Wizard Sessions 430, 431, 432, 433: Walking Distance

I got in touch with my regular vet last week and we had a good chat about what she saw in the x-rays (see previous training blog). She also talked with my farrier about a shoeing plan.

First of all, and this may or may not be related, but his Lyme Disease levels are much lower now than they were when we tested and treated him a year ago.

Basically, she has seen way worse on many horses, and she is optimistic that corrective shoeing and work will help quite a bit. She saw some very minor arthritic changes in the right knee. In the right foot, she did not think there was coffin bone rotation, per se. She said there was a change in the angle, but she was looking more at the whole picture, including the broken-back angle of P2 and P1. I was glad to hear this, because my farrier agrees with this assessment. My vet saw some very minor sclerosis of the navicular bone. It sounded to me like whatever issue he has/had was affecting the whole foot and the angles. Shoeing, injury, etc. Wizard’s body compensated, and we are seeing the long-term results in the x-rays.

Since we were between shoeings, my farrier came out and put aluminum shoes on his fronts, set well back for heel support, and a size larger to support his whole foot (aluminum because the larger size would make regular steel shoes heavier). He put snow rim pads on him. And the day we put the new shoes on Wizard, I saw him land consistently flat on the footing for the first time. He always tends to be toe first. It wasn’t heel first, but I was pleased to see flat!

So the short-term training plan is to let him get used to the new shoes and gently work him until my saddle arrives. I’m trying not to do too much circling, but when we’re stuck indoors due to the weather, it’s tough to avoid it.

Wednesday, 12/26/12 We worked indoors in long lines, and upon suggestion, I tried a little flash noseband attachment thingy, as an experiment. Wizard is very chompy on the bit, and the suggestion to try the flash was not in order to crank his mouth shut, but instead to steady the bit. Some horses don’t like bit movement, and a flash can help to keep things steadier. Wizard was NOT amused. He stuck his nose out, and leapt around a little when he felt rein pressure. We kept the session short, mostly doing bending exercises at the walk and a little trot work.

I’ve been at the barn for a lot of grooming sessions and sometimes quick hand walks in the park, but these are the actual work sessions he has had recently:

Thursday, 12/27/12

Years ago, when Wizard was doing more of his spinning and occasional rearing routines on the longe, a friend suggested longeing him in two lines. It seemed too complicated for my clumsy self, so I never tried it. Now that we’ve done more long lining work, it seemed like something worth revisiting.

We worked indoors again (%&*$%&$ winter &%*^&*% rain), and it was mostly successful. The biggest issue I had was him sucking back off the bit and geting behind the driving aid (whip) from time to time. I’m going to try a longeing cavesson next time out. Other than that, the two-line method was pretty neat.

Friday, 12/28/12

Wizard was tacked up in a bridle, surcingle, and longeing cavesson for this session. We were indoors (again). I used two longe lines, with the clips attached to the rings on the cavesson instead of on the bit. It worked much better. He was feeling a little fresh from all the rain and not a lot of work, and threw some pretty wild kicks when the longe line got too tight around his hind end. At one point, it also got shimmed up under his tail for a minute, ending in another kicking spree until his tail loosened and he got back to normal. We also experimented with the outside line draped over his back. I like the two-line method quite a bit, because it is closer to riding, and I have more control of his shape. On a regular longe line, I have no outside “rein” so he can pop his shoulder whenever he wants.

