Selena Ride 13: Bombs Away
Monday, 8/24/09
A busy week kept me away from the barn for several days. I think it’s good for horses to have a few days off here and there, especially a horse who is getting back into a fitness program. Physically, it refreshed Selena quite a bit.
The walk under saddle was OK and we worked on relaxing the topline, followed by work at the trot, including more half halts. I asked Selena to trot behind my friend and her Morgan and we did a few laps around the arena. When we were done with the ride, I halted her before I dismounted. She immediately parked herself out and urinated. I’ve known horses who prefer to urinate in their stalls- perhaps she was holding it for a while since she has been out at night?
I turned Wizard out in the indoor arena and let him stretch his legs, and stretch them he did! He floated around beautifully, making me think yet again about how much I’m looking forward to riding him in two weeks. I brought him back in the barn and gave him a good grooming. As I lifted his hind hoof to clean it, he passed a big pile of manure and some of it landed on me. ARGH! I’ve managed to live 31 years of my life without this happening, but I suppose that’s horses, isn’t it? Never a dull moment.
Selena Ride 12: The Great Outdoors
Monday, 8/17/09
Here in New Jersey, the dog days of summer have been more like medium-sized spaniels. Even the hottest days are not so bad this year. The sun is strong but there have been very few truly unrideable days. Flies, mosquitoes, and ticks are ugly, but the heat itself is bearable, especially since I normally ride at night :^)
Selena’s heat cycle appears to be calming down and she was perfectly responsive and sweet during our ride. I rode her under the lights in the big outdoor arena- I thought about riding indoors but it was too cool and nice outside. There were a few bugs biting but we dealt with it. We did a long walking warmup with leg yields and circles, followed by work at the trot. We worked on three-, four-, and five-loop serpentines, as well as “skinny” serpentines (riding the long sides and turning at the ends).
While I am working on Selena, I am also working on my own riding. I can feel a lot of weakness in my legs and seat, especially when we are riding at a big working trot in the big arena. When my riding improves, Selena also improves. At the end of the ride, I worked on a 20+ meter circle on a long rein, asking for her to stretch down into the bit. It was humorous at first, with her keeping her head the same the whole way around, not taking contact and not stretching. I sat, waited, and kept riding. Kept riding. Kept riding. Seat, leg, hip. Loosened the spine. Aligned the shoulders. Tempo, tempo, tempo. And WHEW, her neck stretched out the right way, down and relaxed.
Hooray! I am getting her supple and she is getting me fit- it’s a good match :^)
Selena Ride 11: Welcome to the Half Halt
Thursday, 8/13/09
After a very nice ride on Wednesday night, I rode Selena in the indoor arena in the afternoon without the accompaniment of any other horses. She called to the horses in the barn a few times. The arena was in the middle of maintenance so it was watered but not yet groomed (ah, I have impeccable timing) so we had to keep the ride light and simple. I did my best to keep Selena’s focus and the best way I found was to work on my half halt signals. We trotted on a very large circle with very light contact and I gave a half halt every ten steps or so. Once she was more focused, I was able to take a little more contact of her mouth without resistance. To the right, it took about ten minutes of trotting. To the left, it was quicker since she was already relaxed in one direction. I rode for less than a half hour, since it was more mentally taxing for her than our usual rides. I’ll be interested to see how this behavior changes when she is no longer in heat. At no time did she feel unsafe, just unfocused. I was pleased that the half halts worked. Now I can refine my cues. Riding this mare is the perfect thing for improving my position.
I hand walked Wizard a little shorter than usual. I let him graze and he and his buddy JR got to stay outside overnight in the comfortable summer air.
The farrier came out and he was pleased with the progress of Selena’s feet. We are keeping her barefoot for at least one more shoeing cycle unless she shows signs of footsoreness. He said that the likely cause of Wizard’s abscess was a stone bruise, which makes sense since we have been doing a lot of hand walking on different surfaces. I’m going to be more cautious about surfaces; despite his healthy hoof walls, his low soles tend to cause problems for him. The indoor arena is soft and forgiving but I would imagine that he would have problems doing a lot of hard trails with his bare hind feet.
Selena Ride 10: Welcome Back, Welcome Back, Welcome Back…
Wednesday, 8/12/09
When I arrived at the barn on Monday to an abscess on Wizard’s left hind hoof, I felt a little like Cathy when she throws her arms up in the air and yells, “ACK!” Now that the abscess has drained fruitfully for another day, I am no longer having those “ACK!” moments.
I walked Wizard in hand for about 30 minutes. He is sound on the abscess and his right stifle appears to feel good as well. At the end of the night before I put him outside with JR, I turned him loose in the indoor arena and he stretched his legs. He was buoyant and beautiful- I cannot wait to ride him again.
I groomed JR and turned him loose in the arena for a few minutes. He is getting F-A-T! He needs less grain and more exercise.
