Wizard Ride 314: Tonight, Tonight, Tonight

Sunday, 11/20/11

Sometimes, I really love riding at night.

After work, I headed to the barn. Before our ride, I turned Wizard loose in the outdoor arena and snapped a few photos while he pranced and played. The footing was too sticky for a ride, so we rode indoors. Wizard was less fussy about being saddled, and stood really quietly when I got into the saddle (I was less than graceful the day before and he was very forgiving).

The beginning of the ride was once again the onset of his ear pinning and tail swishing, but it extinguished itself for the most part. We rode in the arena with Pilgrim, another Thoroughbred, and his owner. We walked and warmed up with some simple trot work. After a few laps, he began to settle onto the bit. He was actually LEANING on the bit for a little while- it was such a different sensation for him, since he tends to duck behind the bit. We did circles in each corner in each direction, with a leg yield on the long sides. We worked on walk to trot transitions, and then he got tense and did the ear pinning thing a few times. After a walk break, we worked on a little shoulder in, followed by “stretchy circles”. The stretchy circles were a total mess- he was speeding up and not stretching onto the bit at all. Once I got a decent stretch in each direction, I called it a day. Wizard did much better than he did in the past, and I’m curious to see if the ear pinning extinguishes itself entirely like it did in the past.

The saddle seems to be working well for him. I did, though, have a little freakout when I was grooming him. I noticed two parallel lines of white hairs on the right side of his withers. The first thing I thought was that the saddle was causing pressure/trauma and it caused the white hairs. I frantically looked over the saddle for any parts that might be digging into him. I could not find a match, but then a light bulb went off in my head. I’ve been putting his Back on Track mesh sheet on him at night, so I pulled the sheet out and placed it on his back. Yup… the nylon strap that goes around his belly is digging into his withers when he lies down at night, and he usually rests on his right side. Grrrr. I guess he can’t wear it overnight anymore. It was digging into his poor withers.

The night air was a little damp- three days of rain are predicted. I hope Wizard doesn’t mind a few more nights indoors.

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 267: Moonage Daydream

He’s come a long way, baby!

Monday, 8/15/11

Due to all the rain, I rode indoors at night after work. Wizard’s weight is close to perfect, and his coat is glowing. Ahh, the low-maintenance days of summer! I’ll be dreaming of the hosedowns, moonlit barnyards, and blanket-free nights by January for sure. Before our ride, I turned him loose in the arena, and he did a little cantering around.

We warmed up on a loose rein, gradually picking up more contact. I tried to be very light with my leg and tried to keep a little more contact with my hands. I tend to let the reins feed out through my fingers- bad habit. I also rode a few laps with no stirrups, something I have not done in a long time. It felt great!

As the trot work continued, I added more shapes and worked on bending and straightening. Trot down the long side, 20 meter circle at E, trot down the diagonal at the end. I introduced serpentines, and then worked on transitions within the gaits. Wizard was still swishing his tail and reacting to leg pressure. I have a call in to the chiropractor and she will be seeing him early next week. When we did big-trot-little-trot on the long and short sides, Wizard got tense, and his stride shortened. I worked him back into being relaxed. Once Wizard was warmed up and working, we rode a rudimentary version of the old Training Level Test 1, including the canter work. Wizard’s canter departs were better than they were last time we rode. We had some good moments, plus it was getting late, so I ended on a good note.

Selena Ride 48; Wizard Ride 118: Chaos Theory

Saturday, 11/14/09

Before night fell, Wizard and I went for a trail ride with Mary the Morgan and her owner. We did not do the full loop, but we were out for about 45 minutes. Wizard was quite good. He had a few “oh boy!” moments, but was otherwise nice to ride.

When we returned from the trails, I tacked Selena up and ride in the indoor arena with Mary the Morgan and Miss Tuesday. In preparation for the upcoming hunter derby at my barn, there was a delightful array of creative and interesting jumps in the arena. I expected Selena to give them a good look when we walked into the ring. Instead, she almost seemed more comfortable with them in the ring. Of course, her two best barn buddies were in the ring as well, but there were also other horses who were coming and going.

I asked somebody to slam the arena door loudly to re-create the jumpy moment from the last ride. Selena did not bat an eye. She is not a spooky mare, so I think she was simply surprised (as was I!) when the door slammed on Thursday.

Selena was quite stretchy and ready to work. We did a long walking warmup, followed by large stretchy circles at the trot. We worked into transitions from walk to trot and back to walk. When she felt warmed up, I took advantage of all the jumps and we rode intricate patterns around the fences. She was fantastic. The chaos of the jumps seemed to work out nicely for her. Perhaps it reminded her of her jumper background.

