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.
As a kid, I remember August being the month with all the heat and all the bugs, but for the past few years, July has generally been the more brutal month. This is not to say there are no bugs in August, because there are PLENTY, but we just finished a really spectacular streak of amazing, clear, dry, pleasant weather. Perfect for riding, and really doing anything outdoors. Ahhhh. I’m happy. And I was also treated to a streak of five really nice rides.
Wednesday, 8/7/13
This time of year, there is enough light to ride in the outdoor arena until a little after 8:30, maybe slightly later once our eyes are adjusted. Wizard and I rode for about 40 minutes, starting with a forward walk in each direction, and then just a short jog before I popped him into a canter as an experiment. The experiment was a success: we were able to do about 10 minutes of fairly smooth cantering- he threw a halfhearted kick or two, but settled right in and felt more balanced than usual. In a ring, 10 minutes is a long time! The work we’ve done at the canter on the trail has definitely helped our ringwork. He picked up both leads, and his transitions were smoother. I kept my position pretty light, almost in a half seat for much of the canter work. We rode along the rail, and also did 15 and 20m circles and a few “squares.”
After the canter work, he was pretty loose through the back, and felt really nice on the bit- more thoughtful chewing and less of the fiddling he sometimes does. I took a line of cross rails once, and a single cross rail once in the middle of our trot work. We practiced shoulder in, leg yields, and did some big-trot-little-trot work.
While we cooled out, I worked on shortening the reins after having them at free-walk length, since he sometimes bunches up when I do that. After a few times, his mouth was quiet and his walk was smooth.
Nice ride! I’m really happy with his recent progress. Only thing I’m not thrilled bout is that he stumbled a few times (maybe 3?). I’m not sure if it’s related to him not getting his Pentosan (there’s a shortage right now) or the fact that the arena was a little on the sandy side.
Monday, 8/5/13
The late Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale meant that I had a morning for riding before I went into work. Christie and I hit the trails for another adventure. After warming up at a walk for a little over a mile, we came to the long, straight field where we can move out a little. When we reached the field, someone was hand walking his horse. Wizard should have known all about that since we hand walked all winter, but he gave a big goofy spook when we went around the corner. Poor Brigid followed suit dutifully, and sort of scampered out of his way. The whole thing was over in a flash, and Wizard was back to himself.
We got to the half-mile straightaway and picked up a canter. Wizard felt GREAT. He was super light and bouncy and responsive. Partway down the straightaway, so we opened up into a hand gallop, which was FUUUNNNNN. Brigid forged her own path halfway down the straightaway and sort of shimmied into the underbrush, amongst peals of laughter from both of us. Once she got back on the path, we kept going. Wizard never felt out of control or anxious at all. He felt willing, bright, and FUN to ride.
After our cantering set, we walked the rest of the ride, around the edge of the Horse Park cross-country field, and up the road to the lake for a drink and a splash in the water. Then, we wandered our way back to the barn.
Fun, fun, fun.
Sunday, 8/4/13
After watching Kris and Sunny have an absolutely fantastic showing at the Helping Hearts Benefit Dressage Show (congratulations- you earned it!!!), I left feeling inspired. I also left the show wishing I had brought Wizard and ridden in it. I thought we weren’t ready, but the environment was less stressful than the Horse Park, and I think he could have handled it.
We rode in the outdoor arena with Christie and Brigid, and after a warmup with some really nice canter work, we popped over a few jumps. I finally got around to raising the poles two holes higher than our usual little tadpole jumps, and Wizard took them in style (see photo above). He actually hit one rail at the beginning, and that was the LAST one he came anywhere near with his careful feet and legs. I’m really proud of how he looks in the photo, and I think we can start moving forward a little with our work over fences.
After our arena work (about half an hour), we hit the trails for about an hour. We cantered up the main road by the “bowling pin” hill. We are just cantering fools these days, aren’t we? A far cry from even a few weeks ago. We meandered through some loops and had a nice ride.
Saturday, 8/3/13
Wizard and I went out for a solo trail ride. We trotted at the beginning and walked the final half- we were out for about an hour. He was a little looky at some silvery branches, but he held his ground like a trooper when we flushed two does- they took off across the field in hopes of attracting us away from their fawns. I could hear the fawns in the bushes, and we carefully rode around them. For the most part, Wizard is really sensible about things like deer.
