Wizard Rides 467, 468, & 469: The Bends
Friday, 4/19/13
On Friday, I had my first riding lesson in almost two years– it was also my first-ever dressage lesson. It was a great experience. Lisa worked with me and Wizard on establishing tempo, loosening Wizard’s topline, and creating the building blocks for a better relationship with the bit. We started out the lesson with some warmup exercises, including working on a marching walk. While we were still on a loose rein, Lisa had me ask Wizard for more step in his walk and encourage him to stretch his muscles. We then picked up contact and worked on a large circle, establishing a good conversation from my inside leg to my outside rein. I kept my inside rein soft, only using enough hand pressure to equate to the amount used to scratch an itchy horse, and used my calf only, carefully avoiding the bad habit of bumping him with my heel. To the right, things were easier, partially because I’m a better rider to the right, and partly because Wizard has more strength to the right.
My biggest piece of homework is to work on my ELBOWS. I have short arms, and I tend to ride with straight, braced arms, and then feed the reins through my fingers. I did not realize how bad this habit had become, and I had to make a concerted effort to keep my elbows bent throughout the ride. At the trot, we continued our work on a soft, connected circle. For a few steps at a time, I felt what we were looking for. Wizard is a very responsive horse, so it does not usually take a lot to get him to listen to hand or leg. Toward the end of our ride, I felt a nice connection for more and more strides. And, wouldntcha know it… the softer and more bent my elbows were, the softer and more supple the connection to the bit became!
For all my neurotic worrying about every little thing on Wizard, it was extremely helpful to have a professional watch our ride and evaluate some of the things I thought might be a problem, from Wizard’s mouthiness on the bit to his sporadic clumsiness. Lisa felt that the mouthiness on the bit is part of his learning process, and that I need to try to keep the connection instead of throwing the reins away (another habit I have). The clumsiness that I feel with his sometimes tripping was not in any particular leg, and did not look like anything out of the ordinary. It’s funny, because every equine professional, from trainers to chiropractors, always says he does not look as funky as I think he does, and that work is the best cure for his particular issues. And with the great team of vets, farriers, etc, I’m certainly not going to argue!
It was really great to with with a trainer again, and I look forward to more lessons.
Saturday, 4/20/13
Kris and I took Sunny and Wizard out on the trails for about 45 minutes, chasing daylight, and arriving back at the barn just before twilight. We did two short trot sets down two flat paths, and rode up and down a few hills at a walk. Wizard was a little excited from the trot work and from being held back at the walk, but he still felt good. I’d give him an A- for the day.
Sunday, 4/21/13
I did some ring work with Wizard, again with Kris and Sunny. I set up two sets of trot poles, as well as a gymnastic line from two trot poles to a cross rail to one stride to a second cross rail. We warmed up with some practice exercises from Friday’s lesson, and did some trot patterns, focusing on changes of direction and keeping my elbows bent.
BEND THOSE ELBOWS.
The warmup went well, with Wizard only bobbling once when I asked for a trot lengthening that turned into a clumsy canter, which turned into a little bit of leaping around. The next time down the center line, though, he was fine.
We did the gymnastic line twice (pictured above). The first time, Wizard excitedly rushed through the end of it, and threw in some celebratory hops after the second jump. When we approached the line the second time, I could feel him begging to bounce excitedly, so I asked him to circle and settle before our next attempt. Next time through, he was better, thinking a little more as he went through the grid. We ended the ride with a stretchy trot on a loose rein.