Thursday, 1/3/13

OUTSIDE- finally! The rain cleared, and a strong wind blew for a few days, drying things up nicely. I was going to go for a walk in the Assunpink, but I forgot to renew my permit, so we stayed at the farm and worked in the outdoor arena. I swapped bits to a fat loose ring snaffle, trying to make it as mild as possible for our groundwork. Over the bridle, he wore his cavesson. We warmed up at the walk on long lines, with me walking behind and also working from his hip. Then, we did a little light trot work, all with the lines snapped to the cavesson. The cavesson is basically as mild as a halter, and Wizard started to play, breaking from a big trot circle to a loopy, bucky canter festival. I was able to slow him down, but the force of him against the lines was hard enough that I was running pretty quickly to keep up as he slowed down. Okay, I guess he can handle a bit now! So we went on to the bit. He did his curling routine again, backing off the bit. I asked for a few transitions, which helped a lot. After a little gentle work, he began to stretch into the bit at the trot. YESSSSS. My goal with the long line work is to patch up some of the holes in his training, especially getting him to accept contact and loosen his back more. Today, I saw him doing a little bit of that. Now if only that saddle would arrive…

Wizard Rides 288 & 289: A Head With Wings

Friday, 9/30/11

In the photo above, my friend’s dearly-departed Morgan, Mary, is modeling the Stubben Golden Wings bit. The bit does not fit my friend’s new mare, so Wizard gave it a try.

We began our ride outdoors. The air was cool but damp from all the recent rain and humidity. All my tack got moldy from not riding for almost a week :^P Wizard was energetic but not evasive. He happily purred while we rode. Something about the cool air, the bit, and the time off seemed to agree with him, and he was FABULOUS. He was taking contact, and I was able to keep my hands right there with him instead of feeding the reins through with my fingers or creeping the reins up when he stretched into the bit. I think the Stubben is SO mild that Wizard is comfortable sitting on it a little more than his usual bits. All of our bits are extremely mild, but this one seemed to sit in his mouth like butter.

We worked on some lateral exercises, and I worked diligently on using my calf instead of poking him with my heel (awful habit that I fall into sometimes). We did some lengthening of our gaits, and I got the most BRILLIANT trot out of him. It was pretty close to a real extended trot- the tempo did not increase, but his stride lengthened and he really pushed with the hind end.

Annnnd then it rained.

So we moved indoors. We continued our lateral adventures, and did some shoulder in work, mostly at the walk. I got so brave that we practiced a few steps of Walter Zettl’s Shoulder-In Entwickeln Exercise. It was pretty sloppy, but the basics were there. He was SUCH a good boy. It made me think again about doing dressage shows with him :^)

Sunday, 10/2/11

Sunday’s ride was short, much to Wizard’s delight. We rode in the indoor arena with Kris and Sunny. We had a long, lazy walking warmup, followed by some leg yields at the walk. Then, we went into the trot, practicing circles at the ends. We worked on the leg yield at the trot, and were doing some transitions before Kris needed some moral support during her ride with Sunny. Wizard was off the hook for the rest of the ride, and was even referred to as “the good horse”. My goodness, how far we’ve come…

Wizard Ride 276: These Arms of Mine

Tuesday, 9/6/11

Before work, I rode Wizard in the indoor arena. The horses have not spent a lot of time outside due to the rain, so Wizard was quite powerful. Our trot work was really nice, and he got himself onto the bit pretty nicely. Still lots of straightness issues, but we’re working through them. Our canter work, however, was tiring! My arms were aching by the time we were done. Wizard has a soft mouth, but he goes wayyy behind the bit when he gets revved up, so I was holding him when he tried to duck behind the bit, as well as check him when he tried to rush at the canter. The canter work is much more difficult indoors since the arena is a little smaller and the footing is harder than the outdoor ring. I don’t think Wizard was tired by the end of the ride, but I sure was!

Wizard Ride 198:Crow

Friday, 11/19/10

I am happily eating crow. I tried a new bit I would have never thought he’d like and Wizard loves it. I borrowed a dee-ring rubber snaffle. He accepted contact more readily and fussed less with the bit. I practiced combing the reins (see our last post) and the two of us seem to have taken a big step closer to contact.

