some back soreness, but it was on the sides of the back, not up by the spine.
Wizard was all loosened up for our ride and it was great. I felt the same result from the massage that we did last time- he was straighter and stronger than he is without one. Our ride was very mellow and easy, mostly keeping soft and riding easy patterns. Our riding clinic was the following day so I did not ask for a big physical or mental effort.
I rode him in my old Myler Comfort Snaffle (the unported one, without hooks). It’s a bare-bones bridle and Alibar used to ride nicely in it. I tried it a year ago on Wizard but he fussed like crazy with it. This time around, he rode well in it. I’m planning a few more rides in it. Perhaps he is getting a little more advanced as a riding horse and can maintain better contact with the bit.
Wizard Ride 172: I Can’t Wait
Friday, 8/20/10
I rode Wizard in the indoor arena in the evening. Although it was a late night, we were not the last ones out of the barn. A boarder was showing in the Monmouth County “AA” Horse Show the next day and her horse was getting his mane braided. Although Wizard and I won’t be spending any time at a show of that caliber, it made me think of our upcoming clinic and any potential horse shows on the horizon…
It’s a huge thrill to be considering such fun projects, but it also gave me the jitters. Have I created any gaps in Wizard’s training? Is he really ready for all these plans? Is he still considered “green”? I rode through some of our usual exercises as a barometer of our training, doing forward work, transitions within gaits, and some lateral work at the walk, trot, and canter. Wizard felt much better than he did two rides ago, and any of his anxious behavior was gone. Hopefully that night was a fluke- perhaps he had a bellyache or he hated the different tack or something.
The hardest thing we’re doing these days is shoulder-in. I’m a much stronger rider to the right and my leg and seat and hand cues are better timed and more effective; therefore, shoulder-in and leg yields to the right are better than the left. This actually works out well, though, since most horses (and riders, from what I can tell) prefer to travel to the left. Perhaps my left-handedness plays a part in this. Whatever it is, it creates a decent lateral repertoire to one side and not to the other. I really concentrated on our work to the left, trying to straighten my seat and shoulders. Another issue I battle is riding with a caved hip and crooked shoulders. I aligned myself several times during the ride.
The canter work was quite nice, with Wizard picking up his leads with reasonable ease. We trotted some ground poles, did some closing stretching exercises, and cooled out. I’m a little jittery when I think about our future plans, but when I’m in the saddle, I can’t wait.
Wizard Ride 171: Caught by the Fuzz
Thursday, 8/19/10
After a so-so ride on Wednesday night, I put Wizard’s fuzzy girth back on him and we had a nice ride. It’s hard to say exactly what the problem was last night, since he was not acting uncomfortable for this ride. The cut on his leg did not sting as much as it had scabbed over and he was not gassy at all. Perhaps it was just an “off” night for him…
We rode in the outdoor arena, working on some bending exercises at the trot and a little hand gallop work at the canter. I took him over a little jump, but the results were nothing to write home about. There were no extra poles so I could not build a trot-in pole or anything for the canter-out. He jumped willingly and nicely, but it was not exactly a training experience- mostly, it was us hopping over a jump a few times.
But there is some big news to report.. a local judge is holding a riding clinic at the barn next week and I signed up to ride Wizard in it! We’re officially taking a big step forward in our training.
Wizard Ride 170: NQR
Wednesday, 8/18/10
Wizard cut the front of his left hind cannon bone, right where he has an old scar. The cut was not deep, but it took off a good amount of skin. He was 100% sound on the leg and there was no heat or swelling so I decided to ride him. I put polo wraps on his legs to keep dirt from getting in the cut. I also rode him in a different saddle pad configuration- I usually ride him in a sheepskin pad with a Thinline pad between the sheepskin and the saddle. But on Wednesday, I rode him in a Lettia waffle-type pad with a gel pad over it. I also rode him in a neoprene girth instead of our usual fuzzy girth, mostly as an experiment after reading this post on the Chronicle of the Horse forum.
When we walked and began our trot work in the indoor arena, Wizard felt fine, but as our session progressed, I could feel tension. He tripped once or twice, and was very gassy. I stopped the ride to remove the polos, just in case they were bothering him (I’m not the world’s best polo-wrapper since I was blessed with Alibar, a horse with perfect legs, for 20 years). But even with the polos removed, he was still tight and tense. He never really stretched into the trot work, and his canter work felt like we were backsliding about 4 months. I did not push the issue, and when I got an acceptable and reasonably relaxed trot, I called it a night. I rode for about half an hour.
His appetite was 100% perfect, but he was definitely gassy. I scrubbed the leg, gave him his bedtime Dengie, and put him to bed. Hopefully it was a flukey night. Those happen to the best of us.
Wizard Ride 169: The Spa
Saturday, 8/14/10
The Spa in August… No, not The Spa as in Saratoga, the spa as in Wizard’s wonderful massage session!