JR Session 10; Wizard Session 53: Tick, tick, tick…

Wednesday, 3/4/2009

I pulled a dog tick off of Wizard tonight. In early March, when we have a foot of snow on the ground. Very strange! Poor guy looked so relieved to have it removed.

Tonight, I set up a little chute and free-schooled Mary, JR, and Wizard over jumps. Free schooling is excellent for horse-human communication since you are forced to use your body language to control your horse from a distance. Your horse learns to listen to your “whoa” and “go” commands without any tack getting in the way. Free schooling over jumps incorporates negotiating an obstacle into the mix, plus your horse is building good muscles and it’s a great break from the regular day-to-day activities of riding and longeing.

Mary the Morgan has never free jumped before. She has experience navigating logs and trees on the trails and even hopped a jump by herself in the ring one day, but this was her first time officially jumping. We first started the exercise by walking her over ground poles, then a small cross rail. Then, we asked her to take the jump at a trot. Being a Morgan, she was very clever in her approach. She saw a slim gap between the jump and the wall and slithered through it! Horses like Wizard and JR would never have discovered that clever approach- it’s very different to work with Morgans! Once she took the jump, she handled the cross rail with maturity. She showed no fear at all, and simply stepped over it. We asked her to do the cross rail twice more. Then, we changed it to a very small vertical, maybe a foot off the ground. There was no deer-like leaping or any confusion- she hopped the jump like it was so not a big deal. Her fearless approaches and the way she handles obstacles so realistically makes me think she could do cross-country.

JR was up next. Tonight was his first time jumping. He was green but totally game. I could tell that he was a little confused about when to leave the ground, but when he landed, he took off proudly bucking and celebrating with a victory lap. He knocked a pole once but the next time over the jump, he curled his knees high and jumped really carefully. He’s such an athletic and coordinated horse that I think he’ll get the hang of jumping really quickly. He took six jumps total- three cross rails and three verticals. One of the things I really like about JR is that he’s a real working horse. He figured out how to trot the lap around the arena, take the fence, and trot back again. He looked like he was going to do a final lap on his own even after the jumping session was over.

This was Wizard’s third time over free jumps and he looked like a total pro. I was so pleased to see him starting to understand how to take off and how to land. His flagged tail and snorty trotting showed me that he was pleased with his new hobby. I’ve been free jumping Wizard about once a month and he has improved every time. If I squint my eyes, I can almost see myself on his back in these photos. I got the jumping fever looking at these photos. But it will be a lonnnnng time before he’s anywhere near jumping with a rider. But it’s fun to dream ;^)

Wizard Ride 41: Is it March Yet?

Thursday, 1/22/09

Tonight, my mom and I visited Rick’s Saddle Shop in Cream Ridge, NJ. I’m on the hunt for a new helmet. I’ve read that helmets should be replaced every five years to ensure the safety of the helmet. I own 4 helmets and only one is less than five years old. Right now, I have my eye on the Charles Owen GR8 in black/black but I’m not totally decided yet. In a rare moment of tack shop restraint, I left Rick’s with only a container of Uncle Jimmy’s Squeezy Buns, aka Wizzy Buns. I have a bit of a problem with tack shops… I cannot seem to walk out of them without new saddle pads, grooming supplies, or barn jackets. I’m normally a fiscally sensible person but there’s something about the smell of the leather that makes me part with my hard-earned dough.

Wizard was ambivalent about my arrival at the barn. Sometimes, he practically halters himself, but sometimes he stands perfectly still and tries to conjure a Wizardly invisibility spell. I suppose horses have moods just like people do. He did not mind grooming at all but he was not thrilled about the saddle or the quarter sheet- I think that he’ll really appreciate my grooming as he continues to shed his winter coat. It took Alibar several years before he began to enjoy grooming. I think it takes some time for horses to get over their ticklishness. I was taught by my instructors by the George Morris doctrines of grooming: a clean and well turned out horse shows respect for riding. My childhood riding instructor would send people back to the barn if they arrived for a lesson with so much as a stray shaving in the horse’s tail. It will be a while before Wizard can handle a George Morris-esque grooming before a ride!

I hand walked Wizard for a few laps around the arena. The arena footing has not yet recovered from the recent cold snap so I kept the workout low-key. I longed Wizard for about 10-15 minutes on my longest longe line, the World’s Finest Longe Line I love that name!). This was the first time I’ve used this longer line in a while- I can proudly say that Wizard is consistently excellent on the longe now. I can stand still and pivot on my inside foot as he longes, and I no longer need to twirl the whip to keep him moving. He kept up the slack in the line really nicely. I could see that the footing was just too firm for him- he’s barefoot and while he has lovely feet, his soles are a little thin. After he longed a bit, I hopped on and cooled him out under saddle.

Then it was back to the barn for a little more grooming, two buckets of warm water, and lots of Dengie.

