Wizard Ride 302; Session 303: Year of the Cat

Saturday, 10/22/11

There was a barrel racing event at the barn, so folks were practicing in the indoor and outdoor arenas. It was still light out, so I dressed Wizard up in his Newmarket quarter sheet (bright colors so hunters saw us) and took him on a trail ride, just the two of us. He was goosey while he was groomed, and was swishing his tail under saddle, but stood like a fabulous boy while I got on at a random picnic table- all those cookies worked! Goodness, between the crisp air, the lack of serious riding, and the wildlife, we had quite an adventure! First and foremost, the saddle feels really nice- I think it will be a really comfortable trail saddle. The first creature we saw was a red-tailed hawk, silently navigating through the trees. I asked Wizard for a trot, and he leaped and pranced around so much that I brought him back to a walk for the rest of the ride. We saw at least a dozen deer, plus a truck in the woods where hunters had parked.

With each deer that leapt past the trail and squirrel that rustled in the leaves, Wizard snorted and balled up his energy. I felt like I was riding a keg of dynamite. He did not any actual spooks or spins, but did one of those great spook-in-place routines when a deer was startled by us.

On the final leg of our tense trail ride, a black and white object was barreling down the trail TOWARD us. Was moving fast like a small dog, but was colored like a skunk. It was a CAT. It must have been in a tussle with another cat or something, because it was absolutely flying. I could fee Wizard’s heart pounding in his chest through the sides of my legs as he stood there, rooted to the earth, stunned by the tiny, rapid creature. I don’t remember exactly what I said, but some sort of words came out of my mouth, and the cat veered off the trail and Wizard once again was able to move forward. When we got back to the barn, Wizard was much more settled, and stood very nicely in the outdoor arena as a schooling exercise while people practiced galloping and spinning their horses.

Sunday, 10/23/11

Day 18 of omeprazole. Day 13 of megnesium. Day 9 of nightly Back on Track blanket. Day 6 of robaxin. Now I’m wondering if there is an SI/arthritis issue going on. After work, I nipped over to the barn for a quick longeing session. Wizard was grouchy about grooming, but longed like a star, over a trot pole, and in side reins once he was warmed up. I did not ask for any cantering- just trotting at different speeds, and he was very responsive despite being a little sleepy and grumpy when I got there.

Groomin’ and Grazin’

Wednesday, 9/16/09

The horsey advice books always tell riders to take a day off from riding and just spend time with their horses. I had a tack cleaning extravaganza on Tuesday night so I took the opportunity to let my saddles soak up a little more Lederbalsam and gave Selena and Wizard a good grooming and some grazing time.

Selena is such a sweet mare. She nickered when I arrived (probably was really saying, “APPLE! I SEE APPLE!”) and playfully arranged my hair for me while I groomed her.

It is good to take a day off to check the overall condition of the horses. Selena is gaining muscle and fitness- it’s a wonderful thing. Wizard, on the other hand, looks like he dropped a few pounds. It is not enough to cause concern but it was noticeable enough for me to take a mental note of it. I turned Wizard out in the indoor arena and he trotted and played for about 15 minutes. I had to reschedule my farrier appointment for a 5-week interval because both horses’ feet grew so much. I’m watching the weather for tomorrow. So far, it looks like a good day for a ride and a hike.

Groom n Graze

Monday, 7/13/09

Sometimes, the horses just get groomed and get a little grazing time :^) I also tried a few western saddles on JR. I think I found a likely candidate, and we’ll try it in a few days.

JR Ride 7; Wizard Ride 50: The Dirty Birdie and the Golden Boy

Monday, 2/23/09

Top Six Reasons I Like Working with Two Horses:
6) Making ride plans is fun.
5) One horse is bound to be considered “the good one” each day.
4) I get to sound all important and say, “I have to get on two tonight”.
3) Two eager faces greet me when I arrive at the barn.
2) By the time I ride the last horse, I’m feeling pretty mellow.
1) Double the work = double the exercise!.

