Wizard Ride 197: These Hands

Thursday, 11/18/10

Today, I had my first riding lesson with Carole. She is a local trainer/rider/instructor, and she has many years of experience. One of my favorite things about Carole is her skill with Thoroughbreds; as an owner of a beautiful, sensitive, chestnut Thoroughbred mare, Carole knows the breed well and can practically think like one.

Wizard began the lesson with uncharacteristic goofiness… prancing, fussing with the bit, and resisting my pleas to settle and focus. He was not bad per se, but was quite silly. He skittered around and tried to canter when we were trotting and bounced around, swapping leads every few strides at the canter. Part of the problem was all the time off he had, I think- he has only been ridden a few times this month due to my trip to Kentucky for the Breeders’ Cup.

Carole had a few suggestions about tack: 1) try a thicker bit to help with the fussiness 2) put the saddle a little more forward on Wizard’s back 3) shorten the stirrups by one hole

To put it kindly, my equitation is rusty. Carole (politely!) helped me with my leg, as well as issues with contact. To demonstrate contact points while in the saddle, she placed one riding glove under each calf. I rode at the trot and walk and the gloves fell embarassingly soon after we started the exercise.

We also did some work on our walk-to-trot transitions. I tend to rush him into his trot and he bounces into it. Carole asked me to really focus on a quiet, balanced, smooth transition. It took some concentration, but we eventually got it.

“Combing the reins” was introduced to help with my reluctance to make contact on the reins and also to help with Wizard’s nervous mouthiness on the bit. The reins were held first in my right hand, then my left, with one rein between thumb and index finger and the other rein between my ring finger and pinky. I let the reins slide through the first hand for a few inches and then reached forward with the other hand and took the reins in the same fashion, gently trading hands as I ran them down the reins. It was a wonderful exercise, because it helped me to take consistent contact and it encouraged Wizard to reach into the bit. The contact was neither active or passive, and it was excellent schooling for both of us.

A line of trot poles were set up with one group of three, followed by a second group of three (built up from one)- once we warmed up, we trotted the poles. Wizard bounded over them the first few times, cantering after the first set. Carole asked me to R-E-L-A-X my hands, my arms, and my face and not to rush (Wizard and I both tend to rush through life). She asked us to walk the second series of poles. Wizard was puzzled by this new exercise and it took us a few tries to get it right. We have both gotten pretty bad about hurrying around the arena and over obstacles and this exercise really showed our bad habit in broad daylight.

It was a real treat to work on two things that really improved us: combing the reins and doing trot poles in a downward transition. Wizard and I both got a lot of good from our first lesson.

Wizard Ride 196: Blowin in the Wind

Wednesday, 11/17/10

If it had not rained so much the night before, I would have ridden outdoors. The weather was cool and WINDY. Our indoor arena has wonderful footing and lighting, but when the wind is extremely strong, the arena doors make a little noise. Wizard is not a spooky horse, but the wild wind and the sounds in the arena had him a little on edge today. When we were warming up, he also heard the team of horses being hitched up for a wagon ride in the woods and it was very distracting for him. He was not spooking, but sort of craning his neck to figure out what the sounds were that were coming from the outside of the arena.

We walked for a while, riding in patterns to get his mind on our work instead of the outside world. I practiced taking contact and keeping it instead of feeding the reins through my fingers (an awful habit I am trying to extinguish).

At the trot, he bounced around and fussed for the first minute or so before paying attention to me. As we continued our work, he got much more focused and by the end of the trot sets, he was listening and was on the bit. I could not ride very long since I had to get to work and needed to have him cooled out and dried before I left. Our ride was relatively short and we did not do any canter work since I was on budgeted time.

It took a while to cool him out and get him dried. He is physically very fit, but his coat is dense. Welcome, winter!