I’m a pretty hardy rider- as soon as the ground is unfrozen, I’ll be back outdoors. I’ve always preferred outdoor riding, even at my current barn, which has a beautiful indoor arena. We’re getting a lot done but the warmer weather will provide a lot of flexibility with training and riding. I’m counting down the days til springtime.

Wizard Session 31: Trampled Underfoot

Thurs, 1/1/09

Happy New Year! My mom always told me to spend New Year’s Day doing what I want to be doing for the rest of the year. So I went to the barn :^) I also worked during the day, which is fine since I love my job.

The weather was COLD. The ground was pretty hard so I decided to do a longeing session with Wizard indoors. Before I started longeing him, we were standing in the indoor arena and something startled him. He jumped forward a step or two and tripped over my foot with his hoof. The sensation of a COLD human foot getting grazed by a horse foot is not a good one. Owwwwie! It was a little purple the following day but now it’s just a little sore. It could have been far worse. And I managed to never, ever get stepped on by a horse for 31 years so I suppose I was due for a little tap by a hoof. Good thing he’s barefoot!

Wizard is getting a better grasp on verbal commands on the longe line. We still do not canter, since I think that trotting and walking are best for his mental and physical development at this point. Plus, I don’t train with the longe line as long as I like since he needs a shorter line to listen to my cues. As he gets more advanced, I’ll longe him on the longest line possible. My favorite line is the World’s Finest Lunge Line and it’s long enough to do a 20m circle.

We warmed up without side reins and I put them on for a few minutes when Wizard was at the peak of the session. He is still showing evasion to the bit whenever there is ANY contact. Is it his teeth? Is it the bit? I’m not sure. He needs more work done to his teeth so I’m hoping that will help him.

When he works in the KK Ultra, his mouth works very quickly. When he works in the Myler Comfort Snaffle (no hooks), he pulls downward a lot, more than just a stretch.

I’m also in the process of regrouping and trying to figure out exactly what I need to do to take our next step forward under saddle. Right now, I feel him tense up when I prepare to trot. He walks with a VERY LOW head set and he lifts his head much higher to trot, even at liberty. It makes the walk-trot transition a little difficult for me. It feels like he’s going to rush forward so I take a stronger hold on the reins, which I KNOW is the wrong thing to do. Sit up, let go of his face, and go FORWARD. It will be ugly before it’s pretty. Sounds so simple, but my brain cannot let me do it.

Making Plans for Wizard

Making Plans for Nigel/Wizard…

When I tested Wizard on Monday night, he got an A+ on his report card with every behavior and habit. Here’s what we have right now:

Longe a few rotations at the trot without violently stopping or spinning- check
Stand quietly at mounting block- check
Stand quietly facing away from arena door for about a minute- check
Walk under saddle with a decent forward walk without any balking- check, but ongoing
No tightening or bunching up at the walk- check, but ongoing
Walking forward after a halt- check, but still needs work
Lead from left and right side- check
Walk comfortably over ground poles under saddle and in hand- check
Clicker training: head down for 3 seconds- check
Clicker training: target objects high (dressage letters) and low (jump poles)- check
In-hand work: walk, halt, and jog with little rein/leadline contact- check, but still needs work
Grooming/crossties: stand quietly and be less sensitive to grooming- check, but ongoing
Walking comfortably in an arena with another horse and with lots of jumps in the arena (he had a blowup with another horse and a bunch of jumps in one of our first sessions)- check

Some goals for the winter- thanks to the suggestions of my favorite training books/methods, as well as some esteemed equine colleagues:

Clicker behaviors: Begin work with standing squarely beginning with standing one hoof on a piece of cardboard, learn to stretch his neck up, out, down, to the side, continue liberty work with clicker, and teach safe tricks like smiling.

Begin very basic under saddle trot work with the goal of improving forwardness and also improving Wizard’s overall balance and flexibility. Begin the free walk under saddle, starting with the diagonal, then advancing to a shallow loop.

Work with moving his haunches in and out at the walk with the goal of helping to straighten his gaits and control the hind end.

Introduce turn on the forehand, first on the ground, then under saddle.

Work on various exercises with a square of 4 ground poles to improve Wizard’s balance, attention to detail (for me and Wizard), subtlety of my cues, submission, placement of hooves, relaxation, and working with obstacles. Walk into square, halt, walk out. Turn on forehand in square. Walk in, quarter turn, walk out. Back Wizard in. Put front feet in the square and hinds out and ask for him to take sideways steps keeping the pole under his belly, starting with a few steps and ending with the entire square. Also, ride through and learn to back through an L-shaped chute of ground poles. Also, place a barrel on its end and ask him to keep his nose to it as he pivots around it- this will help with hind and front end control as well as taking bigger steps in hind end to match smaller strps in front.