Wizard Rides 487, 488, & 489: Bummer in the Summer

WHAT is going on with this weather? Remind me next year that it was so cold and rainy that the horses had to wear sheets on Memorial Day Weekend in 2013. Where is summer?

Tuesday, 5/21/13

Before work, I rode Wizard in the arena. I took him through all his paces, warming up at a free walk, then working on a large circle at a trot, then working on transitions between walk and trot. We worked on serpentines at a walk and a trot, and then popped over the cross rail a few times, followed by a gymnastic line with a pole to a cross rail with one stride to a 2′ vertical. We then worked on just a few canter departs, which were still rough, but I felt a little improvement.

Wednesday, 5/22/13

On account of all the ticks we have in New Jersey, I applied Frontline spray to Wizard’s legs and tailhead. He had a few crusties on his tail, and I’m guessing they are bites. My vet advised applying the spray every two weeks.

We rode on the trails as the sun set. We only went 3.68 miles (walking and trotting) because we were battling darkness. Wizard was responsive, but pretty keyed up, and was on alert for every little sound we heard on our ride. He walked home nicely, and was a good navigator when we had to get through an unfamiliar treeline gap.

Saturday, 5/25/13

In the evening as the weather changed from cold and rainy to milder and blustery, I rode Wizard in the outdoor arena. Before I rode, I turned him loose in the ring. He ran and ran and ran, tail flagged, snorting merrily. He enjoyed the run.

I tacked him up, and warmed up at a marching walk on a loose rein, followed by trot work in half the arena. The wild wind had Wizard on his toes, and he was a hot ride. He was responsive and forward, but did not have a lot of step in his gaits. He did the “sewing machine” trot for a lot of the ride. The wet arena did not help his stride length, either, despite the face that I saw him gallop around the arena like Secretariat while he was loose ;^)

We did our walk-trot transition work, but it made Wizard curl behind the bit. To get him back on the aids and to open his throatlatch a little, I added some lateral work to the repertoire, with leg yields and shoulder-in at a walk and trot. We trotted over the little cross rail just a few times to spice up the ride, and leg yielded after it.

I also worked on a leg yield from the quarter line to the rail, with a canter depart when we reached the rail. This exercise really gets Wizard on the outside rein and keeps him on a nice bend, which gives us a better transition to the canter, and a better chance of picking up the correct lead. The right lead transitions were best, interestingly, since left is usually his “quiet” lead. But on the left lead, he threw one fair-sized buck, followed by a few slightly better canter transitions. Practice, practice, practice.

He was pretty keyed up from all this “exciting” work, so I played quite a bit with getting a walk out of him without him curling behind the bit or chewing too frantically. It took a while, but he was back to some semblance of relaxed by the time our ride ended.

Wizard Ride 163: Expecting to Fly

Thursday, 7/29/10

Another sticky, sticky summer day in New Jersey. I rode early in the day, so it was a little cooler, but by the time we were done, we were both quite sweaty. We warmed up in the small dressage arena, working on transitions within the gaits, serpentines, and our first-ever canter in the small arena. Wizard’s self-carriage has improved so dramatically that he can handle much smaller spaces for cantering. He did break into a trot in one corner and it took a few times to strike off the correct lead, but once we were rolling, it was really nice.

We moved on to some work over little fences. We had not done any jumps in a while, so I had all sorts of fun ideas in my head. We started out trotting over some trot poles to loosen up his topline and so I could get my position where I wanted it. We then moved on to a little exercise of a trot pole, then a cross rail, then a landing rail. The rails were about 6 or 7 feet before and after the jump to help him learn distances and for me to retrain my eye. It’s been a while since I jumped with any regularity :^P

Wizard did the exercise beautifully, trotting in, taking the X, and bouncing out over the final rail. We moved on to a line of two fences, a cross rail to our first-ever “real” vertical. I made the mistake of trusting the distance between the fences, but it was a little funky since we were trotting in to the X and cantering to the vertical. Wizard handled it gamely, though, and took the long distance… and… WHEEE! He flew. Knees up to his eyeballs, back rounded, he jumped the jump like a true Thoroughbred. We took the vertical a few more times. Once, he hit the rail with his hind leg, but every other time, he felt great. It was a wonderful schooling experience.

On the first approach, my position is defensive and not soft- I’m not expecting the huge leap or the long distance.

On the second approach, my release is better and Wizard appreciates it and is rounder to my following hand. But I got ahead of him and I’m not as balanced as I was in the first frame.

Selena Ride 27; Wizard Ride 97: Mrs. Potato Head

Thursday, 9/17/09

Pony pedicure day. I had to go 5 weeks with the herd this cycle because their feet were growing like weeds and chipping a bit from stomping at flies. The farrier was pleased with the amount of foot they grew. It looks like I can still keep Selena barefoot for now.

Mary the Morgan also got a trim. While she was getting her feet done, we all noticed the strangest smell, almost like potatoes. The farrier said that it’s actually the smell of really healthy horse feet- I’m sure Mary’s owner was pleased to hear that :^)

It was dark after the farrier left so we turned the arena lights on and rode Wizard and Mary the Morgan perimeter of the property. Wizard was a little keyed up, but totally manageable and he stood quietly when I asked him to halt a few times. I casually walked him into the arena and walked around a few times, doing a few circles. His neck was tense at the beginning of the ride but by the end, he was relaxed. I had to remind myself over and over to give, give, give, especially when he curled his neck. I rode him for a total of about 15 or 20 minutes, just a little more than the last few rides. I hope to get out on the trails with him soon.