Friday, 8/2/13
Kris and Sunny had their last pre-show lesson with Carole, and I hacked Wizard around the arena while they rode. Wizard was in a very mellow mood, and gave me a sweepy, low-headed trot. He was soft but steady on the bit, and responsive to my leg. If only he was always so loose and mellow. We popped through a little gymnastic line to show Carole what he looks like over fences. Wizard took me by surprise with just how soft, quiet, and round he took the line, and just about jumped me out of the tack. I was prepared for a quicker approach, but he loped up like a seasoned lesson horse. He had every opportunity to run out on the jumps, but he took them honestly, and was rewarded for his efforts.
On Monday (3/18), the vet came to the barn for Wizard’s annual wellness exam. I asked her for her thoughts on the fact that he lost a little weight recently. My best guess is that it was caused by the cold weather, plus some horsey paddock changes (Wizard is pretty sensitive to the goings-on of his neighbors). We ran a Cushings test so it could be ruled out (it was negative, fortunately). Wizard has 24/7 access to locally-grown, quality grass hay, and he’s on about 2 acres of good grass (which is coming out of winter dormancy). This week, Wizard’s feed was increased to 4lbs per feeding. He currently is fed Triple Crown Senior, but he’s been quite slow to eat it lately, so about 1/3 of each feeding has been replaced with Pennfield Energized Senior, which he LOVES. If we don’t see a weight increase with the grass popping up and the month of omeprazole (started on 3/2) and PowerPac deworming, a pound of Purina Ultium per feeding is another option since it is very high in calories. The vet will be back out in May for spring shots, so she can pull blood if his weight does not change. She taped him at about 1,018 pounds. I definitely want to see him looking a little plump going into next winter.
We’re starting Wizard on a course of Pentosan, with a loading dose of 6cc per week for four weeks, followed by monthly shots. After hearing rave reviews from some barn buddies, I’m looking forward to seeing how it helps Wizard.
Wizard also had his teeth floated. He still has a wave mouth, but the bottom row matches the top, so the teeth are occluding where the “wave” is in his mouth. A few edges, but nothing that should be causing chewing/digestive issues. He has some gingival inflammation next to a premolar, so the vet will check back on it when she does her next visit.
Friday, 3/22/13
It seems like every week, it rains just when the ground is getting nice and dried out. It happened again this week. By the time Friday rolled around, we had a nice base in the outdoor arena, and the Assunpink footing was good enough for a walk. Since I did not get the saddle bolt yet, I hand walked Wizard in the park with Christie and Brigid. We were out for about 45 minutes. Wizard remembered his trail schooling, and did well as the second horse in line.
When we returned, I put him on two longe lines and did a short session with him in the outdoor arena. Although he was enjoying the cool air, he was responsive enough on the lines and was able to do some shortening and lengthening work for me.
Saturday, 3/23/13
My friend has a Kent & Masters saddle, and generously let me borrow the bolt that holds the gullet plate so I can RIDE- hooray! I was concerned that the housing for the bolt might have been stripped, but it held just fine, so I think the screw was just loose when I tried out the saddle the first time.
We went for a walk in the Assunpink with Brigid and Christie. Up a hill, down a hill, through several fields, we were out for about 35-45 minutes, all at a walk. Wizard fussed right at the beginning, but was pretty great the rest of the time.
Sunday, 3/24/13
I hand walked Wizard on the trails with Kris and Sunny before our ride on Sunday, and he was very good. I tried to switch up the trails a little bit so he did not get bored with the same loops. After we returned, I saddled him up and rode in the outdoor arena. Rain and snow were expected at the beginning of the following week, so I enjoyed an afternoon of good outside footing. For the first 10 minutes of our walk warmup, Wizard fussed quite a bit, kicking and pinning his ears. Since I’ve spent almost 5 years trying to figure out his physical issues, I’m quite in tune with them, but I also try hard not to let them become a habit. Since he walked nicely with minimal fussing the previous day, I asked him to turn after each kick on Sunday. Whether he worked out of it or simply got bored of my game, he settled out of his tantrum and we had a nice little ride. Our session lasted about 30 minutes with warmup and cooldown, so it was quite light. I don’t want to make him sore, especially while we break in the new saddle.
At the trot, I asked Wizard to go over a few poles and do some changes of direction. I tried my best to stay aware of my equitation in the new saddle. So far, I quite like it. The seat and twist are a nice fit for me, and for the first time in years, I can sit evenly with both seatbones. In the other saddles, I had a horrid habit of hooking one seatbone on the saddle while I hovered above the saddle with the other one. In the new saddle, I’m doing my best to channel my inner Sally Swift and stay evenly over Wizard’s back.
