Wizard Ride 283: Hot Dog

Friday, 9/16/11

I took a much-needed mental health day, and set out for the barn early for a ride with Rachel and Lily. A few other people were planning to ride as well, so they joined us for the first leg of out adventure. We rode around the main loop at a walk with the big group, and I experimented with putting Wizard on the front, as well as the back of the herd. Wizard was a little anxious at the back, but not bad enough to cause any problems. When we got to the end of the regular loop, our friends went back to the barn, and three of us continued to the tree farm.

As we left our usual trails and headed to the tree farm, Wizard got a little amped up. When we walked through the park, it felt like I was riding a coiled spring. He did not actually lose control, but got pretty hot when one rider and horse separated from the herd to hop some logs. We rode around the tree farm for maybe half and hour and then headed home. Our trail ride totaled about two hours, but it was almost all at the walk. When we got back to the barn, I rode with my barn buddies to the hot dog truck down the road. Wizard (again) mostly was okay, but got really, really anxious when one rider circled her pony around the truck. I think he thought they were leaving to head back to the farm.

We walked back to the farm, and I rode Wizard in the arena for a little while, not so much for the exercise, but to cool his mind a little. He had reached the edge of his calmness, and I wanted to work him back into that calmness. It worked really well, and he trotted around the arena quite nicely, doing serpentines and figure 8s with nice contact and a relaxed topline. Maybe he needs to be ridden two hours every day :^P

Wizard Ride 261: These Old Shoes

Saturday, 7/9/11

Saturday was the summer day that fills our daydreams in January. Temperatures were in the 80s, the sun was out, and the air was dry. Rachel and Lily accompanied Wizard and me on a ride to the tree farm. The flies were not as bad as they were in previous days since we rode in the middle of the afternoon and there was a dry breeze to keep them moving.

As I had hoped and expected, Wizard was even better on his second ride to the tree farm this year than he was on his first ride. He was more focused. The walk through the neighborhood went off without a hitch, and he carefully walked on the shoulder of the road for the brief bit of road riding that we have to do.

At the tree farm, we hopped over our favorite three logs in a very haphazard fashion. Then, we walked over the wooden bridge and rode the horsepath at a trot and canter. Here’s Wizard crossing the bridge:

The trot and canter work was very exciting for Wizard, and he gave my arms a workout, learning on the bit in earnest, hopping and swapping leads as we bounded along. He has a soft mouth, and he did not take off, but it was clear that he wanted to GO.

The horse path is maybe a mile long with a few very gentle hills, and it’s a lot of fun. After our little joyride, we walked the rest of the way through the tree farm. We ended up on an unfamiliar trail, and I dropped the reins as an experiment. Wizard successfully got us back to the main trail, by way of a pretty crazy trail that we’ve never taken before.

On the way home, Wizard walked with a purpose, but was relaxed enough to stop when a family wanted to pet the horses in the neighborhood. Lily was much more gracious and walked right up to the porch for her attention, but I was proud of Wizard for standing reasonably still :^)

As we reached the last leg of the ride, I heard a ka-CLINK with each step that Wizard took. It became more pronounced when we walked on pavement. Wizard’s shoe is loose. He’s actually a week overdue for the farrier (bad Sarah!). I checked out the shoe and it’s not loose enough to pull- just a tiny bit wiggly.

Wizard Ride 254: I Am a Tree

Monday, 6/27/11

Two days after our adventures in Assunpink and in the Horse Park of New Jersey, Wizard and I embarked on a trip to the New Jersey Forest Nursery with Lily and Rachel. Map Here.

Wizard was displeased with the deerflies on the way out. I had doused him in fly spray and rubbed his ankles with Belly Balm. Our last trip to the tree nursery was over as year ago, but with only a few wrong turns, we arrived there pretty easily. Wizard got tense and a little snorty through some of the hairier parts of the ride, but for the most part was pretty good. He balked just a bit at a big hill, but then was willing and rode up it. He was a sweaty from nerves, but kept his cool.

We crossed the wooden bridge with ease, and hopped a few little logs. In the back of the tree farm is a long horsepath, which is delightful for trotting and cantering. The footing is a little sandy but not too loose, and the path is wide enough for two horses. Wizard had several Bill the Cat moments (photo below) and forgot how to place his feet, but was controllable even when he was excited. By the end of the loop, he was beginning to find his rhythm. It reminded me of how he used to ride on the farm trails. Time fixed all those issues, and I think the same will happen if we ride the tree farm more often.

Wizard walked nicely the whole way home, through the neighborhood (video above), and down a new trail in the woods. Lily, as always, was sterling.

I hope to get out to the tree farm more often this summer. The horse path is a wonderful place to work on trotting and cantering up and down gentle hills.

