Wizard Ride 142: Near… Far…
A conformation comparison…
May 2010
March 2009
December 2008
September 2008
Sunday, 5/9/10
Late night, great ride. We rode indoors because the wind was so wild. Our entire ride was about half an hour. The air was chilly enough that I threw an exercise rug on Wizard while he warmed up. The dry air made the footing in the arena a little firm, but it did not seem to bother Wizard at all. We walked several times around the ring before beginning our trot work. We worked on large circles at first, then began some suppling work on slightly smaller circles, then moved back to the walk and did a (maybe 10 meter?) circle in each corner, followed by our usual leg-yielding exercises at the walk.
Since we did a little cantering on Saturday, I wanted to work on relaxing, suppling work on Sunday. My other goal is to do more transitions to strengthen his hind end and improve his coordination. We did a little work with “big trot, little trot” on the long and short ends of the arena. After just two transitions, Wizard was anticipating it and seemed to really relish the big trot, throwing his ears this way and that, snorting a little bit. It reminded me of the Sesame Street skit when Grover does “near” and “far”. Big trot! Little trot!
Wizard Ride 141: We Bad…
Saturday, 5/8/10
For the past few rides, I’ve been thinking about cantering Wizard some more. We have cantered a few times on the trail, but I felt pretty confident that he was balanced and coordinated enough to canter in an arena. And in all honesty, watching all those tough Rolex horses fly around the cross-country course gave me a little fire in my belly. I wanted to be cool like them. Well, a fraction of their coolness would be enough, really. So after a nice warmup at the walk and trot in the indoor arena, I asked for a canter, first on the left lead. He did it. We cantered down the long side and the short side, I praised him, and we walked. Then, we tried the right lead. He picked up the left lead twice, but on the third try, he got the right lead. Wizard’s spirits were up and he was happily snorting a little. I took him outside and we trotted some ground poles on an arc, followed by a little cross-rail.
Yeah, we bad…
Wizard Ride 140: Bo Knows
Thursday, 5/6/10
New shoes for Wizard today. They must be cross-training shoes ala Bo Jackson, since he’s feeling more and more like a hunter-type horse these days. We’ve got a long way to go, but he’s getting softer on the bit and he’s pretty happy doing the huntery nose-poke.
Wizard trotted around in the indoor arena at liberty for a few minutes so I could see how he looked- he looked good :^) Our ride was pretty mellow, working in the smaller back dressage court at sunset. Turkeys were gobbling up a storm in the woods, but he did not bat an eye. We worked on leg yields at the walk, as well as figure-8s at the trot, then progressing to three- and four-loop serpentines. He’s willing to go long and low, and he’s more willing to keep contact with the bit. He is less resistant to leg pressure and his coordination is improving.
The farrier said that Wizard’s shoes are wearing on the outside on the right shoe and the inside on the left shoe- it seems like the shoes are supporting whatever stiffness he had and possibly the muscling is helping to keep him balanced and comfortable.
Wizard Ride 139: Fizzy Wizzy
Tuesday, 5/4/10
My friend Kat rides a Tennessee Walking Horse and when he’s particularly energetic combined with a bit of nerves, she describes him by using the term “fizzy”. Fizzy was just about exactly how Wizard felt on Tuesday. I arrived at the barn after work, dressed for the warm weather. I was in Kentucky for two weeks and New Jersey did not miss a beat. The gnats are out, the grass is green, spring is booming. Wizard heard me walk in the barn and poked his head out his little window and greeted me. I’ll admit, it was rewarding to have him recognize me and check me out.