In the field next to the arena, the grass is springing up, and I let Wizard graze there for a while after each session. Although riding is the highlight of my barn visits, I’m sure the grazing is Wizard’s highlight!
The saddle has landed!!! The saddle fitter delivered Wizard’s new saddle and customized it to fit him properly. She did wither tracings and compared them to his last tracings, which were done in October 2012. Although he dropped weight, he gained about 3/4 inch of topline muscle. It seems like our winter of rest, long line work, and hand walking has paid off! Interestingly, his back is more symmetrical as well. Now the trick is to keep it symmetrical as we ease back unto under-saddle work.
The snow started to fall pretty heavily during our ride, but nothing was going to keep me from riding! Wizard stood quietly as I put my foot in the stirrup for the first time in five months, and other than some ear flattening and an opinionated kick or three, he was quite well behaved. Once he was a little warmed up, I got a nice soft trot out of him. He was better to the right than he was to the left. The ride was quick because I did not want to overdo it on the first day. We mostly walked and did a little trotting for about 20 minutes total. Ahhhhh, it feels good to be back in the saddle.
Sunday, 3/17/13
Sunday morning, I saddled Wizard up for a quick walk in the Assunpink. This marked our first solo trail ride at the new farm, and Wizard was up to the task. A local trail group had a hunter pace scheduled, so Wizard watched the horses unloading from the trailers in the parking area. We took the back field past the hunt club and looped around back to the barn.
It was not until I was lovinglly conditioning my saddle that I realized something was missing…
The piece of hardware that connects the flap to the gullet plate was missing. It must have fallen off during our ride.
Now I have to find out if the saddler has an extra that she can send me and if there’s anything else that needs to be done to fix it.
After work, Jon and I took Wizard for a hike in the park. We did the usual short loop, ending at the log cabin, and it took about 30 minutes. In the morning, my back was really locked up, but it loosened with the walk. By the time we got back to the barn, it was dark and the fireflies were out. Life is good.
Wednesday, 6/27/12
I RODE- YESSSSS!!!!! Wizard and I went out on a walk in the park with Cathy and Miss Tuesday. We were out for about 35-45 minutes, walking through the mulberry bush field and up the “bowling pin” field. Wizard was SO, SO full of energy, but he was polite enough to remember his training and contained himself to a walk. My back is slowly healing- the ride felt great.
On Thursday, I saw the neurologist, and she said she expects my back to be close to normal in about 2-4 more weeks. If it is not going in the right direction in two weeks, I have to do another MRI. I’m diligently doing my physical therapy exercises, and they seem to help.
The “bomber” flies are out in force, and I gave Wizard an abbreviated bath, smeared him with GNatural (love that stuff!), and put his fly sheet on. He looks like a spaceman.
On Monday, Wizard hauled to our new barn with his Mustang buddy, Sunny. They loaded on the trailer like perfect angels, and other than a little enthusiastic nibbling on his friend, Wizard shipped very well. When they arrived at the barn, they unloaded just as well, and settled into barn life by grazing and taking a little hand walk around the property. They figured out the automatic drinkers quickly, and were lounging around eating hay when we left the barn that night. What a promising start. I made plans with my friend to take a ride out into the Assunpink with Miss Tuesday on Tuesday morning, and went to bed with visions of trails and pastures dancing in my head.
Tuesday, 4/17/12
On Tuesday, I bounced out of bed, eager to ride my horse (Yes! My horse!) at the new barn. We moved to this barn to work on hills to build up his hind end, and I could not wait to get cracking! I boarded at my first barn for 13 years, and at my second barn for almost 5 years. I like to stick around at barns and was eager to make a good impression at this new place. The barn setup is different from my old barn. We’re on pasture board, so Wizard has a shed but no stall. He currently shares a paddock with Sunny, aka Wizard’s lady friend, aka the cutest Mustang ever. They are in quarantine for a few weeks, which is the barn’s policy to make sure that incoming horses are disease free; it also gives them time to acclimate to pasture. While horses are in quarantine, all manure must be disposed of in certain containers. You might be wondering why I’m mentioning this, but you’ll soon find out how big of a part manure played in my day.
Noon-12:20: Organize all the tack I need for the day. Pace back and forth between tack trunk and tack room and try to remember where all my stuff is.
12:20-12:35: Visit Wizard and Sunny in their paddock. Take Wizard out and let him graze outside of the paddock. He looks happy and like he settled in nicely overnight. Good Wizard!
