Of Bare Feet, Bounce Castles, and Keratex
Wizard’s wintertime barefoot transition timeline:
Friday, 12/18/09: Shoes removed. Ground was frozen and Wizard was footsore. I felt awful that I did not pull them sooner when the ground was softer. Keratex Hoof Hardener applied when possible.
Saturday, 12/19/09: In a fortunate (for Wizard!) turn of events, we got well over a foot of snow. The snow seemed to make his feet more comfortable, as well as cushion him as his feet got used to being bare again (he was barefoot for a few years before I started riding him but he has very thin soles). I walked him in the indoor arena for a few minutes and he was sore but willing to walk a little bit.
Monday, 12/21/09: After being stalled during the big snowstorm, Wizard was perfectly comfortable on the snow and romped and played.
By Wednesday, 12/23/09, Wizard was more comfortable on hard and soft footing. The combination of the Keratex and the soft support of the snow seemed to help things along.
I shot these little videos on Saturday, 12/26/09. Seeing Wizard comfortably romp in the indoor arena reminded me of my nieces playing in their inflatable bounce castle on Christmas Day. Foot crisis averted!
Wizard Ride 122: “Mary” Christmas
Thursday, 12/17/09
Mary the Morgan was kind enough to do a little Santa hat modeling. We were working with the last shreds of sunlight but ended up with some nice images.
What started out as a quick barn trip ended up being a really productive session with Wizard. I expected to do a little groundwork and go home but Miss Tuesday‘s owner came to the barn to ride so I had a riding buddy. Since Wizard was looking a little stiff, I put a quarter sheet on him, as well as my Thermatex cooler/rug to warm up his muscles. We did a but of hand-walking, followed by some low-key longeing. After longeing, I attached long lines to the bit and did a little ground driving/long lining with him. He is getting much better about being worked on his right side. He stopped a few times but I was able to keep him forward and relaxed without a whip, just my voice. We did serpentines and circles and added a few halts. It looked like he had loosened up and he was quite responsive so I mounted up and rode for a quick ride at the walk. We rode in a large oval and I concentrated on keeping him loose and relaxed. It felt good to ride him again :^) He has an appointment to have his shoes pulled on Friday so he will be barefoot for the rest of the winter.
Sarah Andrew: Top Ten Horse Races I Shot This Decade
As the decade rumbles to a close, the Top Ten lists are pouring in from all corners of the Internet. The horse racing world is debating the merits of every aspect of the sport, from trainers to jockeys to owners to horses to individual performances. I’ll leave the speed figures and analysis to the experts and discuss something I know: the best races I shot this decade.
A note to the purists: this list is not a true representation of the decade. In 2000, I was one year out of college and aside from a few summertime visits to Monmouth Park, I spent most of my time as a racing fan watching televised broadcasts. 2003 was the year I started spending more time at the track and since then, I’ve never looked back.
Although I’ve always been artistically inclined, I only had instant cameras and borrowed point-and-shooters until I purchased my first SLR in 2006. My mind was seeing fantastic images but the photos themselves were abysmal until about three years ago. Perfect portraits of With Anticipation swirled through my mind but all I could get was a sloppy wide angle of him in the Monmouth Park paddock. But this should give hope to the people who complain that they do not have the right gear :^)
So these are the top ten races I shot this decade, not by some mathematical measure of speed, but instead by how powerful the races were to me as a racing fan and a budding photographer.
10) Azeri: 2004 Go For Wand Handicap. From the West Coast, The Champ swept in and ran hard every time. She was defeated by Storm Flag Flying in the Personal Ensign, but that was almost as cool because I loved both mares. Azeri is as game as game can be and she simply turns away all challengers in this performance.
9) Ginger Punch: 2007 Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Another race in which a top mare shows the field who is the boss, except they take a mud bath in the process. This was my first Breeders’ Cup shooting as a credentialed photographer and when I look at this image, I can still feel the electricity I felt that rainy, rainy, rainy weekend. It’s also the only racing photo of my own that I have framed and displayed in my apartment ;^)
8 ) Lost in the Fog: 2005 Bay Shore Stakes. Bellamy Road won the Wood Memorial the same sunny day at Aqueduct, but this race made me a believer in Lost in the Fog. As he was led toward the paddock, he stopped for just a moment and looked at the crowd. His wicked, wicked speed made him the coast-to-coast king of the Sprint Division until he was stricken with the same form of cancer that claimed the life of my horse, Alibar.
7) Goldikova: 2008 Breeders’ Cup Mile. All week long, I tried to get good photos of the French filly exercising on the track. My photos were just-okay… she was small and feisty, and not at all what I expected. She flipped her head a lot. As the gate sprung open for the Mile, I kept my faith and my camera focused on her. She is fierce in this image, poised for glory and not at all the fussy filly of the mornings.