I knocked two weeks of dirt (he rolled very thoroughly, from what I can tell) out of his coat and hand grazed him for a few minutes while I watched a friend ride. Then, I turned him loose in the indoor arena and, Wiz! Bang! Wizard was racing, snorting, leaping, and squealing around the arena. He was in high spirits for sure. A boarder needed the indoor arena so I brought him in the outdoor arena, where he finished his playtime, running, snorting, leaping, and cavorting. He is turned out every day and overnight sometimes and he plays with JR all day long, so it’s not as if he was not getting turnout time for the past two weeks. As soon as I called to him, he trotted to me… again, very rewarding :^)
I tacked him up and rode him outside around the property for a few minutes, letting him look around and enjoy the cooling air. We walked in the smaller dressage court and practiced leg yielding in both directions. I brought him into the large outdoor arena, where I rode him at a walk for about half an hour while I caught up with a friend. After we chatted, I thought about whether or not I was going to do any trot work or if he was off the hook for the night. As I thought this, he bounced forward into a trot. I must have inadvertently given him a cue that I was thinking about trotting! Such a sensitive guy…
Wizard’s trot was fizzy indeed, first short and animated, a “typewriter trot” as my friend calls it. Then, I asked him to lengthen his frame and stride, softening my hands and seat. He felt like he was thinking about cantering, but his trot became more forward and his stride lengthened. His mouth pressed against the bit, neck arched. I made my arms longer, hands softer, softer still. I tried my best not to let my fingers get loose, just softened the grip in my joints. We trotted and trotted, in large circles, shallow serpentines, straight lines. Wizard began to purr through his nostrils and relax his neck. His head lowered, while still maintaining his forward trot. For just a moment, I felt a really, really nice trot, a dressage trot. As he relaxed into my hands, his trot slowed a bit and the impulsion lessened and we were back to our usual green but improving working trot. Since the footing felt a little deep and he had two weeks off, I kept the trot work short, about 15 minutes total with walk breaks. After I cooled him out, he enjoyed his rice bran and a good grooming. It was a really nice ride, because Wizard was full of pep and because our communication is becoming a little more advanced. These short layoffs seem to do him a world of good.
Derby Fever
These are definitely the two busiest weeks of my entire year. Although I’m virtually inactive on Flickr and this blog at the moment, you can see my racing photos at the Thoroughbred Daily News (TDN) page on Facebook and in the newsletter itself.
The Adventure Begins…
Rolex Three-Day Event. Kentucky Derby. I’ve waited all year for this trip and it starts tomorrow at dawn. Now let’s see if I can get any sleep tonight :^)
Wizard Ride 138: Our Lips are Sealed
Saturday, 4/17/10
Saturday was my last barn trip before leaving for Kentucky for two weeks. I was unsure of my plans so I played it by ear. I arrived at the barn and it was very quiet. The horses were getting their bedtime hay and nobody was riding. I brought Wizard into the indoor arena and let him trot around. The night air was cool and Wizard was enjoying himself. He rolled and rolled in the arena, and playfully leapt around the arena.
I brought him back into the barn and decided to ride. I tacked him up and hopped on. I was wearing jeans instead of breeches, but it was fine for our ride. Wizard was willing and responsive. During our walk warmup, he put his ears back about three times, but listened to my leg and hand. He put his ears back at the trot a few times as well, but the behavior subsided as the ride progressed. I tried really hard not to change my riding when he put his ears back.
Our ride was a sort of test of all we’ve been working on this month. In the arena, there were traffic cones set up on the quarter line, about six or eight in a row. I used them to work on increasing and decreasing the circumference of my circles at the trot, passing through a different pair of cones with each circle. At the walk, I used them as guides for skinny serpentines, walking all the way to the wall with each pass. Our leg yields at the walk have improved greatly. I did two in each direction at the walk.
I also worked on my hands and how they impact contact with Wizard. He tends to chew on the bit when he anticipates something, so I practiced stretching my arms as lonnnng as I could when he stretched into the bit, never feeding rein through my fingers, but instead keeping my hands elastic and soft. I was able to do several passes around the arena without Wizard doing any chomping at all. His mouth was quiet and his lips were sealed. He even took contact with the bit and held it without champing. He’s an interesting guy, because he is very sensitive, but if he’s comfortable, he becomes a little less sensitive.
It was a really nice ride. After about 30 minutes, I dismounted and remounted again at the mounting block, again to break up any patterns. Then I re-dismounted, walked him back to the barn, gave him a good grooming, and a goodbye rice bran mash. Wizard is officially on vacation for two weeks and he earned it.
Announcing… Guinevere!