12:35-12:45: Attempt to lead a rearing, whinnying, flailing Wizard down the driveway to the tackup area. Realize that I am not properly equipped to do so.
12:45-12:55: Put Wizard back in the paddock while I pick up the giant pile of manure that he deposited in the geometric center of the driveway. Get my gloves so I don’t end up with rope burn when I take him back out of the paddock.
12:55-12:56: Between frantic whinnys, tell my friend Cathy that I will not be joining her and Miss Tuesday in the park for that wonderful walk we talked about.
12:56-1:10: Do the Grooming Dance with Wizard. We practiced some single tying at our other barn, but he was usually cross tied for grooming. I am pretty sure he will get himself hurt if I tie him in the tackup area, so I attempt to groom him while holding him as he circles, whinnys, and passes yet more manure.
1:10-1:15: Bring Wizard out to the outdoor arena to let him stretch his legs. Realize in horror that all he wants to do is run over to the horses in the adjacent paddocks. Catch the galloping, whinnying, sweaty horse before he touches noses with anyone. Pick up a pile of manure one-handed with a pitchfork while holding a whinnying, spinning, sweaty Thoroughbred in the other.
1:15-1:25: Bring Wizard back to the indoor arena. Longe him for a few minutes. Use all my zen horsemanship powers to keep him at a reasonable speed.
1:25-1:26: Realize that Wizard’s Maalox is still in the tack room. Until he settles in at the new place and we treat his ulcers, my vet recommended dosing him with Maalox before rides. Between whinnys, I ask Cathy to get the Maalox.
1:26-1:30: Learn that syringe-dosing a horse who already has a bit in his mouth is one of my many terrible ideas of the day. Maalox is spilled out of the syringe and out of Wizard’s mouth onto my shirt, my britches, Wizard’s bridle, and the tackup area mats. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see the very nice boarders looking on with concern, helpless because I beg them to stay away from the whinnying, sweating, circling Thoroughbred. One intrepid boarder sweetly brought a paper towel over to me so I could get the Maalox off of my hands.
1:30-1:45: As I clamber into the saddle with all the grace of a baby elephant, I realize that I have become quite spoiled by the deluxe, three-step mounting block that my friend’s husband built. That mounting block is still at the old barn, hopelessly far away from where I want it to be. The ride was the easiest part of the day. Wizard was nervous, but at least it was familiar. I was very concerned about stressing him out, so we kept the ride quick. Once he started stretching into the bit a little, we ended on a good note.
1:45-1:48: Quickest untacking session ever.
1:48-2:00: Worst hose-down session ever. In a rare moment of forethought, I kept the bridle on Wizard. So glad I did. He was kicking when I hosed down his back legs, and trying to bite me when I hosed his shoulders.
2:00-2:05: Bring whinnying, sweating, circling, soaking-wet Wizard to the indoor arena to halter him.
2:05-2:10: Walk Wizard with Miss Tuesday to the 2-acre pasture where he is allowed to graze under supervision while he becomes acclimated to grass. He was not too bad. I wonder if he’s as tired as I am. Pretty sure he’s not.
2:10-2:30: Turn Wizard loose in the pasture and watch him take turns grazing and touring the pasture at a trot and canter (see photo above).
2:30-2:40: Lead Wizard back to his paddock. Graze him for a minute before putting him back in with Sunny so he does not learn to drag me to the paddock (too late).
2:40-3:00: Rub my aching, sunburnt arms while I watch Wizard roll, take a drink from his waterer, munch hay, and chill out with his friend Sunny. Calmest horse ever.
3:00-3:30: Put away all my tack, which looks a bit like a crime scene. Pick up the rest of the 15,000 piles of manure that he deposited everywhere we went. Think about how I will do this all over again tomorrow.
Words of wisdom from Cathy: “He’s been here less than 24 hours.” It was hard to remember this, and it helped me to remind myself as I struggled through even the simplest tasks. He’ll be better tomorrow. Right?
After work, I rode Wizard in the indoor arena. I set up a “course” of trot poles: line, diagonal, line, diagonal. We worked in bending, with shallow serpentines, and incorporated the trot poles into the ride. He was responsive and less swishy with his tail. He only pinned his ears once during the ride. It seems like the Springtime Wizard is back.
Saturday, 3/17/12
Wizard and I took a quick trail ride with Sunny and Lily. We took the short loop around, and then returned to the indoor arena for ring work. Wizard did not pin his ears at all when I got into the saddle, which was a first in months. Hooray! His hind foot slipped once while we were working on transitions from our little trot to our big trot. I also think he felt a tiny bit uneven. My friend could see it when he went around corners, too. Hmmm.
