These photos were taken on January 8, February 1, February 9, and April 1.
Left Front…
Right Front
Left Hind
Right Hind
Wizard Rides 549 – 603: Come On Feet
September 22, 2013 – March 10, 2014
I broke Blogging Rule #1, which is to not neglect your blog. Let’s catch up a little.
In late September, Wizard and I rode with the Monmouth County Hunt Club for the first time- they hosted a clinic, during which guests were invited to ride with the hounds and the hunt. Wizard handled the hounds very well. He was great when we were moving, but when we stopped, it was difficult for him to hold still for periods of time in that big group. After about two hours of riding, we retired and walked home. The hunt club members were SO nice, and very welcoming to us. I hope to ride with them again sometime.
THE ADVENTURES CONTINUE…
In October, Wizard and I competed in the Second Call “Fall for Horses” Charity Show. We did two model classes and two Intro dressage tests. Wizard did really well in the model classes against MUCH younger horses, and we came home with ribbons in both classes. In the dressage tests, we scored a 54 and a 55, if I remember correctly. I was very proud of him for handling the show environment so nicely, and by the time we got to the dressage tests, it was a long day. I think he was just ready to be done. His free walks were good, but our trots were tense, and he erupted into a few sideways crab-trots on the circles, and did some creative leaping at the beginning of the second test. We stayed in the ring without jumping any barriers, I didn’t fall off, and he didn’t lose any shoes, so I’d call that a huge success for our first-ever dressage tests. His weight was great, and he sparkled in the October sun. I was very proud to have him there.
Once the dressage was done, we took a few weeks in November to work on a little jumping, and we also got in trail rides whenever we felt safe enough to venture out in the woods with the hunters.
Boy oh boy is this horse fun to jump. I only take a few gymnastic lines about twice a month with him, but we both love it.
And we practiced our ponying skills with Brigid! I’d like to do more ponying in the future.
Somewhere between my last rides in the Assunpink in 2013 and the first robins of 2014, it got cold. It snowed. And snowed. And got colder. And snowed a little more.
Wet weather is not kind to Wizard’s feet. Despite diligent and skilled farrier care, Wizard’s soles were thin, his palmar angles were low, his frogs were protruding, and his heels were getting crushed. With the help of my regular veterinarian, the veterinarian at our local equine clinic, a local farrier, and consultations with Dr. Ric Redden, we’re now making some progress with Wizard’s feet.
Wizard’s shoes were pulled in mid-January. In early February, he was fitted with four rocker shoes. Although he normally lives outside 24/7, he is currently stalled each night at our local equine clinic for his hoof rehabilitation process.
In these photo sequences, the photos were taken on January 8, February 1, and February 9.
Left Front…
Right Front…
Left Hind…
Right Hind…
Click here to read more about palmar angles.
Click here to read about rocker shoes.
Here’s a video of Wizard trotting on Feb 24…
My friend massaged him, and interestingly, he was tighter in the front end and more comfortable in the hind end. He’s moving well, and I’ve put about 12 rides on him since he got his new shoes. We also took a dressage lesson and worked on some “physical therapy” type work to loosen up his neck, free up his shoulders, and help him build correct muscle whole we get fit for the spring.
We’re doing walk and trot work only right now, and practicing our shoulder in, as well as bending exercises to help with body awareness.
When he got to the clinic, he weighted 1,200 pounds. The stress of the move caused him to lose 65 pounds. The vet put him on sucralfate, I changed his feed to Pennfield Energized Senior, added alfalfa hay and an extra grain feeding at night, and as of today, his weight is back up to 1,195 pounds. Hooray!
The farrier will check on Wizard’s feet next time he’s at the clinic, and Wizard is due for another shoeing in early April. I hope that he can go home soon. We’re waiting for the ground to dry up so his feet don’t get soft too soon while they’re rehabbing.
This endeavour is expensive and it took a leap of faith, but so far, so good. I’m looking forward to the rest of our adventures in 2014.
THREE horses available for adoption through Atlantic County SPCA (New Jersey)
These 3 horses are under the auspices of the Atlantic County SPCA. They were part of a seizure a year ago. They are now in good weight and healthy, but the ACSPCA is out of funding to pay for their care.
