Wizard Rides 208, 209, 210: One More Time

Thursday, 12/2/10

Had a great lesson with Carole. I got Wizard warmed up and we worked on a line of gymnastics for the majority of the lesson. We worked on keeping Wizard settled and confident while he learned how to negotiate the poles and jumps. Carole kept the jumps small and worked on keeping us soft and focused. She’s a master with the gymnastics grid, and she was adding and taking away poles with each pass in response to each jumping effort. Here are some short video clips to show where we are right now. My position needs TONS of work, even over tiny fences like these!

Saturday, 12/4/10

Took Wizard on a quick trail ride with my friend and her mare Lily. It was getting dark, so I tacked Wizard up really fast and hopped on in my jeans instead of riding clothes. We rode for about half an hour, taking the short loop and walking the entire ride. Looks like I have another trail buddy when we can make our schedules work!

Tuesday, 12/7/10

Rode Wizard indoors at night after work. We did some suppling exercises in response to some of the work we did in Thursday’s lesson. I wanted to work on bending and asking him to relax onto the bit. We did some spiral work and transitions within gaits. The canter work was a little tense, but he settled nicely.

So Wizard has Wednesday off, and I turned him loose in the indoor arena on Thursday morning (12/9). He ran around and played for a few minutes. Then I tacked him up and got on. He was unsound on his left front leg. He did not work out of it. It was not obvious at the walk, but it was very obvious at the trot. I hopped off after the few minutes. For the past week, I’ve been at the barn each night to give Wizard his hay cube mash, and he is still not sound on the leg. I can’t feel any heat or swelling. I was sort of hoping it was an abscess or a sprain, but it’s not getting better (or worse). I think it’s time to call the vet soon >:^(

Wizard Rides 204, 205, 206: Because of the Wonderful Things He Does

FIRST-EVER (intentional) FLYING LEAD CHANGE!!!!!!

Friday, 11/26/10

That’s right, we did our first-ever flying lead change! Recently, I had the chance to talk about riding with Alex Brown, equine advocate and exercise rider. I asked him about how exercise riders train racehorses to do flying changes. Feel, he said, is most important.

We had an incidental lead change back in July, but this one was on purpose. Any self-respecting non-horse person might not care one bit about this piece of news, but for me, this was HUGE! I rode Wizard in the indoor arena at night. We warmed up doing lateral work and a little trotting over poles. Once we got into our canter, Wizard had a nice groove going- he was balanced, relaxed, but still round and on the bit. We were cantering to the right and I did a figure 8 with him. At X, I changed the bend, channeled my inner Walter Zettl, George Morris, and Alex Brown all at once, and asked for the change. Wizard complied perfectly, changing in time with the stride with a clean and responsive flying lead change. It was THE BEST!!!!! Wizard is wonderful indeed.

Saturday, 11/27/10

This was the first time I longed Wizard in a long, long while. I was done shooting the Cigar Mile at Aqueduct and stopped by the barn on my way home. I was not dressed to ride but I wanted Wizard to get a little exercise and feed him his “protein shake” (aka his hay cubes and other assorted supplements). He has not forgotten a thing and he was actually better on the line than he used to be. My guess is that it was out of the ordinary and he’s more balanced so longeing was not so difficult for him. We kept it simple, mostly walking and trotting and just asking for a bit of canter in each direction.

Monday, 11/29/10

Brrrrrrrrrrrrr- rode outside under the lights after work. I was bundled up in multiple layers, but my face felt like it was going to fall off my head! The ride was short and sweet. I just did a light hack, barely asking for any contact on the bit and letting Wizard stretch and move out. As a result, our canter transitions were awful since he chased into them instead of smoothly transitioning from trot to canter. In order to have a reality check, I asked again for a flying lead change, same lead (right to left, which is a million times easier for me for some reason). It was not as stellar as Friday’s change, but he complied! Wonderful, wonderful Wizard.

We’re off to see the Wizard, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
You’ll find he is a whiz of a Wiz! If ever a Wiz there was.
If ever oh ever a Wiz there was The Wizard of Oz is one because,
Because, because, because, because, because.
Because of the wonderful things he does.
We’re off to see the Wizard. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Wizard Ride 200: Horse Show 1

Sunday, 11/21/10

The day has come… our first horse show! The show was at my barn, so there was no shipping. The show was the most casual I’ve ever done- it was a fun, relaxed schooling show. In my youth, my trainers always made me wear the show coat even at the most informal shows (and on the hottest days!) but now that I’m doing my own thing, I dressed casually with breeches and a vest :^)

Warmup was great- I knew our classes would take a lot of mental and physical effort for Wizard so we kept it short and sweet. I did a lot of walking, getting him used to the weaving and circling of all the horses. We then trotted, working on stretching and making contact with the bit. I only did one spin at the canter in each direction and he (gasp!) picked up the correct lead each time.

I had a very nice support group at the show, including my mom (also photographer and groom), my friend Christie, and my dad later in the day.

So here’s a rundown of our classes and how we did…

Adult Rider- 18yrs or older. English or Western.
W/T Eq Placed 6th. Wizard bounced around quite a bit during his walk-to-trot transitions, but was great with the horse traffic.
W/T/C Eq Placed 6th. They asked for a canter from a walk (oh, hm, we’ve never done that before!). No time like the present, and Wizard bounced into a canter from the walk. Not the prettiest transition, but he had a fair amount of impulsion from the show energy and it was pretty decent.
W/T/C Pleasure Our best class (according to the judge). Placed 4th.

