My friend Sarah has a young snowcap Appaloosa gelding named Chance in training. He shows quite an aptitude for jumping :^) If you’re in the NJ area and you’re interested, drop me a line and I can put you in touch with his connections.
Thursday, 6/11/09
The boys were dewormed with ivermectin. I started Wizard on MSM as an experiment- my hope is that it would help with any soreness issues.
Wizard’s kick injury is history- hooray! I started him lightly back into work, longeing outdoors in the dressage court for about 20 minutes. He seemed quite ready for the work, walking nicely during the warmup and giving me a very nice trot during the session.
My mother visited the barn for the sessions- she had not seen either of the hooligans work for a while so it was interesting to hear her observations. She was very impressed with JR. He has become quite consistent and workmanlike. His coat is glowing. His gaits have improved. He is developing muscle and losing some of his chubbiness.
Of course, even a reformed hooligan reverts to his old ways every once in a while…
After we longed, I did a little long lining work with JR. He had not done any long line work since the winter, but he picked it up right away. We walked in a few circles, tried a figure 8, and I let him do a little trot work. I am continually impressed with the amount of engagement he can achieve for his level of training. I think the key to him is to loosen him up- once he is supple, his fantastic short back and nice neck will help him be quite balanced.
JR Sessions 40 & 41: How to Get To Work
Monday, 6/8/09 and Wednesday, 6/10/09
Looks like *somebody* is almost ready to get back to work. The swelling in his leg is virtually gone and I think he’ll be ready to longe again in a few days.
My grandma has an endearing phrase that she sometimes says when she sees a horse she really likes: “Look at that horse. He really knows how to get to work.” It’s said slowly, with feeling and admiration, “He. Knows. How. To. Get. To. Work.”
JR seems to have figured out how to get to work. He’s longeing like a champ these days. I’m throwing everything I can think of at him- ground poles, asking him to trot through puddles, spirals, straight lines. He does it all. And he’s the Energizer Bunny! Trot, trot, trot. Forward, with contact. A little bend. Good boy. His neck is relaxing and he is bracing less during transitions. On Monday, we longed indoors. On Wednesday, we longed outside in the dressage court. He was better outside, even though it was almost dark. The puddle was fun- he trotted through it like he was trotting cavaletti. Good for the topline. Good for getting to work.
Good things are happening with my ankle. I hope to be in the saddle in the next week or two. And I hope to make a call to the horsey chiropractor very soon.
Belmont Stakes 2009: The Two Best Photos
The Triple Crown races were won by a gelding, a filly, and a colt. Two Birds and a chick.
Have you seen the Belmont yet? Check it out.
The blanket of carnations has been draped, worn, removed, and put away. Horses are on their way home.
Here it is, the best Belmont Stakes-related photo of 2009.
If you don’t have a free DRF account, why not?? It’s worth it to sign up, both for the photo and for the content on the website. Photographer: Barbara Livingston, whose Top Ten Albums of All Time were celebrated here at SKA-RNR-Blog a few months ago. The photo is sublime. It’s the ideal embodiment of the “hangover” (Chip Woolley’s words) after the hectic Triple Crown season. It’s peaceful. It’s an athlete in repose; a quiet moment after a colossal effort. Ears at half mast, powerful haunches at ease, tail soft and static.
And it’s executed as only a master can. Texture, shape, composition, color. Just when the rest of us racing photographers think we’re getting clever, Barbara takes us to school. I love it.
And then we have Best Belmont Photo Number Two. Rick Dutrow One Year Later, taken by Jason Moran. This photo takes your mind back 365 days, to Big Brown Mania, the loose shoe, the quarter cracks, the jockey, the owners, and of course, the trainer.
Why do I like these photos so much? By the title of the blog post, I bet you expected an action shot of the race, but they were taken nowhere near the finish line :^) It’s even better- the entire race replays in your head as you view these images. The viewer is engaged. A story is told. Editorial imagery at its finest.
As far as photos of the winners actually on track, I think Bud’s is my favorite so far:
Summer Bird Belmont Stakes Celebration, by Bud Morton
And the best chain of events of photography would have to be this: moments before I shot this…
Bud shot this of Heckle and Jeckle.
Charles Pravata and Sarah Andrew
And then Melissa shot this of Bud.
Budphoto! by Melissa Wirth
Belmont Stakes 2009: Bird-Mania
Mine That Bird arrived at Belmont Park on Wednesday, June 3. According to his connections, he has been adjusting nicely to the new track. I saw him this morning and he looked physically and mentally fit and ready for tomorrow’s action.