Due to financial constraints, these horses need to find their forever homes. The SPCA hopes they could be adopted with a rescue agreement. They have had hard times, and deserve to not have to worry anymore. (The woman who is caring for them is in hard times herself and would welcome any donations either monetary (acspca.com) or hay.)
Bugsy, the gray is younger– 9-12 years old–and a gorgeous 15 hand Arabian gelding. With finishing, he would make a great all around horse for some woman or girl–his past abuse makes him NOT LIKE MEN.
Atlantic County SPCA, Nancy Beall, 609-927-6265
These 3 horses are under the auspices of the Atlantic County SPCA. They were part of a seizure a year ago. They are now in good weight and healthy, but the ACSPCA is out of funding to pay for their care.
Due to financial constraints, these horses need to find their forever homes. The SPCA hopes they could be adopted with a rescue agreement. They have had hard times, and deserve to not have to worry anymore. (The woman who is caring for them is in hard times herself and would welcome any donations either monetary (acspca.com) or hay.)
Sally the chestnut mare is 20 years old and is still feisty. Her teeth are bad so she gets soaked Sentinel Sr. and alfalfa pellets. She can be ridden walk-trot with a light rider.
Atlantic County SPCA, Nancy Beall, 609-927-6265
These 3 horses are under the auspices of the Atlantic County SPCA. They were part of a seizure a year ago. They are now in good weight and healthy, but the ACSPCA is out of funding to pay for their care.
Due to financial constraints, these horses need to find their forever homes. The SPCA hopes they could be adopted with a rescue agreement. They have had hard times, and deserve to not have to worry anymore. (The woman who is caring for them is in hard times herself and would welcome any donations either monetary (acspca.com) or hay.)
Grady (Black w/white socks) is an 18 year old OTTB gelding, very sweet and has been ridden bareback w/ lead rope at a walk.
Atlantic County SPCA, Nancy Beall, 609-927-6265
Before Dark at the Park: VIP Access to the Horse Park of New Jersey
AUGUST 28 •SEPTEMBER 11 •SEPTEMBER 25
4:00PM– 7:00PM
A new summer series for Horse Park of New Jersey members. First date is TOMORROW, August 28.
$20 per session for Horse Park members. Not a Horse Park member? Sign up today and your membership lasts through 2014.
Does your greenie in need of a little schooling? Does your seasoned pro ready for a tuneup? Would you like to work out some show ring jitters? The Horse Park of New Jersey is offering an EXCELLENT opportunity for VIP access for Horse Park members to the indoor and outdoor arenas.
You can also reserve a time to school in a dressage arena or ride in a free Intro to Centered Riding session.
Visit http://horseparkofnewjersey.com/calendar.html for full details, and download the information here:
http://horseparkofnewjersey.com/2013_PDF/Before_Dark_at_the_Park_Flyer_%28Page_01%29.pdf
http://horseparkofnewjersey.com/2013_PDF/Before_Dark_at_the_Park_Flyer_%28Page_02%29.pdf
Wizard Rides 471, 472, 473, 474, 475, & 476: Big School
Wednesday, 2/24/13
After work, I hustled to the barn and rode Wizard out in the grassy paddock behind the outdoor arena. We’ve never ridden in that field before, and it was a great exercise for our upcoming schooling session at the dressage show on Sunday.
Except he pulled his left front shoe about 10 minutes into the ride.
Note to self: don’t ride anything faster than a walk on the grass with this horse.
Thursday, 4/25/13
With Wizard’s new shoes on, I rode in the arena with Kris and Sunny. We worked on our lateral exercises at the trot, and I decided to do some canter work with him. It was the most we’ve cantered so far since I got the saddle. It was good, and bad, and sometimes ugly, and then good again. We got a pretty good canter going to the left, and then ti took a bit of doing to get the same result to the right. He likes to throw his hind end to the inside of the circle to the right, so I worked to keep him straight. We ended on a good note, with a promise to do more canter work again soon.
Friday, 4/26/13
I took Wizard out on a trail ride out in the park. We did our usual trot work in the long, flat field, and were out for about an hour, walking most of the rest of the way.
Saturday, 4/27/13
Wizard and I had a really nice ride on Saturday. We did quite a bit of work on our bending and lengthening our trot. Hopped over a few cross rails and trotted over poles. Ready to roll for the schooling session on Sunday. I gave him a bath and cleaned my tack for our big day.