The weather was sunny and cool and we were able to ride outside. My favorite arena to ride in is the big outdoor arena, and a quiet sunny morning is even better. We worked on transitions and riding into the corners, in preparation for a schooling show this weekend :^) Wizard’s canter work was a million times better than it was during our lesson- I’d guess that it was partially due to riding outdoors, partially due to me relaxing more, and partially due to getting a few more rides under our belt this week.

Wizard Ride 173: Stay Loose

Wednesday, 8/25/10

Wizard was treated to another massage session by my friend. She’s tuning up for her certification exam. She felt some changes and some things stayed the same. There was still some back soreness, but it was on the sides of the back, not up by the spine.

Wizard was all loosened up for our ride and it was great. I felt the same result from the massage that we did last time- he was straighter and stronger than he is without one. Our ride was very mellow and easy, mostly keeping soft and riding easy patterns. Our riding clinic was the following day so I did not ask for a big physical or mental effort.

I rode him in my old Myler Comfort Snaffle (the unported one, without hooks). It’s a bare-bones bridle and Alibar used to ride nicely in it. I tried it a year ago on Wizard but he fussed like crazy with it. This time around, he rode well in it. I’m planning a few more rides in it. Perhaps he is getting a little more advanced as a riding horse and can maintain better contact with the bit.

Wizard Session 112: From the Ground Up

Saturday, 10/24/09

A good day for ground work. I tacked Wizard up in his bridle and a surcingle and we did some ground work in the indoor arena. I started with a very light longeing session, walking for a few minutes, followed by about 7 times around at the trot in each direction. Then I fastened two long lines to his bit and introduced long lining to him.

I started by standing on his “good side” (his left) by his shoulder. The lines were held in my hands like reins. I asked him to walk on, just like we do on the longe line. His walk was a little wobbly because he was uncertain, but he seemed to catch on quickly. I asked for one turn and one halt, and praised profusely. Then, I tried the “bad” side (his right), which is the side on which he stops and spins on the longe line. He was very hesitant and reluctant to go forward but responded when I clucked him into a walk with my voice. I walked him along the wall so I could keep him straight. It will take a lot longer to work on the right, but it is an interesting glimpse into his personality to see that he is just as funny about his right on the longe line as he is in hand.

Here’s a photo of me long-lining JR this spring. Wizard will take a few more sessions before he can be this far away from me.

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.

JR Ride 8; Wizard Ride 51: Heels Down!

Wednesday, 2/25/09

I lost Alibar in September 2008 but I still see reminders of him all the time. I bought a bag of hay cubes for Wizard and I just about started bawling when I started making them. We made hay cubes for Alibar for over a decade- it was a signature Alibar dish.

I started the night with JR. First, I turned him out in the indoor arena to let him blow off a little steam and stretch his legs. We worked on some clicker training at liberty. Although JR was a little slow out of the gate with clicker training, he has caught up really quickly. I rewarded him for circling around me and also for approaching me on command. I think that a moderate amount of liberty training really strengthens the bond between horse and rider. I’ve never used round pens- I find a big arena to be just fine for what I need.

I tacked up JR and Sarah rode him first. She rode for about 10 minutes. She worked on adjusting his stride- forward trot, working trot, sitting trot. She also cantered him. For a green horse who has been out of work for more than a year, he was quite balanced. JR has a really nice inner balance and rhythm and I think he has the ability to go really far as a riding horse. JR just barely broke a sweat by the time she was done.

Then it was my turn. JR and I had a workout! Sarah really put us through our paces. We trotted figure 8s, serpentines, and figure 8s down the long side (really skinny figure 8s). Sarah asked us for three trots: forward trot, posting trot, and sitting trot. JR has a remarkable forward trot! He never feels like he is going to break into a canter and he sort of floats along. His natural ability to adjust his gaits will be an asset if he ends up doing any dressage. We rode for about 20 or 25 minutes. By the time we were done, I was sweating! I’ve ridden all my life but since Alibar got sick and before that hurt his leg, I barely rode in 2008. In the beginning of the lesson, JR did a lot of adjusting his head, sometimes up, sometimes out, sometimes down. At the end of the lesson, I could feel JR stretching into the bit and accepting contact. His trot became more rhythmical and easy to ride. I cooled him out, groomed him, and moved onto the next victim :^)

