Wizard Ride 247: Crazy Rhythms

Thursday, 6/16/11

Wizard and I had our first riding lesson since this winter. After warming up, we focused on the goal of the lesson, which was rhythm and adjusting Wizard’s stride while keeping him focused and relaxed.

The FIRST thing Carole noticed was weakness in my right leg. It was loose and I was not sitting straight in the saddle. We worked on adjusting my position and focusing on where I am putting my weight. I need to work on closing my fingers, and using the upper inside of my calf instead of cheating and curling my lower calf on Wizard. My leg is bowing instead of sitting securely on his sides. I need to put more weight on the inside of the ball of my foot to balance out my weight.

We started out trotting two outside lines with two poles each. The poles had about 14 trot steps between them, and when Wizard was loose and I was riding forwardly, we got the strides each time. If I jammed up the trot or Wizard missed the distance, we added a step. Wizard stayed wonderfully relaxed through the trot work. Carole added a few poles and we trotted 3 trot poles on one line.

As we added lines of trot poles, Wizard settled nicely into the work. I felt him sit on the bit contact much more consistently than he did in the past. We are both really getting better with rein contact.

After the trot poles, Wizard and I trotted a cross-rail. For the first time ever, he trotted it!!! Usually he leaps, but all the trot poles seemed to give him confidence to trot the jump. We trotted the single a few times, and then trotted a line of two cross-rails, trotting in and cantering out and then stopping a little before the fence. I worked on establishing my rhythm long before the jump so I was not micro-managing him right before the fence.

Next, we graduated to trotting in to the first jump, cantering out, and then doing a simple change at the end of the line and cantering a single pole on the diagonal. For Wizard, cantering poles is more of an ordeal than jumping. He leaps, he rushes, it’s a production. Our first simple change was not great, either. But he beauty of a lesson is having someone on the ground who can coach you through a sticky patch. Carole worked with me on the timing of my leg aid to pick up the correct lead, and Wizard settled over the pole after a few tries, and a LOT of half-halting on my part. Whew- I got my money’s worth!

Wizard Ride 197: These Hands

Thursday, 11/18/10

Today, I had my first riding lesson with Carole. She is a local trainer/rider/instructor, and she has many years of experience. One of my favorite things about Carole is her skill with Thoroughbreds; as an owner of a beautiful, sensitive, chestnut Thoroughbred mare, Carole knows the breed well and can practically think like one.

Wizard began the lesson with uncharacteristic goofiness… prancing, fussing with the bit, and resisting my pleas to settle and focus. He was not bad per se, but was quite silly. He skittered around and tried to canter when we were trotting and bounced around, swapping leads every few strides at the canter. Part of the problem was all the time off he had, I think- he has only been ridden a few times this month due to my trip to Kentucky for the Breeders’ Cup.

Carole had a few suggestions about tack: 1) try a thicker bit to help with the fussiness 2) put the saddle a little more forward on Wizard’s back 3) shorten the stirrups by one hole

To put it kindly, my equitation is rusty. Carole (politely!) helped me with my leg, as well as issues with contact. To demonstrate contact points while in the saddle, she placed one riding glove under each calf. I rode at the trot and walk and the gloves fell embarassingly soon after we started the exercise.

We also did some work on our walk-to-trot transitions. I tend to rush him into his trot and he bounces into it. Carole asked me to really focus on a quiet, balanced, smooth transition. It took some concentration, but we eventually got it.

“Combing the reins” was introduced to help with my reluctance to make contact on the reins and also to help with Wizard’s nervous mouthiness on the bit. The reins were held first in my right hand, then my left, with one rein between thumb and index finger and the other rein between my ring finger and pinky. I let the reins slide through the first hand for a few inches and then reached forward with the other hand and took the reins in the same fashion, gently trading hands as I ran them down the reins. It was a wonderful exercise, because it helped me to take consistent contact and it encouraged Wizard to reach into the bit. The contact was neither active or passive, and it was excellent schooling for both of us.

A line of trot poles were set up with one group of three, followed by a second group of three (built up from one)- once we warmed up, we trotted the poles. Wizard bounded over them the first few times, cantering after the first set. Carole asked me to R-E-L-A-X my hands, my arms, and my face and not to rush (Wizard and I both tend to rush through life). She asked us to walk the second series of poles. Wizard was puzzled by this new exercise and it took us a few tries to get it right. We have both gotten pretty bad about hurrying around the arena and over obstacles and this exercise really showed our bad habit in broad daylight.