Back at the barn, Wizard got a bath and was put to bed with hay.

Practice, practice, practice.

Handy Acres Tack Sale, Open House, Sale Horse Showcase: Saturday, April 30

Saturday, April 30
10AM – 4PM
Handy Acres Farm
49 Grawtown Rd
Jackson, NJ 08527

RAIN OR SHINE- Free Admission.

SELL TACK: Bring your tack plus a table/chairs & rent a space for $10 OR call to reserve a large table for $25. Large tables are limited.

BUY TACK: English/Western, name brands and bargains

VISIT THE BARN: Accepting new boarders & students

SEE OUR HORSES: 4 available ponies & horses, English/Western, registered Quarter Horse, Haflingers

A photo fundraiser will be held to benefit two local equine rescue organizations: Helping Hearts Equine Rescue and Horse Rescue United. Fifteen signed, numbered prints of each photo will be available and 100% of the net profit will be donated to the rescues.

Wizard Ride 145: Follow the Yellow Brick Road

Monday, 5/17/10

The fabled Tree Nursery. I’ve Google Mapped it, I’ve asked about it, and now we’ve finally ridden to it! It’s the New Jersey Forest Tree Nursery and Forest Resource Education Center and it’s located in Jackson, NJ.

My friend has ridden there before, but never on her Warmblood/Thoroughbred filly. I don’t know if Wizard has been there before. We set out around 7pm and returned after dark. It was a wonderful ride and a great change of scenery… literally!

Before we hit the trails, I had an “if I only had a brain” moment and got on Wizard without a helmet. How on earth did that happen? I’ve ridden with a strict helmet policy for well over a decade, and yet did not notice the breeze blowing through my hair til somebody mentioned it- yikes!

In order to get to the nursery, we had to do some road riding. I don’t love riding on roads, but I know that Wizard is pretty awesome at it so I was more confident. Trucks, cars, everything passed us and he did not bat an eye… yet another advantage of riding a Thoroughbred who is off the track.

We cut through the edge of a development and rode up a really cool hill, which was great for strengthening and fitness. From the top, we could see a nice view. We descended and kept on riding. We reached a grassy field, where my friend asked if we could do a little trot. Why not?

So we began our trot, but Wizard broke into a canter. I slowed him, but as the filly trotted away from him, he leapt around a few times, not a buck and not a rear, more like Bill the Cat having a freakout (thanks for the reference, Wendy!).

The prospect of being separated from the filly and the filly going ahead of him was what set him off. I remember having similar experiences with Alibar. I held him together and we were able to do a little trot. We will have to work on that in the future. During the ride, we practiced letting each horse lead and it worked nicely. They also got along really well, there were no flattened ears or angry faces. They seemed to enjoy each other’s company.

We reached the entrance to the Tree Nursery and rode down the road. There was some stone dust footing and some dirt footing. We walked over a wooden bridge (GOOD BOY, WIZARD!) quite well. Wizard flinched when he heard the noise of hoof on wood but then crossed it like a pro. Baby followed his lead. There were lots of really cool log benches which looked like fantastic log jumps. We hopped over one little one. I can hardly wait until we’re jumping more and we can hop these logs for practice.

We rode past the education center and looped around on one of the trails. The trail was the Yellow Trail, which struck me as funny since I was riding Wizard on the Yellow Brick Road. The trail snaked in the wrong direction (we DID want to go home, eventually) and we hit the road but got back on course and headed back to the barn.

As we rode back, it was getting dark (see photo below). Wizard did one more round, fancy jump over a stone curb, much to my surprise, but he looked and felt great as he hopped it. We took the wooded way back to the barn, only crossing one road. Wizard walked on sidewalks, up and down curbs, and stood nicely at the road crossing.

Once we hit our usual network of trails, I virtually dropped the reins and Wizard picked his way back in the dark. We rode for about two hours and he was only sweaty under the saddle pad and girth. I was SO proud of him. This was our first real challenge on the trails (besided the pig pen, I suppose) and he passed with flying colors. This summer, I hope to do a few nice rides like this per month.

Product raves: Bug Balm and Cocosoya. I smeared the Bug Balm on Wizard’s ankles and belly before our ride. Bug season is not in full swing, but he came home with no noticeable bites or ticks. And he LOVES the Cocosoya oil! I added a little to his rice bran mash- it has a sweet, pleasant smell and Omega 3, 6, and 9.

Cigar Mile Day 2009: The Three F’s

For many, Thanksgiving means the Three F’s: food, family, and football. To this, I add Fotography. And Fillies. And many Furlongs of graded stakes action.