Sunday, 4/28/13
The big day was finally here! Wizard never schooled at a show before, so I got a schooling pass for a little dressage show at the Horse Park so I could see how he felt about the show environment. I parked my car at the Horse Park with all my post-ride stuff, and walked back to the barn. Once we were tacked up, Wizard and I hacked back to the Horse Park, which is a little over a mile from the barn. He was perfect for the entire ride over, even when we got to the cross country field, where the Jersey Fresh jumps are set up. We rode through the trailer parking area and into the schooling ring, and I felt really good about him.
And then, he lost his mind.
We warmed up at a walk while we waited for Lisa (we were having a mini lesson in the schooling ring). Wizard got more and more agitated by the show environment. I kept him in about 20 meter circles, but he started waggling and swaying and pitching a little like he wanted to buck. I dismounted until Lisa arrived. Wizard could not keep his feet still. He danced and whinneyed a few times. Once Lisa arrived, I remounted and we worked in the ring.
I knew we were in a spot of trouble when Lisa called out, “A bucking strap might be helpful next time!”
Oh geez. We were that horse and rider you see at every show. You know, the ones who are looking a little like they’ve never been to a show before. I’ve been to a zillion shows, but Wizard is quite green about this all. He was very, very agitated.
I’m so glad Lisa was there, because we were able to get a little bit of a good trot in each direction and an actual stretch at the walk before we ended on a good note. Wizard settled when I SAT in the saddle instead of hovering above it. He also settled when we leg yielded in and out on a circle. When he slung his head down to buck or porpoise or whatever he was trying to do, Lisa asked me to give him his head and not pull it up. She is all about subtlety and gentle riding. She’s a REALLY good match for us, because she understands Thoroughbreds. She got both of us unfrazzled. We weren’t able to ride anything bigger than a 20m circle around her before Wizard hopped around again, so we kept the “bubble” around her.
The moment he settled and swung his back a little at a walk, I gave him a pat and dismounted. We were both exhausted. Wizard was so fried that his eyes were a little bloodshot. We weren’t working very long at all, but he looked like he had just run a race.
Mission accomplished, but now I have to decide if I really want to keep putting all this training time into getting him ready to show. It’s a big commitment, especially since it took close to 5 years to get us to the point we’re at now with our training.
I hand walked him home, most of which was him dragging me to the barn. He got a good hosedown, a probiotic paste, and an electrolyte paste, and then was fed and allowed to just chill out for several days.
On Tuesday, the vet came out to do his spring shots, and check the growth in his mouth. She said the growth looked a little bigger and advised doing a biopsy.
On Thursday, she called with the VERY good news that the growth is NOT cancerous. BIG sigh of relief. Now we just need to keep an eye on it. Right now, it’s not affecting his eating and it’s nowhere near the bit.
Saturday, 5/4/13
On Saturday, I tacked Wizard up in his LG Bridle and had a pretty relaxed ride in the arena with Kris and Sunny. We walked and trotted, and did some bending exercises before we hopped over a few little cross rails. One was two trot poles to an x, and the other line was one placing pole, then 9 feet to the first x, then 18 feet to the second x. He took both lines really well. He must have enjoyed his little vacation.
A Visit with my Fuzzy Friends at Horse Rescue United
The icy January wind whistled in my ears as I clutched my camera, but Star was impervious to the chilly air. Her thick chestnut coat was puffy and warm, and she romped around the Horse Rescue United paddock like it was a spring day.
STAR- 5 year-old 9hh miniature horse mare- companion/pasture pet only
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Star spent three years living on a chain outside someone’s house with her friend Cocoa. Star is a smaller mini and makes a great companion/pasture pet. We prefer to place her in a home with Cocoa, but will consider all home offers.
Located in Allentown, New Jersey area. Star is available for adoption for $100 to an approved home with a minimum 60 day trial period. Adopter must be located within an approx. maximum five hour drive of Allentown/Chesterfield, NJ.
Email lunar_aradia@yahoo.com for more information or an application. Questions about Star can also be directed to (609) 481-8561.
