Wizard Sessions 387, 388, Ride 389: Sore Thumb
Wednesday, 7/25/12
After work, Jon and I took Wizard for a hand walk. We went out the big back field behind the Horse Park, up to the “bowling pin”, and down the road back to the barn. The weather was stunning, and we had a really nice walk in the park.
Friday, 7/27/12
After work, I took Wizard for another hand walk, around the same route as Wednesday, but with a reversed path. I’m getting fitter from the hiking, and Wizard seems to enjoy it, despite the buggy nights. Unfortunately, he lost weight again. I’m going to take a good look at his feed plan, and I think he is going to need to go back on some senior feed for part of his ration.
On the way back to the barn at the end of our walk, I tripped over a root, took a dramatic fall, and somehow landed on my thumb in the process. Thankfully, Wizard stepped away from me and stood quietly instead of trampling me. Extra carrots for him. My thumb is swollen- I’m guessing it’s a sprain.
Saturday, 7/28/12
In the morning, I went for a ride with Kris and Sunny. We were out for about an hour, riding from the back field behind the barn to the fields by the lake to the “bowling pin” field. Wizard was a little perky, but behaved himself very well. I kept my thumb immobilized with Vetrap- it worked very well.
This week, I saw countless rabbits, plus some sort of bird of prey, plus a fox. Ahhhh, the great outdoors…
Part 6 in Thewifedoesntknow’s training blog- trotting a “course” of trot poles, turn on the forehand, a short video clip, and much more! Link here:
http://thetdnblog.blogspot.com/2012/07/thewifedoesntknow-training-blog-week-5.html
Wizard Rides 385 & 386: Hollow Hills
Friday, 7/20/12
I tried to get Cathy and Miss Tuesday to head out on the trails with us, but it was raining. I was in denial.
“Sarah, it’s RAINING,” said Cathy.
“But, but, but…” I whined.
We ended up riding indoors for the first time in weeks. I didn’t ride very long- it was mostly just to get on and see if I felt any uneven gait. I could see it in his trot the other day when I free longed him in the indoor. Oddly, I saw it more than I felt it. Usually, it’s the other way around. We just did a little walk-trot work, walking in corners and trotting the sides. During tackup and riding, he behaved very well. The calling to Sunny is gone, thank goodness. He is gaining weight very slowly. He is cribbing more than he did when he was turned out with Sunny, but as the days go on, he spends less time moping in the corner and more time integrating with his herd.
Saturday, 7/21/12
With temperatures in the high 70s/low 80s, it felt more like June than July. We endured some wicked heat and some wild storms last week, and got a really lovely Saturday in return.
Wizard and I went out on a trail ride with Christie and Brigid in the Assunpink. We were out for about an hour and 20 minutes. The ground was yielding but not too boggy, so we set out at a good trot as soon as we hit the main trail. We covered a good amount of ground since we trotted through many of the fields. We went past the lake, through a tiny stream, and up and down some hills. The hill work is very good for both horses, and the conditioning will do them a lot of good. Wizard was a little trippy at the walk- he does not actually trip as much as it feels like he steps in a little hole from time to time. I felt it less when we were warmed up more. He did not do it at all at the trot.
We ended up at the edge of the Assunpink near Rt 524 on a ridge where there were signs for an old cemetery. We did NOT visit the cemetery, but we did a little bushwhacking as we made our way through some ungroomed trails. Both horses handled their slightly rugged ride very well. The borium that I was not loving on Wizard’s shoes in the fields felt pretty fantastic when we were climbing rocky hills. There were a few baby logs that were set into the hill like mini cross country bank jumps. Both horses climbed and hopped up them like champs. Once we looped back around the ridge, we headed back past the lake, up the “bowling pin” hill, and down a hill with two downed trees- I imagined how Phillip Dutton feels as he rides down a steep hill over huge four-star jumps. Our trees were small enough to walk over, but it was fun to pretend.
Once we hit the midway point of our ride and Wizard could feel that we were headed home, it was difficult to keep him in a trot. He wanted to break into a canter. I patiently slowed down my posting and did a lot of give-and-take with my hands. I was pretty satisfied with most of our work. He was a little bit prancy on the way home, but maintained his flat-footed walk for a good majority of the ride.
It was one of the best rides I’ve had in months. Finally, my back is cooperating enough to let me enjoy the 6,500 acres of trails next door to the barn. We got back to the barn and I gave him a good bath- the air was dry enough that he dried fully in a short amount of time, even in the setting sun.
Recently, I’ve met a few hunter/jumper Thoroughbreds who were trained by Timothy Shaw when they were at the track. Each of these horses are sound, athletic, and full of personality. I contacted Tim about his former trainee, Thewifedoesntknow; he was kind enough to share his thoughts about her, as well as provide some insight about the transition from racetrack to show ring and his thoughts about when it is the right time to retire a racehorse.