Can’t get enough of Mine That Bird? Neither can Steve Haskin. Neither can Dick Jerardi. Here are the picks of other turf writers. Dana just wants to know how much you are spending.
And then you have the doubters.
So what do you think? Will he do it?
What about Mr. Hot Stuff?
Mr Hot Stuff at Belmont Park ©2009 Sarah K Andrew
Or Summer Bird?
Summer Bird at Belmont Park ©2009 Sarah K Andrew
JR Session 39: Coneheads
Thursday, 6/4/09
The swelling in Wizard’s leg has decreased considerably. The only time I can see him favoring the leg is on a circle. I put him on the longe line so I could get a better look at it. Then I turned him loose in the arena and he blew off a little steam and seemed QUITE happy to move out on the leg- he snorted and tossed his head and was overall silly. I think we’ll be back to work pretty soon.
JR was also pretty silly. We’re going through another rainy spell so the horses are getting turned out whenever possible, but they have had a little more time indoors than usual. He bounced around on the longe line and played the Magnetic Gate Game, which involves him pulling like crazy whenever he gets close the the direction of the gate (it does not matter that he’s at the far end of the arena!). I took the Magnetic Gate Game as an opportunity to work on contact and asking him to bring the circle in and back out.
We worked with side reins for part of the session and he’s relaxing more in them and bracing his neck less. It’s still a habit but I see his neck in a relaxed position more and more frequently during training sessions.
There were four traffic cones set up in a square in the center of the ring. I asked JR to navigate the cones in several different patterns. Loop around one cone, then loop around two, then loop around a different cone. It was a good way to keep my eyes ahead and ask him for more complex maneuvers.
The boys have a few days off while I an busy with Belmont Stakes activities, but hopefully we’ll be back on track with some nice weather in the forecast.
JR Session 38: Dorito Gordito
Monday, 6/1/09
I did a few new portraits of Mary the Morgan. As she becomes more fit, she is filling out nicely. She looks wonderful and it’s fun to chronicle her progress. Photographing black horses has become enjoyable now that I have the perfect practice model mare. There are so many nuances: every type of light makes a different color cast on her coat. The last bit of available light was reaching Mary as I snapped these frames. I particularly like the way she looks in her new Stubben Golden Wings snaffle.
I hand grazed Wizard and put his front legs in standing bandages while I was at the barn. His left front leg is still swollen. He is not lame on it, but the inflammation is still there. He also got a little massage- he seems quite pleased with the pampering. Whenever I massage the muscles near the sacroiliac joint, he does an elaborate yawning routine. Yawning can be a sign of relaxation and released tension.
Did you ever realize that Doritos means “little bits of gold”? That would make JR a gordito dorito since he needs to get his grain cut back a little- he got a little more roly poly when I went to Kentucky.
JR was longed in the indoor arena today. We had another excellent and productive session. I had the happy realization that I had not heard JR interfere at all in the past three longeing sessions! I think that the work has made him more balanced and he is more coordinated so he strikes his own feet less often.
I always start with no side reins and we work toward connection with side reins. Tonight, I experimented with tightening the inside side rein one hole tighter than the outside side rein. I did not see a big difference, but big differences are not what I want to see at this phase of training :^) When we were done with side rein work, I asked for a canter. The canter was easier for him in the indoor arena since the footing is firmer. I only ask JR to canter about 2 or 3 times around in each direction at this point in his schooling.
When we were done longeing, I turned JR loose in the arena. He walked beside me, sans halter, sans tack, and cooled off. His interaction with me has reached a new level and it was apparent when he was at liberty. We’re finally starting to understand each other a little better :^)
I did a little massage work on JR as well- he loffed it.
Thursday, 5/28/09 and Saturday, 5/30/09
I’ll start backwards. Wizard got kicked by Indy in the paddock on Saturday. Indy is a cute and energetic grullo blanket Appaloosa.
The kick is on Wizard’s left front leg. There is just a tiny break in the skin and a little swelling on the side of the cannon below the knee. He walks comfortably on it. I cold hosed it and applied Nolvasan to it. The horses are turned out at night so I kept him outside so he could move around on it.
So that’s why I did not work Wizard on Saturday.
I rolled my left ankle when I was in Georgia. I took pretty good care of it, but I did not rest it enough. Less than a week later, I turned it again. And less than a week later (on Saturday), I rolled it again. So frustrating! Now I’m on more serious ‘stall rest’ and I am wrapping the ankle whenever there is a risk of turning it. I plan to treat it like a real sprained ankle this time. And I’ve been babying it with my Back on Track horse products :^) I need my A-game on Belmont Stakes Day.