TIED at 6) Henny Hughes: 2006 Jersey Shore Breeders’ Cup Stakes
TIED at 6) Ghostzapper: 2004 Iselin Handicap. Both of these performances share a theme: a superstar New York-based invader trouncing all over the New Jersey competition. Henny Hughes won on a crisp, clear July afternoon in 2006 and Ghostzapper won on a muddy, murky day in ’04. Both horses toy with their competition for just a stride or two before launching into warp speed and crossing the wire alone. Bobby Frankel kept Ghostzapper in the saddling stall before the race, not circling the paddock until it was time to go to post. Ghostzapper was tense, working his bit feverishly with his teeth. Frankel and his team did everything in their power to keep him calm and prepare him for his race. In the parade, he became more animated and I saw a spring in his step. The rain did not stop for the race and there were just a handful of people on the rail for his performance. Ghostzapper was a mudskipper, running a hole in the wind in one of the mightiest displays of raw speed I’ve ever seen.
5) Birdstone: 2004 Belmont Stakes. It was a tough call between this race and Birdstone’s Travers. Seeing this diminutive powerhouse silence the Smarty Party just edges out seeing him cross the wire through sheets of rain at Saratoga as lightning illuminated the black sky. In this photo, you can just see the outline of Smarty Jones- he is eclipsed by Birdstone.
4) English Channel: 2007 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational. I was lucky enough to be borrowing Bud Morton’s 300mm lens and shooting the top of the stretch for this one. In one of the finest displays of equine grit and determination, English Channel makes a path where there is none and motors away, expertly piloted by John Velazquez. One of my all-time favorite races.
3) McDynamo: 2007 Breeders’ Cup Steeplechase. The tears that flooded my eyes as the mighty McDynamo won his fifth consecutive Breeders’ Cup Steeplechase almost prevented me from getting these shots. Long live the King of Far Hills.
2) Rags To Riches: 2007 Belmont Stakes. I would have sworn the Belmont Park roof was blown off the building from the roar of the crowd as the super-filly defeated Curlin.
1) Zenyatta: 2009 Breeders’ Cup Classic. Perched on my ladder, I held my breath and fired frames of Zenyatta winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic. The place went wild. Greatest horse I’ve ever photographed, greatest race I’ve ever witnessed. Pure poetry.
Wizard Session 121: Poll of Inaccesibility
Sunday, 12/13/09
Pole of Inaccessibility: A pole of inaccessibility marks a location that is the most challenging to reach owing to its remoteness from geographical features which could provide access. The term describes a geographic construct, not an actual physical phenomenon, and is of interest mostly to explorers.
Poll of Inaccessibility: The tippy-top of Wizard’s head, where he sometimes allows me to touch him and sometimes refuses to let me touch him.
It’s the strangest thing. I can usually rest my hand on Wizard’s poll with no problem but every so often, he twists his neck away from me rather quickly and will not hold still no matter how slowly I approach him. I did a little clicker work with him (about 3 times) and left him unhaltered for the process. It seemed to work very well. It will be interesting to see if he becomes more tolerant of handling around his poll or if it is a physical issue.
This spring, I noticed something in the way Wizard walks on concrete: he swings his hind legs up a few inches before they set down. Fibrotic myopathy? Hamstring injury? I never got a good read on the cause of it, but I could see it again tonight. He was not as interested in playing in the indoor as he usually is, but here’s a little video of him trotting. He has become quite good at trotting in a circle around me:
Paris Ride 3: Kittenlicious
Thursday, 12/10/09
I admit it: there are fringe benefits to riding Paris, aside from the fact that she is a gorgeous, classy mare. 1) I get to spend more time with my friend Sarah and 2) I get to spend time with Pumbaa and Timon, the barn kittens. The kittens are a joy to watch. Every object in the barn is a new jungle gym and new kitten games are invented every hour. My favorite kitten games are The Saddle Game (“I’ll hide under the saddle and swat you as you walk by”), The Mounting Block Game (“I’m the king of the mounting block and you are not”), and The Lead Rope Game (“Look! It’s a giant snake! Attack!”).
Today’s ride was another edition of gaining fitness and flexibility for Paris (and me). We had a long walking warmup (15-20 minutes), followed by trot work. I am gradually adding transitions into our schedule. Paris is a lovely, big-moving mare and her walk-to-trot feels very different from the Thoroughbreds I’ve been riding lately. We schooled with some figure 8s and I asked for a few halts during our walk work. My plan for the weekend is to sneak out to the barn on either Saturday or Sunday and keep warm!
Paris Ride 2: The Shoe is on the Other Foot
Tuesday, 12/8/09
Before my ride, I visited Wizard and we played in the indoor arena for a little while. His weight looks great and he seems quite chipper with our all-play and no-work schedule.