Curiosity got the best of me, and we tried a little canter work at the end of the ride. Zero improvement. Swishing tail, pulling on the bit, uneven in the hind end. Oh well.
We took the short loop again at the end of the ride, and then I sponged him off. The weather is incredibly warm, and Wizard is basically living outdoors these days, which seems to be very good for him.
Sunday, 3/18/12
My local tack shop was having a 20% off sale, so I finally picked up the Tory Leather Jumping Hackamore that I’ve always wanted to try. It is basically a piece of rolled leather with rings for the bridle and the reins. There is no criss-cross, and there are no shanks. It’s really basic.
I rode Wizard in the indoor arena, and he rode pretty well in it. He was very relaxed, but we did lose a lot of our refinement/bending/etc without a bit. I couldn’t really create any impulsion, so he was sort of dinking around the ring without using himself. Brakes and steering were fine. I did a lot of work on serpentines to keep him listening to me and to work on getting him bending around my leg. We were able to do transitions within the trot. The hackamore was a great tool for my equitation, too. It enabled me to keep a steadier contact with the reins, because Wizard was not fiddling with the bit. I was able to get him to stretch down, too. Wizard just likes the fact that he can eat bigger carrots with his hackamore than he can with his bit :^)
Like Saturday, I felt a little unevenness in his gait- it was super subtle, but I felt something. And we have about 2 weeks left of Lyme Disease treatment- woo-hoo! Then, I’ll have the vet come back out and evaluate him and decide our next step.
My mom always said that how you spend your New Year’s Day will reflect on how you live in the upcoming year. Sooooooo, I went on a trail ride with Wizard and Kris and Sunny :^) Before our ride, I knew Wizard needed to blow off a little steam. There is a big weather change on the way in, and the warm air is being chased out by a cold front tomorrow (Monday). The air today was very mild and sunny- I think it got over 50 degrees.
When I went out to Wizard’s paddock to bring him in, he walked over to me, which I always think is really cute. Some days, he actually runs to me, and some days, it’s a meandering walk with a few stops. But giving up his turnout friends for me is a compliment indeed.
I could tell Wizard was “fresh” as soon as I had a halter on him. He was prancing around playfully as we walked down the driveway. I turned him loose in the outdoor arena and he went BANANAS, leaping and running, tail flagged. He took every opportunity to gallop, spin, and spook. He was still sparky when I took him out of the arena. I tacked him up and then I longed him in the round pen while Kris longed Sunny in the other end of the indoor arena. Someone was working on some equipment in the storage space behind the side wall of the indoor arena, and Wizard hopped around every time he heard clanging. He’s not a spooky horse, but he had an excess of energy today and showed me at every opportunity. He did some work in side reins, and that helped him settle a little. In the very beginning of longeing, it looked like he might have been a hair off again in the left front, but it seemed to go away- whew. On Wednesday night, he was looking funny on the same leg when I let him trot around the arena. His right hind also looked a little “hitchy”. On Saturday, it was gone. I have my eye on it.
I mounted up, and Kris and I headed out onto the trails. Wizard stood like a stone while I got in the saddle, and walked nicely in the arena, but as soon as we started to head down the drive way, he began hopping and prancing. I sat firmly and quietly, and he settled once we were in the woods. With every leaping squirrel and every fluttering leaf, Wizard twirled his head and thought about reacting. I focused on some shoulder in, and sitting as balanced as possible. He nervously chewed on the bit, but by the time we reached the third leg of the ride, he was settled and in his groove. There were dirt bikes in the woods, but none came within our sight or onto any of our trails.
Even when we were walking back up the driveway, Wizard was alert. Usually, he’s loose and relaxed on the last bit of the ride, but not today! He felt as fresh as he was when I pulled him out of the paddock. I brought him in the outdoor arena after our trail ride, and just trotted about 5 laps around the arena. He was so excited about his surroundings that he barely flattened his ears or kicked out. He listened and he felt really nice, but was definitely FIZZY. Hopefully, I’ll schedule a vet appointment this week so I can figure out if the fizz is a physical issue. He also has a farrier appointment for Monday- he’s overdue (8 weeks- ack! I try to keep him on a strict 5 or 6-week schedule).
I rode Wizard under the lights at night after work. He was really great at the walk and trot, with very little ear pinning or tail swishing… until we cantered. Then, he got bouncy and irritated. This horse is a puzzle.