Saturday, 4/13/13
Wizard and I met up with Rachel and Lily for a trail ride. There were field trials in the main part of the park where we usually ride, so I thought it would be fun to ride the trails we have not ridden since last fall (famous last words, eh?). We were out for over an hour and a half. While we were in Wizard’s comfort “bubble” of trails we’ve been walking all winter, he was great. When we left the “bubble” and crested the wooded ridge and rode around to the other side of Stone Tavern Lake, Wizard got very antsy, chompy, and prancy. It did not help that we had to backtrack when we lost our course. For some reason, Wizard gets very anxious when we have to turn around and walk home on the same path like that. He’s much better when we take a different route home than the one we take out. I breathed deeply, sat straight, and tried to be as giving as possible with my hands while Wizard jigged and bounced home. We had about four really tense moments when I was not sure if he was going to really take off or not. Fortunately, my sweet talking and Lily’s calm nature kept him at a walk and a jig for the whole ride back. Near the barn, Rachel and I parted company and Wizard and I walked home solo for the rest of the way. I debated dismounting and hand walking, but decided to use it as a training exercise. It worked out, and we arrived back at the barn sweaty, but in one piece. Lesson learned: too many new trails in one ride lead to an anxious Wizard.
Sunday, 4/14/13
I tried the LG Bridle (thanks to Equine Ink for the recommendation!) during our Sunday ride. Wizard felt good in it. It gave me a little more refinement than we had in the simple Tory Leather “jumping hackamore” (which is more of a sidepull, really). Interestingly, Wizard’s ears flop when he’s ridden bitless. He had a few moments when he did his ear pinning routine, but was mostly good. We popped over a tiny cross rail just for fun. Oh boy, was it fun. I miss jumping and I hope we can do some soon. We’re on our 4th week (and 4th loading dose) of Pentosan. Wizard is SOUND (touch wood) and the biggest difference I feel is that he is much more willing to do lateral work. He’s always been pretty good about lateral work, but now he is much more responsive than ever before.
On Monday, I turned Wizard out in the outdoor arena and let him get his crazies out, and then took him for a hand walk with Cathy and Miss Tuesday. We were out for about 40 minutes- he was very mellow and seemed happy to be out. I weight taped him, and he dropped a little- he’s back to 1,018lbs.
Wednesday, 4/17/13
Today is our official one-year anniversary at the new barn- hooray! After work, I rode Wizard in the outdoor arena for about 25 minutes. Wizard wore his fly bonnet for the first time this year, because of the GNATS. Since we have a dressage lesson on Friday (hooray!), we kept the ride light and focused on not-so-dressagey work, like trot poles and a small cross rail. Wizard was pretty laid back and happy to just cruise around the ring. No ear pinning or kicking or anything like that.
Thursday, 4/18/13
There was a chill in the air, and very light rain showers fell during our ride. The wind and the rain kept the gnats away. We rode alone in the park for about 50 minutes. In the big field behind the barn, I asked for some trotting. The field is huge, and we trotted close to half a mile. Wizard was snorty like a fresh horse on the racetrack, but kept a perfect tempo and stayed on the aids quite nicely. We walked the rest of the ride, up a hill, behind the hunt club, and down the road back to the farm.
Wizard Rides 460, 461, & 462: Joyride
Saturday, 4/6/13
Wizard gained 50 pounds- hooray!! He’s getting about 4 pounds of feed per meal, and upon my vet’s suggestion, about a pound of it is Purina Ultium. Ultium has 1,900 calories per pound, which is more than Triple Crown Senior and also more than Pennfield Senior.
He also got his third loading dose of Pentosan- I’m getting more comfortable doing the IM injections.
Before our trail ride, we rode in the outdoor arena with Kris and Sunny. Wizard was in the mood to travel loosely, with an open throatlatch and a longer frame, so I went with it. His mouth was VERY quiet in the Micklem bridle. He only chomped when he was “thinking” or if he momentarily tensed up. At the end of the ride, I experimented by asking him to canter up the center line, mostly just to see how it felt. He picked up the right lead (unusual for him- he usually picks up the left lead if it’s his choice). Away from the gate on the firmer footing, he was soft and wonderfully springy. Toward the gate in the soft footing, he was bouncy and sort of hopped around, not quite bucking, but fussing with his feet and position. I was really pleased with the canter he gave me on the firmer long side of the arena. Hopefully the canter will slowly improve with gradual increases in work.
After our workout, we rode on the trails for about an hour. It’s time to enjoy the warm weather before the bugs get here!