Click here to read my interview with trainer Tim Shaw.
Part 5 in a weekly series of training blogs about Thewifedoesntknow, a Thoroughbred mare made famous by a viral Monmouth Park YouTube video and who is now in training to be a show hunter with New Jersey-based trainer Carole Davison.
Click here to read Training Blog, Week 1
Click here to read Training Blog, Week 2
Click here to read Training Blog, Week 3
Click here to read my interview with jockey Shannon Uske, who rode “The Wife” in her last race
Tuesday, 7/10/12
Jon and I took Wizard out for a hike in the Assunpink. It was pretty hot and we were out for well over an hour. We walked through the back field behind the farm, around the Horse Park cross-country course, and up the road. Somewhere in the Horse Park, Wizard lost his left front shoe.
NOOOOOOOOOOO!
I got him home safely, and his foot did not get badly shipped or shredded, thank goodness.
On Friday, the farrier put a new set of shoes on him. We removed the leather rim pads and he welded a few dots of borium on his shoes for added traction and wear.
Saturday, 7/14/12
Borium is sticky. Really sticky. Wizard was tripping a bit during our ride, and I could feel his feet “grabbing” the road more than I expected. I think I’ll skip the borium until perhaps the wintertime when ice is a risk. We rode out on the trails with Sunny and Brigid. We went out through the field by the log cabin, over the “bowling pin” hill, down into the “secret corn field”, and looped back around. We trotted the long side of one of the fields- it felt soooo nice to trot. My back is still cooperating, yahoo! We ended up on the road and walked back to the barn, where I did a teeny bit of ringwork with Wizard for the first time in MONTHS. We just trotted around and I asked for a few leg yields. He felt strong and willing. I quit before my herniated discs protested, cooled him out, and put him back in his paddock.
Sunday, 7/15/12
Wizard and I took a brisk walk up the bowling pin hill and down the cinder road. I took him back to the barn for a good grooming. He developed a little bit of crud on his right hind cannon bone, so I am going to be more diligent about making sure he’s fully dry after I hose him off and before he goes out in his paddock.
A new update for YouTube sensation “Ally-Gator”. She jumped her first little cross rail and took her first trail ride. Link here: http://thetdnblog.blogspot.com/2012/07/thewifedoesntknow-training-blog-week-3.html
Wizard Rides/Sessions 376- 381: Weird Fishes
Tuesday, 7/3/12
After work, Jon and I drove to the barn and took Wizard for a hike. We walked for about 2 miles, down to the lake and back. Wizard played in the lake, as he likes to do, and I can only assume a fish nibbled at his feet, and he LEAPT straight into the air. It was hilarious. It looked kind of like the drawing above. I could not stop laughing, and Jon was a little horrified.
Wednesday, 7/4/12
After Kris’ riding lesson, Kris and I took Wizard and Sunny out in the Assunpink for a trail ride. We rode up the “bowling pin” hill, and were just starting a little trot set when we came across people taking their dogs out for a hike. We passed them on the trail, and Wizard was a little funny about it. Sunny took over as leader and was happy to pass them. Wizard then realized that everything was okay and went back to being himself. He’s usually fine with dogs, so I’m not sure what got into him. We walked down to the lake, and the horses got to take a drink and paw around for a little bit before we took them home. I’m fortunate to board at the barn where there are not a lot of firework-loving neighbors, and the horses all were fine with the Fourth of July festivities.
Thursday, 7/5/12
This week, the air just got hotter and hotter with each passing day. Mom and I took Wizard for a hand walk later in the day. We walked to the lake and then explored the Horse Park of New Jersey. I was glad I was not riding him, because he was pretty energetic. I was able to longe him for just a few minutes on the side of a field, and it seemed to help him settle. On all our previous rides in the Horse Park, he has gotten pretty excited, so I was thrilled that he was better on Thursday. He was in a nervous sweat, though, so we did not stay too long. We probably walked about 2 1/2 miles.
Friday, 7/6/12
I got to the barn later in the day, did a quick photo project, and went out for a short trail ride with Bailey the Thoroughbred and his owner. This is Bailey:
I was interested to see how the two horses would feel about each other since they are similar in personality. Bailey is a taller, more substantial horse, but has a lot of the classic Thoroughbred personality. We rode down the road and onto the other side of the Assunpink, down into the long fields near the Horse Park. We were out for about 40 minutes. Wizard was pretty good, but got anxious for some legs of the journey because he walks a lot faster than Bailey does. I was able to rate his walk and circle back to keep close to them, but Wizard was chewing nervously on the bit for a lot of the walk. I was pleased, though, that he went out with a gelding instead of a mare and not one of his usual “friends” and did reasonably well.