Back on Track polo wraps
I longed Wizard on Thursday. His gaits are improving with each session. When his trot was consistent and limber, I put his side reins on. The side reins were very loose but Wizard still did a LOT of chomping at the contact. Chomp, chomp, chomp. I let him work it out and eventually, he relaxed into the contact and began to relax his topline. I wonder if this is the key to our work under saddle as well. Maybe he will settle once he gets over his initial tension. The worst part is the risk of him being in real pain or reacting really badly. I guess we’ve got time to think it over since I need to nurse a sprained ankle. We worked on slow and forward trots, as well as spirals. Wizard gets a little tense on the circles but then he relaxes and works nicely. His back is a little long so it’s more of a challenge for him to collect than his smaller short-backed friend, JR :^)
Wonderful things are happening with JR. His gaits are improving dramatically. His topline is getting stronger. He no longer trots in paisley-shaped circles. We did have a comical moment on the longe on Saturday when he heard a herd of deer crashing through the woods and did a full circle around the longe line bucking like a rodeo bronc. It reminded me of the Stuart sketches in the Mad TV episodes when he leaps around and says, “Look what I can do!”
JR is learning to accept contact on side reins. Response to voice cues is improving- I can smooch for him to liven up his trot and we can do “virtual half halts” with voice cues and a touch of the longe line. I’m seeing a lot less bracing of his neck when he does an upward or downward transition. Work with spirals has been the key to JR’s improvement. His short back and nicely-set neck will allow him to collect when his work becomes more advanced. When I longe him, I can ask him to trot in straight lines and trot in square shapes. In my imagination, he’s like a little, chunky, golden Lipizzaner ;^)
2009 Belmont Stakes Logo = Awesome
2009 Belmont Stakes Logo: Sweeeet!
Love it, love it, love it! I might even have to purchase some swag.
And speaking of the Belmont Stakes…
He will, but who will ride him?
And in other racing news…. It has come to my attention that there has been some jibber-jabber on the blogs about Zenyatta’s “conservative” 2009 plans. It has been said on the forums that the plans are unambitious. This complaint does not work for me. She’s the best horse in training. If an owner or trainer wants to challenge that notion, her schedule has been mapped out for all to see. Come and get her. In the meantime, she’ll work on being only the second horse in history to win the Distaff. And I must admit, repeating victories is one of my favorite things that great horses do.
And check out Zenyatta’s happy feet on Fran Jurga’s HoofBlog.
Wizard Ride 80; JR Ride 35: No Means No
Monday, May 25, 2009
Back to square one. It’s been over a month since Wizard’s last ride, but there have been absolutely no changes to his behavior. I longed him for about 20 minutes and he was very responsive. His gaits seem to be improving and he is more balanced. I could hardly wait to sit in the saddle. I mounted up and he stood like a statue. I praised him and we walked off on a loose rein. We walked in a figure 8 shape for just a few minutes, with loose reins the entire time. He felt fantastic.
I stopped him near the gate to set up my camera for my friend to take a quick picture. As we walked away from her to stand for the photo, Wizard had the same negative reaction he’s had for the past few rides. About four steps from where we halted, he raised his head and bobbed it threateningly with his ears pinned against his head. He did this several times, each time getting more agitated. I could feel him tightening his topline and I think he front feet lifted for just a fraction of a second. The last time he did it, I reprimanded him verbally and tapped his shoulder with my hand to get his attention. He responded by standing still, but I could feel the tension in his body. After I asked him to stand quietly for a moment, I dismounted and did more work on the longe line so we did not end the session with him reacting to badly. He longed fine, even at the canter. I remounted and asked him to stand quietly again. He stood without any negative reaction, but I think it was because we did not walk forward more than a step or two.
I cooled Wizard out and gave him a bath. I used a Wash Wand and Wizard was NOT thrilled about it. He did quite a bit of wiggling in the wash stall and was quite adamant about not having his head rinsed. It took a lot of time, some sweet talking, a few angry growls, and two large carrots to finish the bath. After the bath was over, I hand grazed him and put him to bed.
I injured my ankle last week so my saddle time had to be limited. It’s amazing how much pressure riding puts on the joint compared to walking on foot. I longed JR for about 20 minutes and mounted for a quick stroll at the walk. He was a little squirrelly about mounting but a little patience and guidance, I got him to stand quietly. He stretched his neck very low as we walked around the arena, partially stretching and partially playing with contact. The ride was more to get him back into the swing of things than to do any actual work.