Next up is Cocoa. 14 year-old 11hh Shetland pony gelding- small child’s riding pony or companion/pasture pet. Cocoa spent three years living on a chain outside someone’s house with his friend Star. To date, he’s been evaluated under saddle once and should make a nice child’s pony. He needs a bit more handling and retraining, but is an overall calm and good boy. We prefer to place him in a home with Star, but will consider all home offers. Cocoa is available for adoption for $150 to an approved home with a minimum 60 day trial period. Adopter must be located within an approx. maximum five hour drive of Allentown/Chesterfield, NJ.
Email lunar_aradia@yahoo.com for more information or an application. Questions about Cocoa can also be directed to (609) 481-8561.
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VIDEOS:
Cocoa’s riding evaluation- Video 1: www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150362983508346
Cocoa’s riding evaluation- Video 2: www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150363005943346
And finally, my friend Jessica… remember her? JESSICA- 18 year-old 14.2hh Standardbred mare- trail/pleasure W-T-C riding- suited for advanced smaller rider, pleasure driving, or companion. Jessica was saved from slaughter via New Holland auction. She has some trust issues from her past that have greatly improved. Jessica makes a wonderful driving pony and is also a great pasture pet/companion for other horses. Suited for a smaller advanced rider or intermediate+ driver, Jess is a sweet, feisty girl who rides walk-trot-canter. She is looking for a home with a kind, experienced person who can give her the one-on-one attention she deserves.
Jessica is available for adoption for $250 to an approved home with a minimum 60 day trial period. Adopter must be located within an approx. maximum five hour drive of Allentown/Chesterfield, NJ.
Email lunar_aradia@yahoo.com for more information or an application. Questions about Jessica can also be directed to (609) 481-8561
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VIDEOS:
Virtual cart ride: www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150281831455279&…
Jessica driving 8/12: Video 2: www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150281831050279
Jessica driving 8/12: Video 1: www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150281364770279&…
Jessica enjoying attention and scratches: www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150258793220279&…
Jessica cantering in open field: www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150241277015279
Jessica enjoying being scratched in the field: www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150240308765279
Jessica’s good manners getting groomed: www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150240535770279&…
Jessica cantering under saddle: www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150240536875279
Jessica walk/trot/canter in open field: www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150240536575279
Jessica walk/trot with Caitlin in roundpen: www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150219582765279
Jessica walking with Caitlin in roundpen: www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150212426275279
Jessica: Bareback in Paddock: www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150206414030279
TO SEE MORE, OLDER VIDEOS OF JESSICA, PLEASE VISIT: www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=182161965195825
Jessica and Anouk Busch
Jessica in the summertime
Stay warm, my friends!
Walter’s World: the Story of a Homeless Horse
A horse was found wandering by the road in New Jersey in autumn 2011. Animal Control picked him up and held him for a few days. Nobody claimed him, so he took residence at Helping Hearts Equine Rescue in Perrineville, NJ, and was named Walter.
After getting three months of regular meals, Walter went from this…
To this…
Recently, Walter was evaluated under saddle, and he’s gaited! His stocky build makes him look like a Quarter Horse, but there’s no mistaking the way he moves…
Here’s more information from Helping Hearts- please contact HHER if you’re interested in adopting Walter:
“Walter is approx 18 yrs, 14.3 hh. And will be suitable for an advanced beginner on up. I plan to start putting my lesson kids in him this weekend to hack him out and start toning him up.
He’s got wonderful ground manners though he does start getting wiggly and anxious at meal-time. That is something I see with virtually every starvation case. That behavior subsides after a while when they finally realize they won’t miss a meal.
He was under saddle once do far. He was initially wiggly to mount but after 10 minutes of insisting that he stand, he did. He initially aimed for the door, and the other horses – typical school horse type study –nothing horrible or unsafe. Just needs to be pushed thru it. Some basic schooling sessions will take care of that.
He can be a bit dominant in the field, works it out in a general population but should not be paired with an overly submissive horse because he’ll bully her.
He is a nice, personable, sweet horse. His adoption fee will be $300.”
Wizard Session 327 and Veterinary Report: Test Pattern
Monday, 1/9/12
On Monday night, I longed Wizard, just to give him a little exercise. We basically repeated our Sunday session, but it was a little shorter. I saw a little shortness in his right front when he warmed up, but it went away by the time he was done. Videos above of him longeing. It’s not easy to longe and film! I could not really rate him, so he rushed to the right and plodded to the left, ha ha. I’ve gotta practice. I usually use my phone but I shot an actual video this time.