Wizard was separated from Sunny today, and spent most of his time running across his paddock and whinnying. I know it will take time for him to settle down, and I’m watching him like a hawk in the meantime to make sure he does not get hurt or dehydrate himself. Ahhh, the life of a neurotic horse owner owning a neurotic horse.
Saturday, 7/7/12
HOT. HOT. HOT. Wizard has taken to sulking in the corner of his paddock where he can see Sunny the best. I took Wizard on a hand walk with Christie and Brigid. We went around a similar loop to the one I took with Bailey and his owner the day before. We added another field into the walk. By the time I got back to the barn, I was a sweaty mess. Hooray, fitness!
Sunday, 7/8/12
A series of strong thunderstorms twisted their way through Monmouth County, and there were several branches down at the barn. Christie and Brigid went out for a ride with me and Wizard. It was the best ride we’ve had in a while! Wizard was super-responsive, and settled in really nicely through the new back fields by the Horse Park, as well as when we rode through the Horse Park itself. We walked around all the big cross-country jumps, around the perimeter of the field, and up and down “Cardiac Hill”. Over all the hills, Wizard was fantastic. He followed my cues to walk instead of jogging up or down. The big cross-country field normally gets him pretty excited, but he was calm and curious for the entire ride. In the back fields before the Horse Park, we did just a short trot set. It was the first trotting I’ve done since I hurt my back in late May. It felt GREAT. I could feel a little stiffness in my back, but I wanted to trot all day long. My sensible side took over, and we walked the rest of the ride. Back at the barn, Wizard was MUCH better than he was for the past few days. The separation from Sunny had been causing him some anxiety during tackup and hosedown time, but on Sunday, he behaved. No hollering, no dancing around. I am guessing that it was partly due to the weather and partly due to him settling into his new routine with his pasturemates, Buck, Jesta, and Cisco. I upped his omeprazole granule dosage to two packets for now while he copes with his new herd. He lost weight since they moved in, partially from the running and partially from the stress, I think.
Hunter/jumper rider and jockey Shannon Uske recommended Thewifedoesntknow to trainer Carole Davison as a sporthorse prospect. Read Shannon’s thoughts about the mare, as well as advice to aspiring jockeys and exercise riders here: http://thetdnblog.blogspot.com/2012/07/thewifedoesntknows-training-blog-q-with.html
Wizard Sessions 375 & 376: Rollin’ Over
Friday, 6/29/12
After work, Jon and I headed to the barn and we went out for a hike with Wizard. Kris and Sunny joined us. We walked down to Stone Tavern Lake, where the horses cooled off in the water. Wizard took great delight in pawing at the water. Sunny liked the lake, but was not overjoyed like Wizard was. Some people in canoes paddled over and watched the horses playing- you can see them in this video:
After we left the lake, we headed up through one of the fields back to the barn. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Wizard hit the ground. That cheeky horse found a nice sandy spot after his dip in the lake and ROLLED! He did not make a production of it with the catlike pawing and circling- he just ROLLED. I guess the sand was just too inviting. I would have scolded him more if it was not so hot out and if it was not such a perfect rolling scenario.
Our little group wandered our way back to the road and headed back to the barn, where we hosed the horses off and put them to bed. I think we covered about 2 or 2 1/2 miles.
Sunday, 7/1/12
It was another hot day, and the bugs were hungrier with all the humidity. I took Wizard out for another walk in the park at sunset. This time, we were all alone. He was antsy when he was being groomed because he was separated from Sunny, but once we were out in the park, he was fantastic. We worked on walking slowly and briskly, and I let him stop to graze a few times. We were out for about 35 minutes, and walked up the “bowling pin” hill, and down the cinder road. I really enjoy hiking with Wizard, and it’s helping me gain strength in my core/back.
Tuesday, 6/26/12
After work, Jon and I took Wizard for a hike in the park. We did the usual short loop, ending at the log cabin, and it took about 30 minutes. In the morning, my back was really locked up, but it loosened with the walk. By the time we got back to the barn, it was dark and the fireflies were out. Life is good.
Wednesday, 6/27/12
I RODE- YESSSSS!!!!! Wizard and I went out on a walk in the park with Cathy and Miss Tuesday. We were out for about 35-45 minutes, walking through the mulberry bush field and up the “bowling pin” field. Wizard was SO, SO full of energy, but he was polite enough to remember his training and contained himself to a walk. My back is slowly healing- the ride felt great.
On Thursday, I saw the neurologist, and she said she expects my back to be close to normal in about 2-4 more weeks. If it is not going in the right direction in two weeks, I have to do another MRI. I’m diligently doing my physical therapy exercises, and they seem to help.
The “bomber” flies are out in force, and I gave Wizard an abbreviated bath, smeared him with GNatural (love that stuff!), and put his fly sheet on. He looks like a spaceman.
Rock and Racehorses: The Blog 