I rode Selena indoors. We followed the same basic ride plan:

– Walk 10 minutes on a loose rein
– Trot work on a large oval, asking for relaxation and stretching in the neck
– Walk in shoulder-in
– Figure 8 at the trot, asking for bend in each direction
– Trot over ground poles that were set up in a line-diagonal pattern
– Walk in serpentines, asking for bend in each direction
– Trot and ask for Selena to chew the reins out of my hands and stretch downward
– Walk until 100% cool

Selena got excited trotting over the poles and hopped over one of them. You can’t take a jumper out of the dressage horse, eh? The ride went well. Now that she is fitter, I want to work more on suppling exercises in order to prepare for more bending. I also want to work more in shoulder-in.

Selena Ride 26; Wizard Ride 96: Sticktoitiveness

Monday, 9/14/09

Another dose of top-shelf Jersey weather. Ahhhh!

The horses have been spending all day and night outside and I can feel a difference in Wizard and Selena. Both are more focused and settled.

I rode Wizard for about 15 minutes at the walk. We walked around the property with Mary the Morgan. I did not take him in the arena because I’m still trying to figure out if his resistant behavior from a few months ago was more physical or behavioral. He stood quietly for mounting (and cribbed on the fence- little booger!) and was a perfect gentleman for our walk.

Selena was also fantastic- this may have been our best ride yet. This was our ride plan:

– walk on loose/long rein for 10 minutes
– trot on a large oval, asking for contact and asking for a stretch
– walk and ask for leg yield in both directions, using the wall
– trot in figure 8, making sure to make them loopy without too much straightness at the center
– trot in large oval, asking for a longer stride on the long sides and as shorter stride on the short stride (I hesitate to call it lengthening since we are not at that level)
– ask for the horse to stretch and chew the reins at a trot on a large ciecle
– walk to cool out

I got more bend tonight than I’ve ever gotten before and Selena is responding really well to my half halts, meaning that I’m doing them better. Hooray! I did not feel quite as secure in my position as I did last week, but I think it is because I was doing so much hiking and activity last week. I need to keep it up.

As a final exercise, I lined Selena up with Mary the Morgan, horse show style. Selena stood quietly and sighed as if to say, “I’ve done THIS before, silly!”

I asked Mary’s owner to leave the arena before us to work on separating Selena from other horses. We’ve done this exercise a few times and Selena is becoming more and more relaxed.

Progress is a powerful thing. It makes all the difficult days so worthwhile.

Selena Ride 20; Wizard Session 91: Second Verse, Same as the First

Wednesday, 9/2/09

I think I’ve got a good thing going, so I’m going to keep up with it. Selena once again trotted over to me when I arrived at her paddock and I brought her in the barn for a snack while I took Wizard for a walk. Wizard and I went for another hand walk with Mary the Morgan and her owner on the Across The Street trails. We were out for about 45 minutes, just barely getting back by dark- both horses were fine in the low light. Wizard walked a little slower than he did the first few times out- I’m not sure if he was stiff from the walking or just bored, ha ha.

Wizard got his alfalfa snack when we returned to the barn and I grazed Selena for a few minutes. I tacked her up and rode her outside under the lights. The weather is still outstanding so I’m getting as much riding in as I possibly can.

We worked on the Orange Cone Square (see previous ride) again, plus I added a chute made of two jump poles. I borrowed the idea from 101 Jumping Exercises. The jump pole chute was part of the same theory as the orange cones: I used the chute as a visual half-halt. We did not ride over the poles, just through them, like a little path. Each time we went through the chute, I asked either for an upward or downward transition. Eventually, I felt Selena sit back just the tiniest bit on her hind end, which was great- we are working on gaining strength and suppleness. I also felt her stretch down several times into my hands at both the walk and the trot. When we trotted through the poles without any downward transition, I felt her pause for just a second as I half-halted with my seat and closed my fingers but kept the trot.

I continued my Orange Cone patterns, making them more complicated, such as walking for two/three steps at each cone and then going back to a trot. I also did two halt-trot transitions in each direction- she is light to my leg and the transitions felt nice.

It felt fantastic to finally find one of the keys to unlock good results with my riding and my communication with Selena. I think these patterns have the potential to grow into more sophisticated exercises with some simple repetition and patience…

Second verse, same as the first!

H! E! N-R-Y!

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!

Wizard Ride 43: Follow the Leader

Sunday, 2/1/09

The unseasonably warm weather gave me a touch of spring fever. Wizard must have felt it as well since he was a complete mudball when I saw him tonight. I took an Oster Mane and Tail Brush and curried him. He protested the amount of elbow grease I used but not as badly as he has in the past. After I took the crust off of him, he barely looked better, but at least he had no mud on him. That’s the good thing about a bay horse with minimal white :^)

I longed Wizard for about 15 minutes, including 5 minutes of walking as a warmup. We worked on spiraling in and out at the trot as a suppling exercise. At first, he was a little confused and stopped to face me- he usually just goes into auto-pilot when he trots on the longe so the new work was a big question mark for him. Once I refined my commands, he understood and came in and back out onto the circle in both directions.

After longeing, I rode for about 10 minutes. We played “follow the leader” with Christie and Mary the Morgan. We followed about 7 lengths behind them and rode around the arena, walking patterns and between obstacles. Wizard was fantastic- we both responded really well to a new exercise. One of the reasons we did this schooling is because several new boarders are at the barn and I think that we’ll be riding in company more often. Usually, I ride in the evening and we are by ourselves.

Since we were trying new things, I dismounted from the right side. Wizard’s reaction? No biggie- he stood nicely as usual. Tomorrow night, we’re planning a mini lesson with Sarah- I’m looking forward to it :^)

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 :^)