Wizard Ride 194: Sprawl

Friday, 11/12/10

On Friday, I learned that one can indeed get away from the sprawl. My friend Erin drove up from Maryland with her Morgan mare Belle and picked up Wizard and me for a trail ride in Assunpink Wildlife Management Area. On our last trip to the park, Wizard was extremely reluctant to load into the trailer so I had some concerns about how he would handle himself this time. There were several differences, though, in the trailering situation, so in the back of my mind, I was secretly hoping he’d hop right on. Erin’s trailer was a large, tall, airy stock trailer with no divider- the trailer was a step-up and not a ramp. Belle was already on the trailer, happily munching hay. I walked Wizard up to the trailer and he took a look inside. I straightened him out, and BOINK! he stepped right inside!

YESSSSSS!

I grinned ear-to-ear after seeing him load so easily. He trusted us… it was just the trailer he did not trust last time out.

Erin is a top-notch trailer driver and Wizard arrived at the park happy and interested in our adventures. He unloaded as easily and stood quietly while he was saddled and when I got on. The first fifteen minutes of the ride were a little dicey for him, as he had not been ridden since I went to Kentucky and the weather was dry and cool. We tried a trot a few times and he just about jumped out of his skin, hopping around, and doing a few half-rears. I kept my cool and kept him moving forward and eventually he got the hang of things and settled.

Since Erin had never been to the park before, I was the guide. Before our ride in September, I had not ridden in the park in over a decade :^) We did a few trot and canter sets through the fields. The cantering seemed to settle him the most. He crossed the stream with a little trepidation, but more confidence than last time. The park was stocked with pheasants for the hunters and we flushed a few along the way, but both horses were quite good about it. We rode out past the sheep farm and toward a road. We took a little branch off the road and found a fantastic trail with logs on it, and took a few little jumps. Well, they were little jumps but Wizard took them like they were huge. We cantered down and back up a little valley, and Wizard was excitedly snorting when we stopped. He really enjoyed the jumps!

I was in search of Stone Tavern Lake, which we visited last time. We had some trouble locating it this time, so I asked some hunters. They seemed surprised that we were headed there, and said it was two miles down the road. Wizard and Belle are perfect trail buddies, since they have the fastest walks I’ve ever seen on three-gaited horses. We made short time of the trip to the lake and headed down a dirt road to the shore. The lake looked very different from last time, since we were on a different side. Belle, the seasoned trail mare that she is, stepped right in the lake and looked as if she might dive all the way in if Erin allowed her to do so. Wizard stepped right in the lake, but got a little nervous when the waves lapped at the shore. We took a quick picture of our friends in the lake and headed back on our way. The weather could not have been nicer, and Erin and Belle are wonderful company. I’ve known them both for several years and it’s always a treat to spend time with them.

So how do we get back? Hm. We let Belle have her head and hoped she’d wander back to the trailer. We had been out for a good long time and it was time for Wizard to get back since he is not used to long rides. Locating the trailer proved more difficult than we expected. Wizard is usually no help in these matters, since he’ll just ride along wherever I point him. He did drift a few times, but it seemed like it was the wrong way.

Belle took us to a few trails and a few uncut trails- she was working on a way back, but it seemed to bring us back in a circle. I called my friend and we got directions back. Even with the directions, it took a little while to get where we wanted to go.

By the time we got back to the trailer we had ridden for about FOUR HOURS. I slithered out of the saddle and untacked Wizard. I had no expectation of riding nearly that long! I put his cooler on and grazed him for a little while. He hopped back on the trailer like a pro and we drove back to the barn. I gave him a good rubdown at the barn. I hoped he would not be half as sore as I was!

And who said you can’t get lost in New Jersey??? We got far, far away from the suburban sprawl.

Wizard Rides 189 and 190: The Sweat Descends

Wednesday, 10/13/10

Wizard and I had one of those really delightful autumn evening rides where the air is cool and a little damp. I got a really cute quarter sheet as an early birthday gift, and I used it to keep Wizard’s muscles warm. We did a really straightforward ride, focusing on fitness. I rode with my stirrups a hole short to let my heels sink into the stirrups a little better. We walked, trotted, and cantered in each direction with very light contact. The biggest reward of the night was when Wizard was seeking contact on the bit on his own. It was really cool! At the end of the ride, Wizard was steamy and a little sweaty but happy. His coat is growing longer- it is very fine compared to his barn buddies, but it still takes extra care to cool him off in the chilly weather.