Selena’s ride lasted 30 minutes and started with a long walking warmup, with stretching, leg yields, and shoulder-in in each direction. We worked into the trot and I asked her for a forward trot on the long sides of the arena and a small trot on the short ends. It was challenging to bring her back to the smaller trot after the long sides- she seemed to relax into the forward trot on the long sides, which felt nice. I used the relaxing to my advantage and asked her to stretch her head low and into my hands. She was stiff but there was progress and I had her relaxed and long and low for a few strides each way. I rode her in my KK Ultra D-ring bit and this is her favorite bit so far. She accepts the most contact with it. She likes it better than the Happy Mouth mullen D-ring and the Myler Comfort Snaffle. We rode in the arena with Mary the Morgan and after I cooled her out, we lined up like a horse show, stood quietly, and I dismounted. We are getting the hang of each other and I am looking forward to continuing her conditioning and refresher courses.
Selena Ride 9: Know When To Fold ‘Em
Monday, 8/10/09
Heat wave in New Jersey! Monday was the hottest day of the year so far. The horses were grouchy, the flies were biting, and the temperatures did not relinquish much even after the sun dropped. I headed over to the barn to check on the herd, put Wizard and JR out for the night, and possibly hop on Selena for a quick spin.
I arrived late at the barn to try to catch the cool night air. It was bearable but still quite hot. I took Selena out of her stall and before we got to the crossties, she nickered a few times.
After tacking up, I led her into the arena and walked her around each way in hand. I am pretty sure she is in a heat cycle. It was an OK ride. We did a little leg yielding and a few big circles at the walk and trot and called it a night. It was too hot to push her. I am sure that she would have obeyed me if we continued, but I did not want to stress her (or me, argh!) on a hot night. I hosed her off, scraped with a sweat scraper, hosed again, scraped again, and she was nice and cool.
I took Wizard out of his stall and my eye immediately dropped to his left hind coronet. An abscess! This is the first abscess I’ve seen in the 11 months I’ve been working with him. Since he was not unsound and the abscess was on the coronet, I soaked it in warm water and Epsom salts and left it unwrapped. My farrier is due out on Thursday so I’ll ask him his thoughts on why it happened. It is interesting to note that the abscess occurred in the opposite hind leg from the one that was injured. Perhaps he bruised it compensating for the right hind leg? Or perhaps it is simply a summertime ailmant that came out of nowhere. Either way, I’m glad it burst and is healing so nicely.
Selena Ride 8: In the Limelight
Thursday, 8/6/09
I rode Selena earlier than usual. We rode in the outdoor arena with three other horses. She was great and seemed to be happy with the company. We worked on a few circles at the trot and did our usual long walking warmup. She was doing that wonderful snorty thing that some horses do when they purr with each stride. I think she did it because she was in high spirits to be with the other horses in the big arena.
I was a little self-conscious riding during the barn’s prime riding time since it has been a while since I’ve done a lot of serious riding. My seat and leg need a lot of work. I could see a few curious boarders taking a peek at the pretty grey mare and the girl who always rides at night :^)
After our ride in the arena, we went on a walk on the trails with Mary the Morgan and her owner. The ride was GREAT! Selena has a fantastic walk and she is a delightful trail mount. She was a little concerned with a huge white hunk of plastic junk but she bravely walked past it- good girl :^)
I wormed JR, Wizard, and Selena with Ivermectin.
I walked Wizard for about 20 minutes and did a little photo session with him (at Flickr link on the right). I jogged him for a friend and she agreed that his right hind looks great. Whew! I grazed him and put him out in his paddock with JR for the night. It was clear and cool and the boys were delighted to be out in the fresh air.
On my way to a wonderful long weekend in Saratoga for racing and the sale. Can hardly wait!
Selena Ride 7: Just One More!
Wednesday, 8/5/09
A rider knows she is riding a nice horse when she does not want to stop riding. I felt that way tonight. I rode Selena in the big (100′ x 200′) outdoor arena for the first time and it was fun :^) I’m sticking to my horsey fitness plan of trotting an increased number of laps each week with Selena but I wanted to keep trotting- I felt like a little kid who wanted to ride the carousel one more time. Just one more! I think that Selena will get back in shape more quickly than a green horse because she has already developed these muscles and she is regaining fitness that she once had- none of this is new to her.
We started out hand walking, then walking under saddle. I did a few leg yields with her at the walk. Mary the Morgan and her owner were in the arena with us and we mostly rode together. We then trotted 3 laps in each direction. My original plan was to work on transitions but since we were taking advantage of the big arena, we instead had an easy ride. Selena’s trot is big and ground-covering. The girl can move– I love it. When we were done trotting, I let her canter about a third of the way around the arena. She is a strong mare but she responds well to seat cues. The weather is humid and the air is still so Selena got a little sweaty. I hosed her off and grazed her for a little while.
June 18 (approx) was when Wizard injured his right hind leg. It looked better on July 29. That is just shy of 6 weeks. I’d like to give him almost that much more time before he resumes work, which puts us in early September. It’s a good time of year for this, since he is getting plenty of turnout and it’s one of my busiest times of the year as a photographer. I’ll continue his therapeutic hand walking and keep experimenting with massage, stretching, and other treatments. Tonight, I hand walked him for about 20 minutes and turned him loose for 5 to see how he was moving. Looking good, Wizzy Boy.