I keep thinking about Wizard. Is he in pain? Is this developing into a bad habit? Is this actually an old habit that I never knew about? He already had a master saddle fitter examine his saddle and a respected veterinarian do a lameness exam. My next step is to ask my trainer friend to ride him and if he still is resistant, I’ll have the chiropractor out again to adjust him. Whatever the problem is, Wizard is trying his best to tell me no.
Wizard Session 79; JR Session 34: Busy Wizard
Thursday, 5/21/09
Pedicure day for the boys and for the little black mare :^) Wizard got new shoes and Mary and JR got their feet trimmed. The farrier was happy with everybody’s feet.
I longed JR in the afternoon for about 20 minutes. He worked in a bridle and a surcingle, mostly with his head free but for about 5 minutes, we increased the workload with my single side rein gadget. The side rein gadget is one side rein, clipped to the bottom ring of the surcingle between the front legs. The top is clipped to a piece of leather or baling twine that connects the two bit rings. I like this gadget because it seems to help the horses learn to work the base of their necks instead of compressing the neck with traditional side reins. I think the sliding side reins have a similar effect but I’ve never tried them. JR got a nice workout and seemed to enjoy the session.
I visited my local feed store and picked up Vitamin E and Selenium crumbles for Wizard, as well as Quiessence (a magnesium supplement).
I longed Wizard for 20 minutes with a similar workout to the one JR got. He sweated less than JR- I think his body type has a little more endurance. He was a little reluctant to go to the right and stopped a few times, but he also gave me a really, really nice canter to the right. Of course, I had not asked for it, but because it was so balanced, I let him go around a few times. It was the nicest canter I’ve seen so far.
Both horses grazed a while and had their dinner and hay.
A few hours later, we had a free jumping session. Unfortunately, I did not get very good photos, but it was a great night. JR started with poles on the ground, then graduated to cross rails and a little vertical. He is a little clumsy with the jumps, but he’s quite game. I think his coordination will improve with more sessions.
Miss Tuesday had her first free jumping session. The first time the horses free jump, the main goal is to get them to understand the pattern (trot or canter quietly through the chute, take the jump, and relax after the jump). Tuesday was quite creative :^) After hopping backwards and over one of the guide fences (which is WAY higher than the little cross rail), she picked up on the pattern. She only went over about 4 jumps total, but it looks like she will have very nice form with tight knees and a round back. When Tuesday leapt over the barrier rail, everybody was so surprised that we burst into laughter. “Give her a cookie,” I said to her owner, “give her all the cookies!”. Although she jumped the side chute instead of the front jump, it was an honest effort and I think it’s more important to see a horse willingly trying something. Right and left can be refined in the future :^)
Mary the Morgan was up next. She was Miss Calm and Collected. It is really fun to see her progress because she’s such a quick study and she thrives on changes in routine. I especially like how relaxed she stayed through the chute. She never turned a hair. Mary also jumped cleaner and higher than she has before. The highest she jumped was about 2’6″.
Last up was Wizard. He completely exceeded my expectations. We only did the poles and cross rail about two times before moving up to the vertical. Each jump was perfect and he sailed over with lovely form. Remembering the last time he free jumped, I was not sure if I wanted to go higher. His limit was 2’6″ last time and when the jump went higher, he hit the rail and seemed a little worried. But Thursday night, I decided to try it again,. Free jumping is a perfect example of training plateaus. Each new session can start one step back from where the last one left off. And since I only free jump about once a month, the horses get a lot of training between sessions. So we did 2’6″ Thursday night and Wizard was a pro. So I raised it to 2’9″. The first time, he hit the pole and knocked it out of the cups. Hmmmm. Do I try it again or make it easier for his confidence? Hmmmmm. I tried it one more time. And it paid off! Wizard got a little excited in the approach and I was able to slow him down with just my voice. “Eaaaasssssssyyyyyyyy,” and with that, he rated. And then he SAILED over the jump! He’s learning how to approach jumps and how to coordinate his feet. With his newly pulled mane, he looked like a nice little hunter when he jumped.
I beamed with pride as I asked Wizard to stop, gave him a cookies, and cooled him off. Busy Wizard had new shoes, a longeing session, and a free jumping session. I think I was even more proud that he rated with a voice command than I was of his excellent jumping effort. With Wizard, it’s very important to communicate frequently and reassure him when he’s nervous. He becomes quite brave when he is confident. Our communication has become quite refined on the longe line and at liberty. I’m itching to see how he is under saddle. I hope to try riding him again next time I’m at the barn.
Rock and Racehorses: The Blog 