Thursday, 10/14/10

Another straightforward ride. I have a riding lesson on Saturday so I kept things pretty light. We rode in the outdoor arena again, and did light, forward work at the walk, trot, and canter. Wizard was quite keen on long-and-low work at the trot. I rode a 5-stride line from a cross rail to a vertical, but the line was really a lonnnnng 4-stride or a short 5-stride. We kept hitting the second fence a little off rhythm. It was nothing bad, but just another little hint that I need a professional to help me take the next step with our jumping.

Wizard Rides 183- 188: Life and How to Live It

Monday, Oct 4
Wednesday, Oct 6
Thursday, Oct 7
Friday, Oct 8
Saturday, Oct 9
Monday, Oct 11

I hate to lump all these rides together, but I’m wrapped up in what seems like an endless stream of projects, and while I’m finding good saddle time, I’m finding very little blog-time. So here’s horse life for the past week, in a nutshell…

Monday, Oct 4

We had a stretch of rain, so I rode indoors. I’m discovering that we’re sort of stalled in our training. I need to a) re-evaluate our ride plans and b) get some riding lessons. I set up some trot poles and two cross rails on a circle. After our warmup, we trotted and cantered the cross rails on a circle to the left and right. Wizard was very game but a little rushy, so I think we need to strengthen our flatwork.

Wednesday, Oct 6

Rode Wizard indoors again. Just for fun, I tried him in his old Happy Mouth soft plastic snaffle. There was a riding lesson in the arena, so we got some good schooling with another horse in the arena. I’m always grateful for a little change of pace and company. I focused on lateral work, and it seemed to bring him back onto my leg, seat, and rein aids. It was interesting to feel how he responded to the old bit- he actually took contact with it, but did not feel flexible on it at all. I’m happy to see how he accepts contact with his Myler bit better than the Happy Mouth now. I think he’s developing a better relationship with the bit and with contact.

Thursday, Oct 7

Finally got to ride outdoors again! The big arena was a little sloppy so I tied Wizard’s tail up in a knot, but my skills are slipping and the tail knot fell out several times. We had a good, basic warmup at the trot and canter and did some jumping, from trot poles to a cross rail and finally a small vertical. Wizard has been rushing a little at jumps, so I think it’s time to go back to some basic trot-in poles into fences. There was recently a horse show at the barn so there were still some jumps set up with flowers underneath them and Wizard never batted an eye at them :^)

Friday, Oct 8

A delightful but quick ride. I had only a little time to take Wizard out so we did some trot and canter work on the trails for about 30 minutes. We even found a new trail!

Saturday, Oct 9

Wizard again assumed his responsibility as Trail Guide at the barn and we took some people out for a walk on the trails. We rode for about an hour and a half total, all walking. I think it was really good for him to do something different. I really like to change our gaits on the trails so he does not get used to fast or slow speeds.

Monday, Oct 11

My grandma met Wizard! It looked to me like mutual admiration- Grandma liked Wizard very much and he was very sweet to her. I ran him through a basic ride to show her his repertoire. Walk, trot, circles, leg yield, shoulder in, cantering (picked up each correct lead the first time- YES!), and just one line of jumps.

Wizard Ride 181: Perfect Circle

Tuesday, 9/21/10

Autumn officially arrived late this evening as I was leaving the barn. It was a perfect night to usher in the new season- the moon was bright, the air was cool and clear. I rode Wizard outdoors. The arena footing was great, with a good bit of moisture but not muddy at all.

Our warmup was simple, consisting of a long time walking on a loose rein, followed by walking on contact and then trot work. He is stretching nicely into the bit during the trotting warmup. Wizard’s shoulder-in to the right is still much stronger than the shoulder-in tracking left. Wizard’s trot to canter transitions are becoming stronger as he becomes more balanced. He picked up the left lead after two tries and we nailed the right lead on the first attempt. Forwardness has been the big focus on our last few canter sessions so I decided to test Wizard and rein him in a little- he was able to balance and rate himself and did not break into the trot a single time.