Now I understand that real, serious riders get on way more than two horses a day, but please remember that I owned one horse for almost 20 years. Occasionally, I’d ride somebody else’s horse, but it was typically one horse per barn visit. Working with JR and Wizard is also fun because they are very physically and mentally different:

JR
Quarter Horse
Could lose a few pounds
7 years old
15 hands
Strong in my hands
Easy to groom
Reactive to unusual things
A little fidgety
Palomino
Stays relatively clean

Wizard
Thoroughbred
Could use a few pounds
13 years old
15.3+ hands
Sensitive in my hands
Sensitive to groom
Not as reactive to unusual things
Happy to stand all day long
Bay
Gets as dirty as possible during turnout

The luckiest part of the differences between JR and Wizard is that JR is a relatively neat horse. His stall is neat and he does not turn into a complete mudball every time he’s outside for more than ten minutes. On Monday night, I gave him a major grooming. By the time I was done, there was a layer of golden fluff on the barn floor. Some new lights were installed in the barn and for the first time, I could really get a good look at the pearly color that JR is when he’s very clean. When he sheds out and puts on a little more muscle, the Golden Boy going to look amazing.

Wizard is a dirty birdie. He is a slob in his stall and he is covered from head to toe in dirt every time I see him. If Wizard was a palomino instead of being bay, I’d never keep him looking tidy without blanketing and frequent baths. Of course, rolling is good for horses’ circulation, muscles, and coats. I remind myself of this every time I groom Wizard’s sensitive hide. All this dirt is a good thing, all this dirt is a good thing. Thankfully, the farm is relatively dry and the sand and dirt is “clean”; it falls off the horses pretty nicely. Though I’ve made serious progress with Wizard’s grooming routine, he’s still very upset when I curry him. I try my best not to dig too hard into his Thoroughbred skin, but I also must get him clean enough to comfortably put a saddle on him. My mind keeps returning to the prospect of Wizard having a problem with ulcers. Today, I bit the bullet and purchased a 14-day supply of Ulcergard. I’m also looking into any mineral deficiencies that may cause sensitive skin. Or he might just be the stereotypical sensitive Thoroughbred.

I rode JR first. It was a cold, windy night so we worked indoors. First, I hand-walked JR very briskly for about half a mile. I like hand walking as a warmup, and I think that teaching a horse to walk briskly instead of jigging is a very important thing. I also like the workout for both of us. Reminded me of Casino Drive in the mornings at Belmont last summer :^)

After walking, I longed JR for about 180 minutes. He is responding really well to driving aids and I can migrate around the arena while keeping him forward on a circle. And he’s a sharp little fellow; if I take my body posture out of the driving position, he’ll toss his head and spin 10 degrees and be going in the opposite direction before I can bat an eye. I keep the work to a walk and trot for the most part but I do let him canter once or twice around to teach the gait and see how he’s moving. He’s so athletic- if he gets off the bend of the circle, he swaps his leads and plays on the straightaway. Down the road, under-saddle lead changes will not be difficult for this guy. I longed JR in my quarter sheet and he did not seem to mind the flapping fleece, even at the trot.

I then mounted up and rode at the walk. I kept the ride at a walk because 1) my next lesson is Wednesday night 2) it was reallllly windy and the arena doors were rattling. There’s plenty for us to do at the walk, believe me! We walked the length of the entire arena and did work along the wall as well as in the middle. Our last exercise was to stand quietly at the far end of the ring for 30 seconds, facing away from the gate. JR was a little wiggly but once I got the behavior I wanted, I immediately dismounted. Good boy!

Wizard was next. We did the exact same routine: hand walking briskly, then longeing, then riding at the walk. Wizard’s walk is so nice. I look forward to the day when we can ride on trails because he’s going to be so comfy! Wizard is not as forward, silly, and bouncy as JR on the longe line, but he’s had probably 30 more sessions on the longe than his little yellow friend. It looks like Wizard’s new shoes are proving to be a good thing. He seems like he’s more comfortable at the trot. He longed really nicely, but I’ve almost grown to expect this out of him. I asked him for just a bit of canter on the longe, mostly to practice gait changes and begin the long road to getting him balanced. His canter was noticeably smoother with the new shoes. Hooray!