My fabulous farrier already put Paris’ shoe back on her so she was ready to ride when I got to the barn with my mom. I longed her for just a few minutes to see if she had any playful exuberance she needed to get out due to having a lot of time off from riding. She gave one big playful leap but was otherwise quite businesslike. She is one of those mares who does not play much during turnout time, but she is young and fit so she seems to enjoy a wild moment or two.
Our ride was brief since I am slowly building up her condition, but it was quite enjoyable. The whole ride lasted about 20 minutes. I started with a walking warmup, practicing changes of direction and getting a feel for how much contact she likes. I also allowed her to stretch downward quite a bit. When she moves from a walk to a trot, she takes a BIG step forward. She is quite a powerful girl. We did a few transitions during our trot work- they were a little slow but I think her improved fitness will lead to more graceful work. For now, I’m getting a feel for her and letting her get used to me as well.
Paris Ride 1: Off to a Flying Start
Sunday, 12/6/09
As I watched the strapping Holsteiner mare performing an intricate series of leaping, crowhopping, kicking, and sunfishing on the longe line, I wondered if I could stay in the saddle for even one of those maneuvers. The big bay must have read my thoughts, because she strung together a particularly creative repertoire, slinging her graceful neck downward as she rolled into an uphill canter, punctuated by gigantic bucks; my friend looked like a big game fisherman grappling with a marlin. The mare’s powerful frame proved too much to hold and the longe line slipped out of my friend’s hands and trailed behind as the mare rounded the turn of the arena and headed back to the barn at a graceful hand gallop. We followed, calling out to the unsuspecting folks back at the barn to beware of the loose horse and laughing at how many times we have chased loose horses down this same path so many times before.
Her name is Paris and she belongs to my friend. Over the past few weeks, she had not been ridden much so it was expected that she would play a bit on the longe line, but when she plays, she plays hard! She may be playful, but she is also a sensible sort, and she slipped into her paddock before being apprehended and brought back out to the arena. Playtime was over and Paris willingly returned to work, trotting on command and stretching her topline on the circle.
We brought Paris into the indoor arena and I watched my friend ride her. She has been trained to be a show hunter, but judging by the way she moves, I’m sure she would excel at many disciplines. She has a powerful hind end, and it acts as an engine, propelling her frame in a seriously impressive trot. The mare exhibits the delightful warmblood work ethic and I could see her rounding her topline and accepting contact through the reins.
I put my saddle on her (it miraculously appears to fit!) and mounted up. Although she is out of shape, I could feel how naturally supple and balanced she is. She is wonderfully responsive to leg and hand. She did not seem to respond as much to my seat. “Leg yield?” I asked and she responded with a “Yes, ma’am”. At the trot, she has a wonderful rhythm and natural balance. Like many horses (Alibar was the exception), Paris is softer to the left than to the right. As we trotted, I did a little work on getting her on my inside leg and outside rein by counting to four and squeezing my inside rein on four, keeping my outside rein steady the whole time. 1-2-3-squeeze, release, 1-2-3-squeeze. Paris responded more on the left rein than the right. I kept the trot work to a minimum due to her lack of fitness.
I dismounted and walked her outside as a cooldown. Sometime during her longeing escapade or during her ride, she lost a shoe. Argh! This means I’ll have to wait until the farrier visits before I get to ride her again.
What a lovely mare. This is going to be fun.
Saturday Morning Photo Fest…
What better way is there to spend your rainy Saturday morning than browsing pretty pony photos? Enjoy!
Mary the Morgan moved to a new barn and she is thoroughly enjoying herself:
And a few images from Moonlit Run Equestrian Center:
Atlas, the handsome and personable Percheron:
Katie and Val, two lovely Thoroughbred mares:
Mayberry, a Thoroughbred-Paint cross. This was my second time photographing him. He’s quite the photogenic boy.
Mayberry’s owner was game to model for this fun photo, a play on the “dressage queen” stereotype. There was no mirror available so she improvised and used her shiny stirrup iron. All the girls at Moonlit Run are down-to-earth and talented riders, but they also know how to look fabulous for their photo shoot :^)
Another superstar for my barn kitty photo collection:
A study in focal length:
Shot at 17mm
Shot at 78mm
Lucky is a Thoroughbred-Percheron cross:
Lucky’s full brother, Hercules loved the Cookie Momnster toy:
Hope you enjoyed all the pretty ponies!
On the horizon…
Some changes are coming around the bend.
I’m between riding/leasing/project horses at the moment, which works out well since I have a lot of photography work ahead of me during the holiday season. I’m still visiting Wizard and doing some low-key groundwork with him, but our riding days will be few and far between over the winter. There are a few exciting prospects on the horizon and I hope to share some updates soon. Until then, the blog will focus (pun intended) on photography and any other horsey adventures I encounter along the way.
Rock and Racehorses: The Blog 