Selena Ride 6: The Wizard Walk
Monday, 8/3/09
I hand walked Wizard for about 25 minutes and grazed him for about 25 minutes. I also turned him loose in the indoor arena for just a few minutes so I could see how he was moving- looking good! So far, the rest/hand-walking therapy is working well. My mom commented on what a HUGE walk Wizard has. It is positively lovely to ride his walk under saddle. I am a speedy walker and I can barely keep up with him when we hand walk. The hand walking is a workout for everyone :^)
The only odd thing I saw was a sweat pattern on Wizard’s flanks. He was totally cool and dry everywhere else, but after he was in his stall for about 45 minutes, he had sweat just in the flank area and between his hind legs. Everything else was totally 100% normal. He ate, drank, etc and I saw absolutely nothing else out of the ordinary. I’ll keep an eye on it. Perhaps it was a bug bite?
My mom went out to the barn with me and took some photos of our ride. I started with two laps in each direction at a hand walk, then two in each direction under saddle at a walk on a loose rein. I worked on leg yields in both directions. Here’s a photo of a leg yield. Selena is cooperating but I dropped the ball and I’m sitting crooked, which is making her crooked. But she’s crossing over with her hind leg, which is cool :^)
We worked on shoulder-in, large circles, and a few serpentines. We picked up a trot and trotted about 3 laps around in each direction. Selena thought one of my leg cues was a canter request so she picked up a canter. Because she was so forward and “on” my leg, I let her canter for about a quarter of the arena. I plan to keep taking things slowly, but it sure was fun to canter her. I have done a lot of slow work under saddle lately so the canter was refreshing. I asked for a large circle at the trot. Selena was forward and bracing a little with her neck. My goal is to ask her to relax and strengthen her topline and neck and we’re slowly achieving that goal. I felt it a few times while we trotted. We walked a little bit, halted, and I dismounted. Good girl!
Rachel Alexandra: Newest Jersey Girl?
The scene has been set for the 2009 Haskell Invitational. The horses are shipped. “Born to Run” is cued and ready to play for the post parade. All they need to do is run the race.
Rachel Alexandra arrived at Monmouth Park on Friday in fine fettle. She schooled in the paddock in the afternoon and looked calm and collected. But can she defeat a tough field of graded stakes winners, including this year’s Belmont Stakes champ?
Bill FInley says that Munnings is going to beat her. As long as he handles the track, his speed and class will make the race a challenge for sure.
And what of Summer Bird, the handsome star of June’s Belmont Stakes? He has been training at Monmouth for a few weeks and he looks like the ocean air is agreeing with him. Will he or any other of the colts in the race throw a monkey wrench into Rachel’s plans for victory? It’s quite a challenge for the filly after a busy few months and I will be putting down a few safety bets :^) Best of luck to the connections of all the runners in the Haskell and may the best colt (or filly) win.
Selena Rides 4 & 5: Welcome Back, Harry
Wednesday, 7/29/09
I rode Selena for about 25 minutes in the indoor arena with Mary the Morgan and her owner. I asked Selena for leg yielding to both sides and she complied. At first, she broke into a trot but then I improved my communication and she knew exactly what I meant. I asked her for the leg yield around the quarter mark of the arena and leg yielded to the wall in both directions. Good girl! Then I asked for a shoulder-in. She is much better to the left than to the right, which is fine by me since I ride better to the right :^)
We trotted one lap around the arena in each direction. Ahhhhh, it was nice. Selena has a long-striding trot. She gets a little tight in the neck and topline, but I plan to do a lot of suppling work to improve those muscles.
At the end of the ride, I stood lined up with Mary the Morgan as if we were lining up at the end of a horse show class. Selena was better about standing still. When her body relaxed, I hopped off. Good girl!
Friday, 7/31/09
Since I’m back to work at the trot, I rode in my half chaps and Harry Hall breeches instead of jeans. My ankle is doing very well. I rode Selena for about 30 minutes. I hand walked her for about 5 minutes before riding. We walked in both directions along the rail, and then I asked for 20 meter (actually bigger than 20m) circles at each end and at the center (E in dressage letters) in each direction.
We then did two leg yields in both directions, then shoulder-in along the wall. She is more resistant travelling to the right. I’m trying my best to stay off her face and really work with my leg and seat. Since she is out of shape, I want her to relax through her neck and back and balance on her own. Then she will seek contact.
I trotted Selena two times around the arena in both directions, cutting the arena in half once in each direction. Her trot is forward and relatively straight- she is tense through her neck but responsive. I think she is trying to feel me out as well as get back into the swing of things. I asked Selena to halt at the end of the arena by herself- she relaxed much more quickly, letting out a nice sigh. I hopped off, groomed her off, and grazed her for about 10 minutes.
Wizard’s stifle appears to be back to normal, at least in hand and at liberty. I need to decide how much more time I’ll rest it. Since it took so long to resolve, I think it still needs quite a bit more time to completely heal. I plan to continue the hand walking since it seems to have helped him quite a bit.
Rock and Racehorses: The Blog 