Under saddle, Wizard felt very nice, much more responsive than the last ride. We rode along the walls and in the center of the ring, walking a few patterns. The one bad thing I noticed was that Wizard did not stand like a stone when I got in the saddle. I’ll need to do a little work with him to make sure he keeps his good manners. He stood nicely at the end of the ride for 30 seconds at the far end of the ring. His head raised and his ears fluttered when the wind whipped but he stood his ground.

Product Rave: Thermatex Rugs! In the words of Ferris Bueller: “It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.” They are quite pricey, but keep an eye out for bargains, especially this time of year. I got mine on Tack of the Day. They run large, so order one size down for a form-fitting rug or order your horse’s usual blanket size for a roomy-fitting rug. The wool-acrylic blend keeps the material feeling luxurious and it’s supposedly washable. The 78″ size fit both stocky, short JR and lanky, leggy Wizard really well for a loose but good fit. It quickly wicked all moisture away from their coats and left the hair soft, not crusty. I bought the black rug and it looks very dapper on both horses. The rug conforms to the shape of the horse and is very well-made at the withers so there is no pulling or pinching whatsoever on either a round horse or a horse with high withers. And it does not weigh a ton- it’s a nice weight.

PS- I was contacted by a reader who is selling a Thermatex cooler (size 81″) for about half the retail price. Blue with red piping. Please let me know if you’re interested and I can pass the info along :^)

The Hooligans Get Baths

Thursday, 2/12/09

Today was sunny and temperatures were mild, but the winds gusted over 50mph. It was the last warm day before temperatures begin to drop again, so I decided to give Wizard and JR baths. Whenever I see Wizard and JR playing, the word “hooligans” always comes to mind. They wrestle, they buck, they rear, they bite, they kick, and at the end of the day, they snooze in their shed. Today, the hooligans got baths. They have not been bathed in a very long time so I was not sure what to expect. As a racehorse, Wizard would have been accustomed to frequent baths, but that was a long time ago.

JR was the first victim. He stood really nicely, even when the wind gusted hard and the barn door slammed LOUDLY. I fed him carrots every few minutes and told him what lovely manners he had- flattery worked ;^) JR is now about 4 shades lighter than he is in these photos, taken before the bath. Due to the crazy wind, I did not have the chance to photograph JR after the bath. I sprayed his face with water but did not shampoo it. We’ll try that another time.

Wizard was next. He was equally polite and brave when the wind whipped through the door. He was a little goosey but perfectly mannered, even when I stepped on a rake and almost fell on him. I’m oh-so graceful, you know… When I was done, Wizard was sooooo soft- he felt like a big teddy bear.

OK, here’s a confession… I’m kind of a product freak about horses. I cannot walk out of a tack shop without some sort of little purchase: hoof conditioner, shampoo, something. Today, I cleaned out my tack trunk and found all sorts of goodies for grooming. The hooligans had better watch out.

For both horses today, I used my leftover Absorbine Special Care shampoo and Vetrolin shampoo. I use many different varieties and I don’t have an overwhelming favorite at this time. I try not to over-bathe horses since it can disturb the balance of oils in the coat. If I bathed horses frequently, I’d use the mildest shampoo possible. To condition their manes and tails, I used Cowboy Magic. For their feet, I used my old jar of Epona Diamond Hoof Ointment.

Due to the recent discussion on the Chronicle of the Horse forum about coat conditioners, I tried Pink Sheen Spray on Wizard’s tail a week or so ago. I disliked how much it attracted dust and it seemed sticky at first, but as soon as it dried, it felt quite nice. I would not use it too frequently, but in the winter, I like to condition manes and tails to keep them from drying out and splitting. JR and Wizard have natural manes that are not pulled, so they require more maintenance than a short, pulled mane.

And speaking of grooming, have you ever seen a person perform the art of singeing a horse? Pretty cool way to remove the “cat hairs”.

I said goodnight to two soft, clean, conditioned horses. I have a feeling I’ll be saying hello to two grubby hooligans in the next day or two.

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 :^)