Taking another chapter from 101 Jumping Exercises for Horse & Rider, I set up three trot poles about 35 feet apart from each other, in a straight line. We rode over each pole, then circled and at the next pole, we circled in the other direction. It was good practice for staying balanced on both sides and for riding a proper circle instead of an egg or a lemon. I definitely rode a few oblong circles before we got something resembling even patterns on both sides. I also noticed that I made more circle after the pole and then would approach the trot pole from an angle- to correct this, I used the circle as a midline and worked hard to keep my leg and hands even throughout the circle. We capped off the exercise by doing figure 8s at each pole. Our little setup was a great exercise in bending. An unexpected result of the exercise was Wizard’s relaxation- he was round, reaching for the bit, and sooo relaxed.

Wizard Ride 174: Suzie Hehn Clinic

Thursday, 8/26/10

After such a long time with any riding lessons and just a camera to tell me how Wizard and I look, it was such a positive experience to have an experienced horsewoman evaluate and work with us. Suzie Hehn is a local judge, as well as a wonderful rider.

The focus of the clinic was on working toward a successful experience in the hunter ring, but dressage and other disciplines were discussed as well. There was a very nice balance of evaluation of the ability of horse and rider, exercises for improving horse and rider, and the overall impression that the horse and rider would give in the show ring.

My clinic session was a flat class, working at the walk, trot, and canter. She was pleased with our walk, especially since Wizard’s walk is purposeful and balanced. At the trot, she first evaluated my position, and then worked on how to get a more balanced ride out of Wizard. One of the most important pieces of information I gleaned from the clinic was that my hands are a little shaky. She saw some movement in them at the trot at times and thought it might be contributing to Wizard’s busy mouth- he tends to over-work the bit sometimes. I could never really see it in photos, but it made a lot of sense. Once I really concentrated on “posting into my hands” and keeping them truly still and soft, Wizard responded. Sometimes little details like that are impossible to feel from the saddle without a pair of eyes on the ground.

Bitting was also discussed, and I’m planning to keep trying bits to see what Wizard likes best. Suzie also agreed that trying different adjustments on the cheekpieces of the bridle was a good idea- some horses like the bit to float lightly in the mouth and some prefer more stability.

Our session consisted of four horse/rider pairs, including us. It was a hugely helpful training experience to ride in a group and it made me much more confident for future show experiences. Wizard was absolutely perfect at the walk and trot, and got a little keyed up at the canter but settled really nicely in the group. For most of the clinic, canter work was done in pairs or individually, but all four of us did canter at one point and Wizard exceeded my expectations.

At the trot, it was suggested to take a little more contact of the bit. It seemed counterintuitive to the work I’ve been doing with “floating” the reins and trying to get Wizard moving forwardly, but the contact seemed to relax him into a nice rhythm and it balanced him nicely. It’s the same advice I received from a friend out west who rides dressage- now that two respected and experienced horsewomen have suggested it, I need to really take the advice seriously :^) Our speed was also appraised- Suzie felt that I might be able to get a little more impulsion going and a more blanced trot by slowing our speed down just a tic. My work on forward and soft is creating great results, but it’s time to take more contact and expect a little more from the horse.

At the trot, Suzie introduced lateral work, first as a leg yield, then as a shoulder-in. To the right, Wizard’s work was quite nice. I grinned from ear to ear when Suzie remarked that it was obvious that we do a lot of work on these movements. We did a leg yield off the wall to the quarter line, and then back to the wall in each direction. We worked on shoulder-in down the long side of the arena. I was reminded that it’s okay to exaggerate my inside and outside legs during this work, and it was quite effective when I slid my leg back a little more than usual in each direction- I could feel Wizard really bending around me.

Circling was discussed, and Suzie encouraged me to invite Wizard into more circles at the canter as we gain balance and a more steady tempo. I could feel him getting strong when we left the circles, but a half halt brought him back to me reasonably well. Below is a video of a little bit of canter work, and you can see him resisting my half halt a little and then responding- I was a little too messy with my hands.

This was the first time I’ve seen myself on video riding Wizard; this, too, was extremely helpful… and humbling. Sometimes I feel much more balanced than I really am. From seeing this video, I realize I have a long way to go- I also realize that I need to exercise more and lay off the carbs!