Sunday, 4/7/13
Before work, I met up for a ride with Kris, her mare Sunny, and Melissa and her gelding, Chance. Chance is a Camelot graduate, and he’s Wizard’s new pasturemate. They get along very well. We all rode in the outdoor arena for a little while before we went out on the trails. Wizard got an easy day of loose-reined walk and trot work, and played lead pony while Melissa worked on some schooling with Chance. We hand walked on a very quick loop around a field in the park for about 20-25 minutes.
Monday, 4/8/13
Before work, I saddled Wizard up for a ride out in the park. All the solo hand walks in the park must have helped Wizard get acclimated to the Assunpink, because he was AWESOME on our ride. We were out for about an hour, and rode around the trails by the hunt club, up and down some hills, around the perimeter of part of the Horse Park, and through several fields. All the time, money, blood, sweat, and tears are totally worth it when we have rides like this.
The weather was just warm enough to get away with a quick partial bath. I just barely used a bit of shampoo and get the worst of his winter grime off him. Ahhh, springtime.
On Tuesday, I took Wizard out for a hand walk on the trails with my friend Lia and her Shiba Inu, Yoshi (pictured above). We hiked for over an hour, and Wizard was REALLY good about walking with a dog (we’ve never done that before). It was almost dark when we got back to the barn, and he was fine with that as well. Good boy!
Wizard Ride 459: Photosynthesis
Wednesday, 4/3/13
The grass gets greener and greener each day. Wizard looks like he put on a little weight, and is still shedding like crazy. We got a cold snap over the past few days, and he’s back in his medium blanket. I turned him out in the outdoor arena before our ride and he trotted and cantered around. In the corner of the arena, a bunch of barrels and poles were jumbled together, and Wizard ogled them with playful surprise.
I tacked him up and we rode for about 30 minutes, including warmup and cooldown. The wind was whipping, and Wizard was a little snarly in the beginning of the ride. He also pinned his ears when the wind blew in his face, so it might have been partially due to weather crankiness. Each time we passed the poles and barrels, he danced and snorted. Of course, in typical equine Murphy’s Law fashion, the wind howled just as we approached the poles and barrels each time. I worked him in circles, getting closer and closer, but keeping the bend. It worked.
And you know what else I think is working? The Micklem Bridle! I got some real, genuine contact. We’re riding in a French link loose ring snaffle, and Wizard chomped on it significantly less than he did in the past. We rode in both directions at the trot, and each time around, we went over one pole on one long side, and two on the other long side. By the time we finished the ride, Wizard had gotten into a really nice tempo and was working beautifully. I hope this is a taste of things to come!
Wizard Rides 457 & 458: Sunday Girl
Saturday, 3/30/13
Wizard enjoyed his first night without a sheet or blanket of the year. With the wind and rain that followed for the rest of the week, he’s clothed again, but he looked quite please to be naked for a night.
He got his second dose of Pentosan on Friday. I gave him the injection myself- it was my first time giving a horse a shot, and it went off perfectly. I don’t see any results from the Pentosan yet, but I know it can take time with some horses. The good news is that he’s perfectly sound with the work we’re doing.
Kris and I took a quick ride in the park before she had to get to work. We rode up the hill behind the parking area, and down the hill by the hunt club. Both horses were great and were happily in the springtime trail riding groove. When we returned to the barn, I rode Wizard in the outdoor arena for about 30 minutes, including his cooldown. He was pleasant and responsive, and there was zero ear pinning or kicking- hooray! We worked at the walk and trot, and I threw in just a little canter at the very end. I asked him to canter just down the center of the ring to the fence. We did this a few times, and he actually settled into it a little instead of getting tense like he has in the past at the canter.
The weather was so spectacular that after Wizard was all cooled out and groomed, I went out myself for another hike on the trails without any horses.
Sunday, 3/31/13
I had a little time before work on Easter morning, and I took a drive down the the barn to ride Wizard on the trails. We rode by ourselves. He did just a little ear pinning, but was mostly willing. We walked down a new trail, and did one hill at a walk. We also trotted through a field. He got a little animated, but was able to come back to me nicely. I was very proud of him, and I hope this is a sign of things to come for the summer. He’s such a fun horse.