My friend is working on her equine massage certification and has been practicing on a variety of horses. On Saturday, Wizard was a lucky recipient. This was his first-ever massage, but he was familiar with body work since the chiropractor has worked on him several times over the past year and a half. Basically, it was adhesions on the left and muscle soreness on the right. On the left side, my friend found adhesions on the left side on his shoulder, tensor fascia latae, and fascia latae. On the right side, there was some muscle soreness in the shoulder, glutes, biceps, femoris, tensor fascia latae, fascia latae, semi tendinous, semimembranous, and inside thigh, as well as a few spots on neck and back. Click here for muscle groups. All of the areas she found went hand-in-hand with the issues the chiropractor has found in the past, as well as the issues I feel under-saddle. A few times, Wizard backed away when she was working on the sore spots, but he also sighed, licked, and chewed when things felt good. He’s so expressive.
The big test of the massage was how he felt afterwards. I rode for about 20-30 minutes and he felt GREAT! The ride was simple and relaxed, working in a loose and forward frame. I encouraged him to stretch as much as possible since his muscles had just been worked on. The biggest thing I felt about the ride was that I was able to maintain my own position extremely effectively, and I deduce that it was because he was more comfortable. He was straighter and stronger than usual. He comfortably picked up each lead in just two tries.
There was an S-curve of jumps set up in the outdoor arena, first two cross rails and lastly a small vertical. I started out warming up over the X and then put together the S-curve, trotting to get the correct lead if he was on the wrong one. Our work with the trot-in and canter-out poles is helping him learn distances. He took a long distance a few times, which is fine by me since it felt confident and comfortable.
The results of the massage were clear and it was a good indication that a horse like Wizard responds nicely to body work. It also spoke volumes for my friend’s hard work!
Camelot Auction: Eight Months Later
An incredible thing is happening in New Jersey- a giant network of horse people is pooling resources and finding homes for hundreds of horses. This network has gotten the word out across the country, and has even crossed the Atlantic Ocean. Every Wednesday night, Camelot Auction runs its sale in Cranbury, NJ. Riding horses, livestock, and tack are all sold throughout the evening. The horses who are unsold and without a reserve price run the risk of being sold to the feedlot and being shipped to slaughter. In an effort to find homes for these horses, a network of equine rescue groups have created a system of cataloging, photographing, and disseminating information about these horses. The information is shared via Facebook, message boards, blogs, and word of mouth. Helping Hearts Equine Rescue began the organized effort in November 2009, but has been working with the auction to pull horses in need long before then.
The success of the Camelot network has a lot to do with how the auction is run. The proprietors are very professional and helpful. Unlike most other auctions, they are willing to work with equine rescue groups. Many of the horses sold at the auction are riding horses, either for show or pleasure, and the folks at Camelot take good care of their stock while they are on their property. The excitement is on Wednesday nights, and the horses are grateful to rest on Thursdays. Some have traveled many miles across many states and through several auction rings before they get here. They get some good sleep, and they groom one another.
The pens are clean and bedded with shavings, with ample room to walk around and lie down. Horses have access to hay and water at all times. All horses are sheltered from the heat and cold, and more importantly, the ventilation is excellent. In the summer, fans cool the horses. If a horse cannot be with other horses for health or behavioral reasons, the horse is stalled. Medical care is administered to horses who are ill.
In January 2010, I began my work photographing horses at Camelot Auction. In February, I shared my initial experiences and observations (click here to read). As an independent volunteer, I go to Camelot every Thursday and photograph all horses who were unsold on auction night. I edit the photos and post them online in order for the horses to be networked until the Saturday afternoon deadline. Since November 2009, not a single horse in this networking effort has shipped to slaughter from Camelot.
I’ve photographed many hundreds of horses; by my rough estimate, roughly 15% are Quarter Horses, 10% are Paints (or stock-horse-type Pintos) 7% are Thoroughbreds, and well over 30% are of unknown heritage. I’ve laid eyes on a few exotic breeds, over a dozen warmbloods, and many mules. I’ve seen miniature horses and 18-hand drafts; weanlings to horses pushing 30; colors from the pearliest cremello to the deepest ebony black; registered horses with a show record to unhandled youngsters.
As an equine photographer, my Camelot work puts me through my paces. Breaking horsey photo rules is necessary due to the environment. I shoot with a 17-55mm lens and a flash, instead of my trusty 70-200mm and natural light. The exposure changes with every single shot. My ISO is cranked quite high. I don’t use the same angles that I do for my usual farm calls, since I only post two photos of each horse: a body photo and a headshot. These horses are not being held- they are loose. My images are honest- if a horse has a crooked leg, there is nobody standing him just-so to make it disappear into the photo. My lifetime of riding and working with horses comes into play as well; I am always mindful of my safety and the safety of the horses. The proprietors look out for me and tell me when I need to take extra care around an especially skittish horse.
The stories of the horses in the auction could fill a book, from a filly being born to the blue-blooded horses who have been returned to their grateful breeders to the high drama among the rescue groups. These horses have gotten some media coverage and I’ve traveled across the state to visit them after they have arrived at their new homes. There are still many unanswered questions about homeless horses, slaughter, euthanasia, ethics of rescue groups, shady Craigslist dealers, and equine overpopulation. It is helpful to consider all of these issues, and it is even more helpful to set a foot in the direction of change.
My work at Camelot has influenced my work as a professional photographer. The equine photography industry is comprised of many followers and just a few leaders. The dedication, energy, and heart that it takes to make this Camelot network thrive is fueled by innovative and caring individuals. If you are interested in making a difference, my challenge to you is to blaze your own path, share your unique and creative vision, and use your talents to help other horses in need.
Rock and Racehorses: The Blog 