I let Wizard spend about 10 minutes loose in the arena to stretch his legs and so I could see how he was feeling on the new shoes. He looks more comfortable. I tacked him up and Sarah rode him for about 10 minutes. A lot of the relaxation and schooling we did in January has regressed. He was back to being tense and anticipating the trot. Sarah was very patient with him and worked on asking for a quiet trot on a large circle. He did relax a bit after a few rounds. Then, I rode him for about 10 minutes. I think that it will not take as long to get him settled this time around as it did last month. Even though he had a layoff, I find that horses pick up training quickly once they have already learned it at some point. We did a few quiet walk/trot transitions and then walked some more, working on getting him to his “happy place”. Wizard simply needs more physical care and work than JR. I love working with them both and I am beginning to appreciate their differences.

It’s also really nice to be doing actual riding lessons. It feels good to have somebody tell me to put my heels down :^) Part of the comfort of a lesson is that I can allow somebody else to pilot the ride while I work on myself. I can focus more and we both improve. I’m really impressed with the progress we made. Can’t wait for the next lesson!

Racehorses: Bits Commonly Used in Thoroughbred Horse Racing, Sales & Breeding

I receive a lot of inquiries about the tack used in racing. My hands-on riding experience is with hunter/jumpers, but I’ve learned quite a bit (ha!) by watching and shooting so much horse racing. The basic principles of bitting and horsemanship cross disciplines and continents. The age-old sentiment about even the mildest bit being dangerous in cruel hands is just as true in horse racing as it is in dressage, reining, or endurance riding.

Due to the sheer quantity of bits available to trainers, I’ll share more bits in future posts. Here are five to get you started:

1. The Chifney Bit. The Chifney was invented by a jockey named Samuel Chifney (1753 – 1807). Used for leading in hand and commonly seen at Thoroughbred sales. It’s also called an anti-rearing bit and it can have a straight or ported mouthpiece. Click here for a view of a chifney with a curved mouthpiece. The bit has three external rings: two attach to the horse;s halter and one attached to a lead line. When I see young horses at sales, I’ve noticed that the chifney has an added benefit: the horses play with the mouthpiece, which can be calming for them. During the time when young horses are prepped for a sale, they are trained to lead and stand, but these skills are put to the test in the unfamiliar surroundings of a sale.

2. Regulator. Also known as, “what the heck kind of bit is Curlin wearing?” You can see the leather-covered mouthpiece here. In training, Curlin tended to tilt his head sideways (he did not seem to have the same problem on race day- perhaps it was only at slower gaits). A bit like helps keep a horse travelling straight. Although Curlin always smoothly navigated his turns, I’ve also seen this type of bit on horses who bolt or drift out on turns.

3. Dexter Ring Bit. You can see the mouthpiece here. The ring bit has two mouthpieces: one jointed snaffle mouthpiece and one ring that encircles the horse’s lower jaw. The snaffle portion of the bit can have metal, plastic or rubber coating and the ring is metal. The cheekpieces are of varying shapes, as are the metal “spoons” below the mouth. A ring bit is commonly used on strong horses since it adds stopping power. The bit also increases steering power since a rider has the added leverage on the horse’s lower jaw.

Big Brown raced in a ring bit. Jockey Kent Desormeaux used the bit to rate the strong and powerful horse in the beginning of his races.

Note that Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown trained in a loose ring snaffle in the mornings:

Which brings us to:

4. Loose Ring Snaffle. Dressage riders, you’ve seen this one, right? Jumpers? Western riders? This is one of the most universal bits. It’s also considered one of the mildest bits.

Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey commonly trains and races his horses in a fat loose ring snaffle. This is Offshore, half brother to the brilliant and ill-fated filly Pine Island.

5. Full Cheek Snaffle. Ahhhh, show and pleasure riders, another familiar bit, eh? A full cheek snaffle has a round ring on each end, with a straight piece that rests on the horse’s cheeks. The straight pieces help with steering on green horses and also prevent the rings from passing through the horse’s mouth with one-sided rein pressure. Full cheek snaffles are not as common on track as some other bits but I do see them every once in a while.

Wizard Ride 35: Stirrup Kisses and Dumbo Loses the Magic Feather

Tuesday 1/6/09

I broke my sessions with Wizard into two mini-sessions today. I longed him in his new Happy Mouth King Dee mullen mouth shaped bit so he could get a feel for it. Although the bit looked big, the plastic sides actually push the bit away from his cheeks. The mouthpiece itself fits him perfectly. Wizard normally takes a 5 or 5 1/4 inch bit bit Happy Mouth bits tend to need to be sized up so he wears a 5 1/2″.

We longed for about 15 minutes, mostly for a little fitness and to work on our walk-trot transitions. He was the perfect little horse and did everything I asked. I put him back in his stall and he ate his dinner while I watched some other lessons and hung out at the barn with my mom.

Later in the evening, I tacked Wizard up for our ride. For the past 4 rides or so, Wizard has become more reactive to the saddling process. I changed him to a sheepskin saddle pad but I see no difference- if anything, he’s more agitated. Once the pad and saddle are on him, he does not react to the girthing process, which is strange to me.

Wizard is also sensitive to grooming. I purchased the softest brush I could find, but he still flattens his ears when I brush him. I let him give his editorial opinion for many sessions, but I finally had to reprimand him recently. I simply yelled, “ENOUGH!!!” and bumped his neck with the hard part of the brush. He quieted himself immediately and I praised him profusely when he relaxed.

As much as I hate, hate, hate to scold any human or animal, Wizard was simply getting too pushy about grooming. I try to let animals tell me how they feel about things, but after 30+ sessions and with him getting more and more opinionated, I finally had to let him know that this is unacceptable. And he listened with one loud word and a brush bumped against his neck.

After we tacked up, I rode Wizard indoors for about 15 minutes.

We started with Stirrup Kisses, a suppling exercise known by many other names and one that crosses disciplines from dressage to western pleasure. I asked Wizard to turn his head to my right stirrup by pulling the right rein toward my hip, while releasing my left rein to allow his neck to bend. When his nose is close to my stirrup, I release the right rein. Then I did one to the left, reversing the cues. Wizard was quite good at this exercise and even held position on both sides. He’s a bendy guy!

Then we worked at the walk, which felt fantastic. My seat felt more relaxed and I rode confidently. Wizard responded with a big walk that I call The Dinosaur Walk- kinda like this.

The trot was not as smooth :^) Without my Magic Feather (aka my friend Sarah), I could not trot Wizard as well. We also were riding at the far end of the arena (away from the gate and barn) because the arena was watered but had not yet been groomed. The trot was just-OK, but I lost my quiet seat and began to fiddle with Wizard’s mouth again. Argh- SO frustrasting!!! More rushing, less balance on my part. My timing was off. Wizard even broke into an awkward canter at one point when he had trotted himself off balance. Good to know that I have plenty of stopping power, even in the Happy Mouth Bit ;^)

We DID get a few nice moments at the trot, but none nearly as nice as the ones from the night before.

After one last decent little trot, I went back to the walk with Wizard. The VERY good part was that he was perfectly willing to go back to the Dinosaur Walk immediately after trotting. He was relaxed and willing, even after a few clumsy trots with me.

Back at the barn, I worked on Wizard’s bow- he’s slowly learning how to lift one hoof and bow down like a little circus pony.

Wizard has Wednesday off. Thursday night? Another session with Sarah and Sarah :^)