On Monday, I did just a little arena-sized round penning for about 10 minutes. I’m trying to keep the work program varied.
Wizard is getting a new paddockmate, a Thoroughbred named Chance, who was from Camelot Auction. This makes 4 geldings in the paddock. I actually photographed Chance and remember him. So far, they are getting along well. Buck, the paddock leader, is slowly letting Chance join the herd.
Wizard Rides 455 & 456: Tomorrow Tomorrow
Wednesday, 3/27/13
After work, I went to the barn for a quick ride. The footing in the outdoor arena was just dry enough for some trot work, so we rode until dark. For most of the ride, Wizard was NOT happy. He was uncomfortable, grumpy, or whatever it is that makes him kick, pin his ears, and do a few little bucks. We just finished a month of ulcer treatment, got a saddle fitted specially for him, had multiple vet evaluations, tested for Lyme Disease, etc, etc, etc. We walked for about 10-15 minutes and then did some light trot work. I asked him to leg yield at a walk on one long side, do a shoulder in on a short side, and trot the other long side. We did this in both directions until I was comfortable with how he was responding to the aids. It was a frustrating ride, but we ended on a decent note. I wish he could tell me what he is feeling. After I untacked him, I turned him out in the indoor arena to let him trot around a bit. The hunters (and horses and dogs) in the woods caused him to be on extra high alert, and he was pretty giraffey until I put him to bed.
Thursday, 3/28/13
And then on Thursday, it was as if Wednesday never happened. Wizard did not offer a single swish of the tail, and he had “happy ears” for the entire ride. Before our ride, I turned him out in the arena for a good run so he could blow off some steam, and boy did he! He flagged his tail, snorted, and ran like a wild thing. After his run, I tacked him up and hand walked him through the park for about half an hour. We saw the horses and dogs and trailers again, and Wizard stared, but was less blown away by them than he was in previous days. After we returned to the farm, I mounted up, and he was pretty great under saddle. He’s still pretty mouthy with the bit. I tried a D-ring with a single joint and curved mouthpiece today, and it’s definitely not the ticket for him. I’m wondering if an eggbutt is the answer in the Micklem Bridle.
We did light walk and trot work again, walking on the short sides and trotting on the long sides. A little herd of 4 young deer were being silly in the neighboring pasture, and Wizard watched them with great amusement. The entire ride was about 30 minutes with warmup and cooldown. I tried to spend some time thinking about my equitation in the new saddle. I worked diligently on not hooking one seatbone and hovering with the other. I also thought a lot about loosening my hips and opening my hip angle. The saddle does nice things with my leg- it stays pretty quiet for me, especially since I have not ridden in five months!
Hopefully, Wizard will continue his good behavior from Thursday and we will not see any more of the Wednesday behavior.
Wizard Session 454: Nerve Endings
Tuesday, 3/26/13
Spring is really, really here. Wizard has been shedding for a few weeks already, and tonight, I heard the frogs screaming in the park. And the horses are nibble-nibbling at the new spring grass.
We took a hand walk in the park before it got dark. I tried out the Rambo Micklem Competition Bridle. Here’s a great review of it: http://www.teamflyingsolo.com/2012/12/a-skeptic-takes-on-micklem.html
On our walk, Wizard encountered a group of about 10-12 horses picketed in the parking area, on some sort of overnight campout. He was astounded to see all these horses, and gawked and craned his neck like a giraffe, but he behaved himself while he stared. The horses were all very well trained, and just watched him with quiet curiosity.
When we returned to the barn and after he had a pick of grass, I longed Wizard in the indoor arena for a little while. So far, I really like the bridle. Wizard was much less fussy in it, with less chomping and no curling behind the bit. We just did a quick session, warming up at the walk and trot with one spiral in each direction and 2-3 laps at the canter each way. I really wanted to ride, but I want to make sure he does not get sore with all his new work and the new saddle. His gaits were good- I wonder if the Pentosan has having any effect yet. I gave Wizard his snack, turned him out, and enjoyed the bright moon and sounds of the frogs. Ahhhh, springtime.