Although heavy with foal, Guinevere’s dam was destined for slaughter. The proprietors of Camelot Auction in Cranbury, NJ saw the mare and purchased her to run her through their own auction in hopes of securing a home for her and her foal. One day after the weekly auction, she was purchased and plans were made for her to ship to an out-of-state equine rescue. Before she could be shipped, she started showing signs of foaling VERY soon. This is the mare last Thursday:
Her trip was delayed and she had her foal on Monday in a private barn at Camelot. Both mare and foal are happy and healthy.
Camelot Auction- Available Horses Week of April 14, 2010
The following is a list of horses available for purchase at Camelot Auction in Cranbury, New Jersey. You can purchase these horses until noon on Saturday (April 17, 2010). The descriptions are © Project Sage Horse Rescue and the photos are © Sarah Andrew. You may forward and cross-post this information to any websites that may benefit these horses. For a current list of available horses (this list is as of Thursday night) and to learn more about the auction process and how to purchase a horse, please visit this site.
575- Appendix gelding, light bay, papered, foaled in 2001, selling sound, nice w/t/c, easy to ride, went in quiet
$525.00
586- Warmblood (StBd?) cross mare, 15.3 hh, dark bay, ran through fast but was quiet $475.00
587- Senior citizen mare. Led thru, 14.3 hh, very sweet older mare, 3 white socks $160.00
588- VERY stocky QH gelding, owners were killed in car crash, led thru, hasn’t had tack on in awhile but does ride, 15 yrs old, white blaze, very friendly in pen $550.00
… this guy reminds me a little of somebody special (Alibar)…
570- Welsh cross, 14 hh gelding, green but very willing, rode quiet, nice trot, sound, gentle in the pen, 3 yrs old $125.00
566- adorable appy filly, yearling, very cute and extremely friendly, led in, was quiet and well mannered $125.00
585- “Daylon Dreamer” Standardbred 15.1 hh mare, led in and trotted a few steps, said to be sound, 10 yrs old $350.00
590- 3 year old sorrel gelding, led through the auction, not broke, was very nervous but was sweet, we watched a rider attempt to ride him before the auction and he did throw a few buck, needs an experienced rider to break him, he was very sweet and gentle on the ground, someone did an awful clip job on him
$200.00
593- Bay standardbred mare, 15.1, led thru, 13 yrs old, calm, sweet in pen, said to be sound, said to drive $360.00
594- “Ivory Tower” Bay mare, 15 hh, standardbred, led in quiet $390.00
603- Bay gelding 15.2, QH cross, trail rides, needs shoes, off in the front, 11 yrs old, owner lost interest and the barn he was at was selling him for the owner, easy keeper and was sweet $475.00
606- Leopard Appy mare, was a trade in from the Strain farm, walked in, broke but not ridden in awhile, sweet in the pen, 15 hh $250.00
605- Light grey mare, QH, 15 hh, 7 yrs old, green broke but led in, Strain farm trade in, skinny and needs some TLC, mane was knotted badly, small cut between her eyes $210.00
572- Black mare, QH pony, 14 hh, very pretty, nice mover, side passes, 7 yrs old, needs some more training but seemed willing $250.00
604- Warmblood mare, english broke, 16 hh, very nice mover, quiet under tack, show potential, jumps cute, brought in at the end $450.00
589- Solid bay appy stallion, QH, 3 yrs old, just broke a few months ago, was very quiet and willing under tack, 14.3 hh, potential reiner, nice horse, sweet in his stall, $300.00
Wizard Session 137: Cool Drink of Water
Monday, 4/12/10
My husband accompanied me on Monday’s barn trip. I put a halter on Wizard and we took a walk on the trails for about half an hour. Other than some gnats, it was a lot of fun. I took Wizard through the stream of water that he insists is a jump. He again leapt over it, so I turned him around and asked him to put his front feet in the water. It took a few minutes, but he eventually got both front feet in, lowered his head, and took a big drink of that nasty water. Bleach! At least his feet were in it.
We got back to the barn, where Wizard grazed for a while and I did about 10 minutes of free schooling in the indoor arena. He is moving well, so I hope to get one or two more rides in before my trip to Kentucky.
Rock and Racehorses: The Blog 