Beginner Horse – Open to horses and ponies in their first or second year of showing.
W/T Placed 5th. I was much more relaxed and Wizard mirrored me.
W/T/C (canter individually) Did not place. Wizard picked up the wrong lead and leapt around a little in the first few strides of the canter. But once he settled, his canter was nice. Problem was, the judge was only watching horses in one spot on the rail and we tended to be pretty awkward in that spot. Wizard was getting a little grouchy around the other horses. I think he was hitting his threshold for attention span. If the last class was not over fences, I would have called it a day. I was proud of his performance in the class but the class was large and in the grand scheme of things, it was probably not that pretty.
W/T Hack with two cross rails Placed 5th. Our best performance (according to me). The judge made a comment about a rider who cantered the cross rails so I made sure to really bring Wizard down to a serious trot between the fences. Wizard was thrilled to jump and I was thrilled with his performance.

In all, it was a wonderful first show. I did not fall off or get otherwise disqualified, and Wizard performed admirably. I’m quite proud of him- it was fun to show off the results of all our hard work.

Wizard Ride 199: Be Prepared

Saturday, 11/20/10

How to prepare for Wizard’s first-ever schooling show:

– tack up
– ride in the outdoor arena
– practice transitions
– practice halting
– don’t ride too long
– untack
– clip whiskers and chin
– bathe horse
– wrap horse up in a zillion coolers
– graze horse outside
– check to see if horse is dry
– give horse snacks in stall
– check to see if horse is dry
– visit barn buddies
– check to see if horse is dry
– when horse is dry, put on sheet and put horse to bed
– go home
– clean tack
– try to sleep!

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 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 179: The Lines You Amend

Monday, 9/14/10

OK, back to business. No more fooling around. I’ve slacked off with our ride plans and we’re not making the same sort of progress we were making at the beginning of the summer.

So I pulled out my copy of 101 Jumping Exercises for Horse & Rider for inspiration. I decided that raised trot poles were a good idea, so I set up four poles with two on the ground and two raised a few inches off the ground, one lifted on the left side and one lifted on the right (see photo). I also set up two poles on a straight line so I could practice circles (see diagram below).

I warmed up Wizard in the indoor arena, really trying to take my time. He was very responsive to my leg and felt “ready” for each transition. I walked him over the raised trot poles so he could get the hang of them. We did leg yields and a little shoulder-in at the walk, followed by stretching work at the trot. Then I asked for the same work at the trot, leg yield and shoulder-in. Wizard’s a little resistant to the left, but I also have a weaker left leg.

We trotted the single poles on a circle, then on two circles (circle right, take Pole one, circle again, take Pole two). Then I rode a serpentine, trotting over one pole, looping to the next, and then ending with the grid. Wizard was animated but responsive. We worked in both directions. He banged the pole once but was otherwise very careful with his feet. On the flat, however, I felt him stumble a little bit. I’m not sure if it was the footing or if a stone got to him. I checked his feet and there was nothing stuck in his shoe.

When Wizard was working on the bit a little better, I asked him for a canter, starting with the right lead. The first departure was a little jumbled but his canter was good. He’s now able to rate himself much better than he did in the past. I cantered him in a circle over the poles a few times and also did leg yield in each direction at the canter. Since he does not know flying lead changes (well, I suppose he did them as a racehorse ten years ago…), it’s pretty easy to get him to leg yield at the canter without mixing my messages. I asked for a second trot-to-canter transition and it was better. The left lead trot-to-canter transition was like butter! When I really hold him together, he can get the transition much better than when I chase him into it. We did more slow canter work and took the poles a few times. Once again, it felt like he stepped on a stone and he broke out of the canter in a really funky trot. I let him walk it out and asked for one more quick canter to end the session on a good note. I can’t put my finger on it, but he felt a little funny tonight. He was strong and responsive so it was not impacting his mood, but after 179 rides/sessions, I’ve got a pretty good feel when something is a little funny.

Wizard Rides 177 & 178: Movin’ Right Along

Wednesday, 9/8 and Thursday, 9/9

I think next week is going to be The Week: I have plans to trailer Wizard over to the state park for a trail ride with my friends. I’ve never shipped Wizard anywhere, and he has not been off the property in a long time. I have confidence in him, but I’m also feeling a little nervous about it.

I preparation for our adventure, I took him out on the trails on Wednesday night. We were chasing daylight (thank you, September!) and returned to the barn at dark. He was wonderful during the ride. We had two encounters with crazy deer (a bunch were running around in a field and another crashed through the woods)- thankfully, Wizard takes them in stride. We walked, trotted, and cantered on the trails and enjoyed the break from our arena work.

On Thursday, I rode Wizard in the outdoor arenas, warming up in the smaller dressage ring and doing our jumping in the large ring. He was a little tense in his flatwork- I think I might need to do a few battery-charging, suppling sessions with him. But over fences, he was a star. The distances were not perfectly set up (bad me!) but Wizard is getting better with his jumping and was able to negotiate the jumps with more balance and timing than ever before. One time, I rode him in at an awful distance but he gamely took the jump, showing off his honesty, as well as my need to measure these jumps a little better! My mom took some pictures of our ride- I am pleased to see that I’ve closed my hip angle just a little bit from the last time we jumped. I’ve got all the time in the world, so little bits of progress are just fine with me.