Cigar Mile Day is generally the last hurrah of the season for New York racing fans. This time of year, the weather gets chilly, racing at Aqueduct moves to the inner dirt course, and the holidays approach.

I brought my friend Lisa to the track and she did a great job as my assistant. She also learned quite a bit about the light at the track and how to get the proper exposure for bright sun and the shade of the grandstand.

Before you know it, Derby Fever will be upon us. This Saturday gave racing fans a little more information about their favorite two-year-olds.

Launch N Relaunch broke his maiden with ease.

Buddy’s Saint (center) won the Remsen handily.

Although they did not take a trip to the winner’s circle, there were many other nice colts at the Big A that day, including Imaging:

Highveldt Storm:

Lentenor, full brother of Barbaro. Barbaro’s Kentucky Derby was one of my favorite races of the decade, but I never got to see the great colt in person so it was a treat to see his younger brother carrying on the legacy.

But the day was not all about the colts. Stardom Bound had an eventful return from her layoff. Peach Brew stumbled out of the gate at the start of the Gazelle- if you view the video (below), you can see that it happened in the blink of an eye, but the photo shows how much it can affect a horse’s game.

The marquee race of the day was the Hill ‘n’ Dale Cigar Mile Handicap. Kodiak Kowboy won the race and a real shot at this year’s Eclipse Award for Champion Sprinter.

Furlongs and Furlongs of Fun for this Fotographer. Hope you had a good weekend as well.

Wizard Session 104: My Guys

Friday, 10/2/09

My husband visited the barn with me today. He’s not a horsey guy but he visits every so often to see how things are going. We’ve been doing a lot of hiking lately so we went for a hike with Wizard. We hiked a little over 4 miles and it was a wonderfully cool day. Wizard crinkled his nose when we got near the pigs but he did not hesitate at all as we walked past them. I was armed with carrots and I rewarded Wizard for halting at road crossings. Now that bow hunting season is in session, my friends and I have started wearing bright yellow safety vests when we are out on the trails. We plan to get bells for the horses, too.

After our walk, I scrubbed Wizard’s ankles in case there were any chiggers or tick nymphs still out on the trail. No bites yet, thank goodness. The Betadine scrub has done the trick every time I used it.

Wizard got a little playtime in the big arena to stretch his legs. There is a chunk out of his hoof wall of his right hind leg- it looked like he stepped on it somehow. It did not bother him at all when he was walking or playing but he did lift it up a few times when I was cleaning his legs. I think it will naturally roll with the curve of his hoof as long as we keep riding/hiking on good footing.

A wonderful day with my guys :^)

Selena Ride 22; JR Session 55; Wizard Session 93: This Little Piggy

Monday, 9/7/09

Wizard: I took Wizard for a walk in the woods with Mary the Morgan and her owner. We’ve been learning about the trail network around the barn and exploring the trails is becoming an addiction! I hiked with Wizard for a little over 5 miles, behind the barn, past a farm with a little pen of pigs, across the street, around a big loop, and back to the barn.

Pigs??? Yes! There were 4 pigs- 2 were friendly and 2 were shy. Wizard startled a bit when he saw them at first, but then he became bolder and actually touched noses with one of them. It was interesting to see his little wheels turning in his head as he changed from, “Nope! Nope! Nope!” to “Yep! Yep! Yep!”. I really like how curious and bold Wizard is.

The only problem I had with Wizard on the hike was on the last leg of the trail. Mary the Morgan had trotted ahead a little bit and was just out of our sight. Wizard became agitated and pranced and jigged until we were close to them again. It was especially interesting because he is not particularly buddy-sour or barn-sour, but the horse leaving his sight really triggered him.

After the walk, I turned him out in the arena and he cavorted and played for a few minutes. I put him in his stall and he snacked on Dengie while I worked with the other 2 horses.

Selena: Best ride yet! She had a few days off, but it seemed to work to our advantage this time. She was so relaxed, which I partly contribute to the conditions, since it was an hour after feeding time and the weather was very pleasant. We’ve also getting used to each other, which is wonderful. I put the cones out in the arena, this time in a straight line like how pole benders set up poles. I used the cones as huge loops for serpentines. From the very beginning of the ride, Selena was responsive. She heard every cue, and is really beginning to understand my half halts. She is already wonderfully responsive to leg so now she’s becoming a treat to ride :^)

Our transitions were lovely, she was actually a little quiet so I asked her for a canter so I could practice settling her down and relaxing her topline. She responded and her neck and back were tense, but she became more relaxed with transitions and bending. At one section of the arena, I could feel her round her back and accept contact with the bit. She did it a handful of times and it was a wonderful feeling. Now that I’ve felt it, I know that we have the potential to get some great things accomplished. Wonderful ride!