As an aside, YouTube has a funny feature that allowed me to do an audio swap and add music. I chose Magnapop, a band I fondly remember from high school/college. Another artist available for these audio swaps is Mike Ferraro, who is releasing a full-length album soon with a band which includes my husband :^)

The clinic was a fantastic experience, both for schooling Wizard and for receiving excellent comments and suggestions. Onward and upward!

Wizard Ride 171: Caught by the Fuzz

Thursday, 8/19/10

After a so-so ride on Wednesday night, I put Wizard’s fuzzy girth back on him and we had a nice ride. It’s hard to say exactly what the problem was last night, since he was not acting uncomfortable for this ride. The cut on his leg did not sting as much as it had scabbed over and he was not gassy at all. Perhaps it was just an “off” night for him…

We rode in the outdoor arena, working on some bending exercises at the trot and a little hand gallop work at the canter. I took him over a little jump, but the results were nothing to write home about. There were no extra poles so I could not build a trot-in pole or anything for the canter-out. He jumped willingly and nicely, but it was not exactly a training experience- mostly, it was us hopping over a jump a few times.

But there is some big news to report.. a local judge is holding a riding clinic at the barn next week and I signed up to ride Wizard in it! We’re officially taking a big step forward in our training.

Wizard Ride 165: (Dawning of a) New Era

Thursday, 8/3/10

One of my favorite barn buddies visited and watched me ride Wizard. She had not seen him for several months so I was excited to show off our progress. Last time she saw him, we were just doing a little trot and were nowhere near canter work. I rode in the indoor arena since the bugs were pretty bad and the sun was STRONG. I put Wizard through his paces, and he gamely complied. We did a little demo of our lateral work, our long and low trot, our cantering, and I popped him over a cross rail at a trot and then a canter. He hit the rail once with his back foot, but it was my fault because I had a trot-in pole and it was too close for him when he cantered in. The last time through, he took the jump perfectly.

My friend was so happy with our progress. She could see HUGE changes in his fitness and topline, and she said he was so much more relaxed and his gaits were much improved. We have moved out of one training phase and into another. It was so rewarding to hear her kind words.

Wizard Ride 164: Where is my Mind?

Monday, 8/2/10

A beautiful system of cool, dry air came blowing through central New Jersey today. The outdoor arena footing was lovely and was holding a bit of moisture from recent rain. It was a perfect night to ride outside in the big arena under the lights.

We warmed up for about 5 minutes on a loose rein at the walk and then worked into a trot, also on a loose rein. I asked for serpentines on a loose rein and we rode some figure 8s. Wizard was really stretching into the bit. Sometimes, when he gets really long and low, he slows down so I tried to keep the tempo consistent.

During the ride, I found my mind wandering and I was not really asking for focused exercises. So I doubled my efforts and we finished the ride with far more purpose than we began it.

I was finally able to do an excellent exercise that was given to me many months ago: ride down the quarter line at the trot, leg yield to the wall, and ask for a canter at the wall. It helped to get Wizard on the outside rein, and it also boosted up our impulsion a few notches without pushing him too hard. It worked beautifully, and he only needed two tries to pick up the “hard” lead, his right lead. We took three laps around the arena at the canter and then did the same exercise to the left. And he nailed the correct lead! We did three laps, and I focused on my equitation, making sure my hand was following the bit and my leg was stable and strong.

We then moved on to some more trot work. We rode serpentines, transitioning to the walk at each change of bend. I then asked Wizard for a forward trot on the straightaways, followed by a “stretchy circle” in each corner, smaller than 20 meters, maybe 15m. To close out the ride, I asked for one more canter on the right lead. It felt relaxed and focused. I had gotten my wandering mind onto the task and Wizard responded nicely.

After our ride, I was fussing over him on the cross ties- on a lark, I attempted to pull his mane. In the past, he objected stridently to mane-pulling and I was forced to scissor the mane to look as much as possible like a pulled mane. But tonight, he decided it was okay. We’ve been working together for a little less than two years, and I find it fascinating that tonight was the night he decided he could trust me with mane-pulling. Perhaps it means he is ready for a horse show :^)