Sunday, 12/4/11
Foggy, foggy night! I turned Wizard loose in the outdoor arena and he ran and ran and ran and ran. Tail flagged, nostrils flared, he was having a ball. I tacked him up and he got very goosey as soon as I was in the saddle. Once we did some trot work, he stopped pinning his ears and was better. We stopped in the middle of the ride and I dismounted while I watched my friend’s horse, and then got back in the saddle and continued our ride. Interestingly, there was no ear pinning. I am so confused! He rode really well at the trot in that second half of the ride. Is this a habit that he is picking up? Am I somehow reacting when he does it? I try really hard not to react and to keep riding, but I wonder if I am giving off some subtle body language. We mostly did circles and changes of direction and he did better with that than he did with lots of straightaways. He went from being really chompy on the bit to taking contact and actually sitting on it a little. We stopped again for a few minutes, and then he got ear-pinny again. I need to figure this thing out.
When we were done, I started grooming him on the cross ties. He pinned his ears and snapped in my direction. He has been doing this lately, and I decided that it was unacceptable behavior and put a lead rope on him that had a chain over the nose. One single “hey” with one pull on the chain completely removed all ear pinning and snapping. I then put the saddle pad and saddle back on a few times, and he stood like a stone. Some horses really respond to the chain, even when it’s barely used, and Wizard is one of them. He’s probably also surprised when I reprimand him since I’m usually a mush :^) I am attentive to his discomfort, but there is a line between being unhappy and misbehaving. I hope to get the chiropractor back out to see him when a month is up, and I’m curious to see what she thinks. If she can find an issue, I’m all ears, but so far, every professional has said, “just ride him”.
I’m lumping these two days together as one since I basically just turned Wizard loose in the indoor arena and let him go bananas on Thursday. On Wednesday, we had a little more of a planned routine, with some clicker work and free longeing. It rained for two days, so the horses were pretty stir-crazy in their stalls. Wizard was so cute when he was turned out in the arena- the footing was perfectly groomed, and by the time he was done, it looked like I had ridden him for an hour with all the hoofprints in all directions.
Friday, 11/18/11
Wizard had a VERY busy day on Friday. One of his paddock buddies was swapped out for Gatsby, a handsome Camelot Auction graduate. Wizard and Gatsby have very similar personalities, and got along like peas and carrots. They played all afternoon with no excessive biting or rowdiness. With JR, they played hide and seek, tag, and “who can rear up the highest”. After romping all afternoon, Wizard was pleasantly tired for the chiropractor- she was not my regular chiropractor, but she did a nice job and Wizard loved her. He really enjoyed the body work, and was quite receptive to her. She said his atlas was the worst area on him- worse than his back, pelvis, neck, etc. All the crookedness she felt in his pelvis felt old and fused, so she was actually not too worried about it. She said he had a decent amount of flexibility in his pelvis, spine, etc. She was amazed at his Gumby-like ability to stretch his legs, and asked if he had any ligament issues (knock on wood). She also asked if he was definitely 15 and definitely a Thoroughbred. I think she was wondering if he was older due to his teeth and maybe gaited due to his limber movement :^P She looked at the saddle fit and thought it was reasonable fit. She did not think it was too wide or narrow, but recommended shims for his wither pockets. After his adjustment, I lightly longed him to help him hold his adjustment. I put his sheet on him, since it was COLD out, and put him to bed.
Saturday, 11/19/11
The weather was milder on Saturday. I longed Wizard for just a few minutes to loosen him up. Then, I saddled him up… AND RODE! Hooray! Wizard went out with Zeke and Lily on the trails. For the first half of the ride, he was doing his same ear pinning, belly kicking, tail swishing routine. But about halfway through the ride, shuffling through the dirt and leaves, it subsided. We even rode to the hot dog truck, and he was very good. The only thing that caused concern is that he’s still tripping/stumbling on occasion- he did it maybe 4 times during the trail ride. When we got back to the barn, I brought him into the indoor arena for a little ride. There were trailers and people bustling around the arena, preparing for barrel racing. All the activity was PERFECT- it distracted Wizard enough to forget about his ear pinning and fussing :^) We rode for about 15 minutes at a nice, swingy trot, across the diagonals. He was perfect, he stretched into the bit, and I tested him with a good amount of leg. He was responsive and happy.
So was it the three weeks off from riding? The new saddle? The longeing? The new shoes? The chiropractor?
And, more importantly, will it be the same tomorrow?
Rock and Racehorses: Sarah K. Andrew 