JR: After I was done with Wizard and Selena, I took JR for a hike in the woods. He has put on a little too much weight from inactivity so the exercise was definitely a good thing for him. We went a little under 4 miles, including past the pigs. JR was more fearful than his bold friend Wizard, but I was pleased with his reaction. When we approached the pigs, he telescoped his neck and reached toward them. He did not quite touch noses like Wizard, but he was curious enough to overcome his fears. I did have to handle a little hopping around when I put him between me and the pigs- he was far more comfortable when I was between him and the pigs. He even managed to step on my foot, which thankfully did not result in any injury. I’m 31 years old and I’ve been stepped on twice by horses in my life, both this year: once by Wizard and once by JR.

It was a great day for all the horses. I hope to keep taking advantage of this great weather by riding and exercising with the herd.

2009 Belmont Stakes Logo = Awesome

2009 Belmont Stakes Logo: Sweeeet!

Love it, love it, love it! I might even have to purchase some swag.

And speaking of the Belmont Stakes…

Will she or won’t she?

Will he or won’t he?

He will, but who will ride him?

Sidelined!

Lookin’ good…

And in other racing news…. It has come to my attention that there has been some jibber-jabber on the blogs about Zenyatta’s “conservative” 2009 plans. It has been said on the forums that the plans are unambitious. This complaint does not work for me. She’s the best horse in training. If an owner or trainer wants to challenge that notion, her schedule has been mapped out for all to see. Come and get her. In the meantime, she’ll work on being only the second horse in history to win the Distaff. And I must admit, repeating victories is one of my favorite things that great horses do.

And check out Zenyatta’s happy feet on Fran Jurga’s HoofBlog.

Wizard Session #20: At the Car Wash… Playtime!

Pictured: Miss Tuesday navigates the car wash during the Parelli Support Group in Jackson, NJ.

12/10/08: On Wednesday night, I photographed a bimonthly Parelli group at the barn. It was so nice to see a group of dedicated horse people getting together with their horses. While I’m not fully on board with the Parelli program, I do like how it gives people a plan for working with their horses.

So many times, horse people head to the barn with no particular plan in mind and start riding. It’s the beginning of a really good ride and the horse is doing everything right. The rider keeps pushing since the horse is being so good. Then the horse is pushed out of his comfort zone and the session goes in a bad direction. With a plan, that sort of mishap happens far less frequently. Keeping on track with a plan is one of the reasons that I keep this journal. And putting the journal online keeps me honest ;^)

The Parelli group had a series of obstacles including: the car wash (a tarp cut into strips and suspended from the ceiling), a platform (wooden and about 4 inches off the ground), a tarp on the ground, hula hoops, traffic cones, a mattress, and a little black culvert. It was fun to see the horses navigate the obstacles and work with their owners.

When the session was over, I asked the group to leave a few obstacles out so I could try them with Wizard. When he walked into the arena, he immediately let out a snort of apprehension. I think he was trying to warn me about the big scary tarp on the ground. I let him know that the tarp was part of our plan. He pranced past it a few times when I led him in. We kept circling, closer and closer to the tarp, never stopping to look at it. I clicked when he walked within a step of the tarp, reinforcing bold and calm behavior. He became more relaxed and focused. Then we walked over the tarp. Wizard did not balk or stop- he walked right over it. I clicked and gave him a treat. Good boy!

On to the hula hoops. He looked at them, mostly out of curiosity. We walked through them. When his foot was in the circle, I clicked. After a few passes, he was intentionally putting his feet in the hoops. Good boy!

On to the platform! This was the biggest challenge of the night. I tried my best to keep the lead rope slack and never pulled him. Every step was forward on his own accord. I clicked for any forward movement toward the platform. Eventually, he tapped it with his hoof, then put his two feet on it like a circus pony. Good boy! Lots of carrots. I then asked him to walk over it in a straight line. He was a little awkward about navigating it and bumped it a few times with his hooves, but we got three good passes over it. On the last pass, he felt more reluctant and I felt badly because I probably pushed him to do the platform too many times. We moved to the next obstacle.

On to the car wash. This is harder than you think. It seems like it is visually confusing for horses. I had to part a few strips for Wizard to get the idea that he could walk through it. He would slink down to half his height as he crept under it, but he listened to my cues and walked through. I was just looking for forwardness and he responded at every obstacle. We can get more technical next time the obstacles are in the arena.

I then went back to the platform. I wanted to get it right since his head was clear again. I kept my eyes up, walked briskly, and we walked right over! I was so glad that I moved on when he felt reluctant the first time. Giving him a little while to try a different obstacle and rest his brain really helped. I must keep that in mind in the future.