Wizard Session 451, Rides 452 & 453 (and Veterinary Report): First in Line to See the Plan
On Monday (3/18), the vet came to the barn for Wizard’s annual wellness exam. I asked her for her thoughts on the fact that he lost a little weight recently. My best guess is that it was caused by the cold weather, plus some horsey paddock changes (Wizard is pretty sensitive to the goings-on of his neighbors). We ran a Cushings test so it could be ruled out (it was negative, fortunately). Wizard has 24/7 access to locally-grown, quality grass hay, and he’s on about 2 acres of good grass (which is coming out of winter dormancy). This week, Wizard’s feed was increased to 4lbs per feeding. He currently is fed Triple Crown Senior, but he’s been quite slow to eat it lately, so about 1/3 of each feeding has been replaced with Pennfield Energized Senior, which he LOVES. If we don’t see a weight increase with the grass popping up and the month of omeprazole (started on 3/2) and PowerPac deworming, a pound of Purina Ultium per feeding is another option since it is very high in calories. The vet will be back out in May for spring shots, so she can pull blood if his weight does not change. She taped him at about 1,018 pounds. I definitely want to see him looking a little plump going into next winter.
We’re starting Wizard on a course of Pentosan, with a loading dose of 6cc per week for four weeks, followed by monthly shots. After hearing rave reviews from some barn buddies, I’m looking forward to seeing how it helps Wizard.
Wizard also had his teeth floated. He still has a wave mouth, but the bottom row matches the top, so the teeth are occluding where the “wave” is in his mouth. A few edges, but nothing that should be causing chewing/digestive issues. He has some gingival inflammation next to a premolar, so the vet will check back on it when she does her next visit.
Friday, 3/22/13
It seems like every week, it rains just when the ground is getting nice and dried out. It happened again this week. By the time Friday rolled around, we had a nice base in the outdoor arena, and the Assunpink footing was good enough for a walk. Since I did not get the saddle bolt yet, I hand walked Wizard in the park with Christie and Brigid. We were out for about 45 minutes. Wizard remembered his trail schooling, and did well as the second horse in line.
When we returned, I put him on two longe lines and did a short session with him in the outdoor arena. Although he was enjoying the cool air, he was responsive enough on the lines and was able to do some shortening and lengthening work for me.
Saturday, 3/23/13
My friend has a Kent & Masters saddle, and generously let me borrow the bolt that holds the gullet plate so I can RIDE- hooray! I was concerned that the housing for the bolt might have been stripped, but it held just fine, so I think the screw was just loose when I tried out the saddle the first time.
We went for a walk in the Assunpink with Brigid and Christie. Up a hill, down a hill, through several fields, we were out for about 35-45 minutes, all at a walk. Wizard fussed right at the beginning, but was pretty great the rest of the time.
Sunday, 3/24/13
I hand walked Wizard on the trails with Kris and Sunny before our ride on Sunday, and he was very good. I tried to switch up the trails a little bit so he did not get bored with the same loops. After we returned, I saddled him up and rode in the outdoor arena. Rain and snow were expected at the beginning of the following week, so I enjoyed an afternoon of good outside footing. For the first 10 minutes of our walk warmup, Wizard fussed quite a bit, kicking and pinning his ears. Since I’ve spent almost 5 years trying to figure out his physical issues, I’m quite in tune with them, but I also try hard not to let them become a habit. Since he walked nicely with minimal fussing the previous day, I asked him to turn after each kick on Sunday. Whether he worked out of it or simply got bored of my game, he settled out of his tantrum and we had a nice little ride. Our session lasted about 30 minutes with warmup and cooldown, so it was quite light. I don’t want to make him sore, especially while we break in the new saddle.