On Tuesday morning, my vet called me with his Lyme Disease test results. Here are his values (Cornell Multiplex Test):
Acute = 7,000
Chronic = 9,500
Vaccination = nil
My vet explained that his acute levels are on the high end of the spectrum, and the chronic values are in the middle range of the spectrum. She prescribed three months of doxycyclene administered twice daily.
Wizard’s history and symptoms:
– Sensitivity to grooming and touch. People said it was a “Thoroughbred thing”, but he would sometimes jolt like he was zapped by an electric fence if I touched him, even very lightly with my fingers.
– Grouchiness about blanketing and saddling.
– Seasonal crankiness under saddle. In the spring and summer, he would practically improve with every ride. In the winter and sometimes fall, he did a lot of ear-pinning under saddle. Tail-swishing, a little kicking at the girth. He was worst at the canter, but also sometimes really irritated at the trot. On a really loose rein at the walk, I could get him to relax, but as soon as I took contact and his topline changed, he would get worked up. He also seemed to have difficulty with upward transitions. He was never bad, but he was “not right”- something was bothering him. I’ve been suspecting SI joint/back, and that was going to be our next line of examination.
– Occasional body soreness. My friend does massage work with him, and sometimes he was really tense.
– Chiropractically all over the map. He never had one particular thing that was always “out”. It was usually a few things here and there.
– Occasional minor lameness in different legs. No swelling or heat, and it always resolved itself with a few days of rest.
– Occasional stumbling.
– Some difficulty maintaining weight. He did not lose an extreme amount of weight, but he seems to not hold his weight as well as he did in the past.
– Occasional odd/quirky behavior. He did not get lethargic- he was the opposite- keyed up for no good reason, overreacting to things, etc.
These are the things I tried:
– 30 days of omeprazole (the blue pop rocks)
– 3 weeks of Mag-Restore
– Nightly Back on Track blanketing
– Massage
– Chiropractic
– Bought a new (used) saddle
– Decreased activity
– Increased activity
– Bute as an experiment. He warmed up a little faster and moved a little nicer than before, but it did not resolve the under-saddle issues.
– The vet did a basic lameness evaluation and did not locate any issues that should have caused his problems. She located minor issues, but nothing that should prevent him from doing the low-level work that we do. When she did the exam, she said to try the Lyme test as the next diagnostic step if he did not improve, and we did.
– The vet did a basic neurological exam and did not see any issues.
– Shoeing changes
So now we have a diagnosis and a treatment plan. If only I could get him to eat the medicine in his grain now…
Wizard Sessions 309 & 310: Ball of Confusion
Sunday, 11/13/11
The arena was freshly-watered and groomed, and the footing was really nice. My friend Kris rode and longed her mare Sunny while I longed Wizard. We followed our typical routine: walk with no side reins as a warmup, then trot with no side reins, then trot with side reins, then canter with no side reins. During our side rein work, I asked for a spiral in each direction. Wizard was perfect. In our last longeing session outdoors, he was cross-cantering, on the right lead in front and the left lead in the back. I see him do that at play sometimes, as well as in deeper footing. In the nice indoor footing, he picked up both leads perfectly.
Monday, 11/14/11
Another nighttime longeing session. I did a little pre-workout stretch work with him, including belly lifts (video here) and butt scrunches (video here). He longed really nicely again. He did a little cross-cantering again, but I was able to get him on the correct lead. It happens mostly on the right hand side.
I noted the sweat pattern on his saddle pad with the new saddle. It is straight down the panel on the right side, but a little patchy on the left. I think it is a combination of his crookedness and uneven muscling. He does seem less snarly about the saddle, so maybe he’s getting used to it and his back is loosening up. I asked for some more stretches after our longeing session, and he did them nicely.
When we were done longeing, Kris brought Sunny into the indoor arena to play with the big toy ball (pictured above). Sunny handled it well, despite her obvious lack of amusement at the large and strange toy. It reminded me of my wintertime soccer games with Alibar- video here: http://youtu.be/M6jV18C5OwU I need to find that clicker…
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
Rock and Racehorses: Sarah K. Andrew 