At the trot, I asked Wizard to go over a few poles and do some changes of direction. I tried my best to stay aware of my equitation in the new saddle. So far, I quite like it. The seat and twist are a nice fit for me, and for the first time in years, I can sit evenly with both seatbones. In the other saddles, I had a horrid habit of hooking one seatbone on the saddle while I hovered above the saddle with the other one. In the new saddle, I’m doing my best to channel my inner Sally Swift and stay evenly over Wizard’s back.
In the field next to the arena, the grass is springing up, and I let Wizard graze there for a while after each session. Although riding is the highlight of my barn visits, I’m sure the grazing is Wizard’s highlight!
Wizard Rides 449 & 450: Sunless Saturday
Saturday, 3/16/13
The saddle has landed!!! The saddle fitter delivered Wizard’s new saddle and customized it to fit him properly. She did wither tracings and compared them to his last tracings, which were done in October 2012. Although he dropped weight, he gained about 3/4 inch of topline muscle. It seems like our winter of rest, long line work, and hand walking has paid off! Interestingly, his back is more symmetrical as well. Now the trick is to keep it symmetrical as we ease back unto under-saddle work.
The snow started to fall pretty heavily during our ride, but nothing was going to keep me from riding! Wizard stood quietly as I put my foot in the stirrup for the first time in five months, and other than some ear flattening and an opinionated kick or three, he was quite well behaved. Once he was a little warmed up, I got a nice soft trot out of him. He was better to the right than he was to the left. The ride was quick because I did not want to overdo it on the first day. We mostly walked and did a little trotting for about 20 minutes total. Ahhhhh, it feels good to be back in the saddle.
Sunday, 3/17/13
Sunday morning, I saddled Wizard up for a quick walk in the Assunpink. This marked our first solo trail ride at the new farm, and Wizard was up to the task. A local trail group had a hunter pace scheduled, so Wizard watched the horses unloading from the trailers in the parking area. We took the back field past the hunt club and looped around back to the barn.
It was not until I was lovinglly conditioning my saddle that I realized something was missing…
The piece of hardware that connects the flap to the gullet plate was missing. It must have fallen off during our ride.
Now I have to find out if the saddler has an extra that she can send me and if there’s anything else that needs to be done to fix it.
Ah well, grounded again.
Wizard Sessions 447 & 448: Six Months in a Leaky Boat
Saturday, 3/9/13
Wizard had a little unplanned time off because he managed to throw his left front shoe twice in three days. My always-patient farrier tacked his shoe back on both times. My friend and I found the shoes in the paddock, one up on the hill and one in a galloping footprint. My best guess is that he was running with Buck when his paddock buddy Cisco was out for a ride.
On Saturday, he had all four shoes back on, and we went for a short hand walk in the Assunpink, accompanied by Kris and Sunny. We walked up the “bowling pin” hill and back down the hill, past the hunt club, and back home. At the barn, I longed Wizard in the indoor with our customary two lines. On the longe, Wizard was REALLY soft and relaxed. His trot was stretchy and his canter might be the nicest I’ve ever seen, cadenced and balanced. Now if only we can translate this to his under saddle work. That is, if the saddle EVER gets here.
Sunday, 3/10/13
On Sunday, we repeated our same trail walk with Kris and Sunny, and then I set up one line of trot poles all the way across the indoor arena. This meant that with each rotation around the ring, he crossed the pole twice. Wizard free longed the walk, trot, and a little canter. Knowing that it tires him more quickly than the regular long line work, I kept the session very quick. He flubbed the canter over the pole a few times, but once he got the hang of it, I saw him relax and settle into a rhythm.
On Monday, he got a new set of shoes (we waited til seven weeks since he was not growing a ton of foot over the winter. The farrier was very happy with how the sole and heel looked on the left front, and, as expected, the right front was not as impressive, but looked pretty good.
I started Wizard on a month of omeprazole at the beginning of the month (made SO MUCH EASIER by using this method)- I wonder if that could be part of what I’m seeing in our wonderful ground work. Only time will tell, and hopefully that saddle is being shipped by plane and not on the Titanic.
Rock and Racehorses: The Blog 