It was a real treat to work on two things that really improved us: combing the reins and doing trot poles in a downward transition. Wizard and I both got a lot of good from our first lesson.

Wizard Ride 191: Different To Me

Saturday, 10/16/10

Wizard and I had a riding lesson with Heather, one of the new instructors at the barn. I’m planning to take a few lessons from each instructor and decide who is the best fit for us. The instructor we worked with on Saturday is a judge, as well as a trainer. She specializes in jumpers, which is of interest to me, since Wizard and I need help to keep moving forward with our jumping schooling.

Our lesson was focused on equitation and my communication with Wizard. She likes a rider to place pressure, contact and weight in the seat and thighs and not in the calves. She asked me to roll my knees toward the saddle, tipping my toes in and my heels out. It felt so different from what we normally do! In the corners of the arena, she asked me to give an indirect rein with my inside hand and open the outside rein to allow Wizard to bend, and also to step out with my outside leg to encourage Wizard’s shoulder to open up a little. All upward and downward transitions were done with the seat, slowing down posting, etc. She asked me to keep much more firm contact with the reins than I usually do. I asked about Wizard’s busy mouth, and she said that when I have more contact, he’s less busy with the mouth.

She had some interesting observations about my position- she called my right leg my “hold leg” since it’s an anchor for my position. I lean on it and it’s less flexible than my left leg. She could see a definite difference in my position on each side. I’ve never heard it called a “hold leg” but it made sense!

Another good observation of hers was that I allow Wizard to rush into his upward transitions. He hurries through his walk to trot transitions so we worked on asking him to flow more smoothly from one gait to another. Wizard was good throughout the lesson, but near the end, he got a little impatient, probably since it was a very different routine from our usual routine.

We have another lesson on Wednesday night- it has been really helpful to get different perspectives on our training goals, position, and performance.

Wizard Ride 67; JR Session 23: The Death Star

Wednesday, 4/1/09

Two honey-colored eyes, two black-tipped ears, and a loud nicker greeted me when I arrived at the barn tonight. Wizard is learning the routine- I administer Ulcergard and feed him a tub of Alfa Supreme while I work with JR. There is a theory that feeding alfalfa before a ride can help settle a horse’s stomach if he’s suspected of having ulcers. The alfalfa is also good for building muscle and adding weight, plus Wizard eats it like it’s candy.

JR had an easy night. I longed him outdoors for about 15 minutes and walked him for 5 minutes. I wormed him with Equimax and put him to bed.

Sarah showed up and I began my riding lesson. We warmed up at a walk on a loose rein. We then trotted on a large circle. Wizard began to stretch down with his neck, which is a good thing. I clutched the reins with my hands whenever his trotting tempo increased, which is a very bad thing.

“Drop your reins and let him trot on the buckle,” said Sarah the Trainer.

“Ergh,” said Sarah the Student, as she made a pathetic attempt to loosen the reins.

“Trust him and ride on the BUCKLE. Seriously. He doesn’t WANT to rush and he’ll stop rushing when you are balanced.”

“What if he gets really fast?”

“You’re riding a CIRCLE…”

“Sigh…”

It took several rotations on the circle before I could reliably trot Wizard on the buckle without my hands getting a mind of their own and fiddling with the reins. When I finally sat up, loosened my shoulders, and rode with my hands on the buckle of the rein, a funny thing happened: Wizard relaxed, lowered his head, and trotted smoothly. And when Sarah asked us to walk with me just using my seat, another funny thing happened: he walked. The beauty of the independent seat. If only I could keep my shoulders this straight and aligned all the time.

Just for fun, Sarah asked me to ask Wizard for a canter on a circle. I asked him, but he simply flattened his ears and trotted reallllly fast. Sarah smiled and we moved on to our next exercise. It’s going to take some mental gymnastics to get Wizard to canter with balance and relaxation. So far, we have our best luck using trot poles and cross rails.

After more work with bending and trotting on contact on figure 8s and serpentines, Sarah set up a series of trot poles on a circle. It looked kind of like a star, except there was an angled pole in the center.

First, we walked the circle. Then, we trotted to the left (the direction that is easiest for Wizard). Before I began trotting, the pattern looked fairly simple. I’ve ridden it many times before with Alibar and countless lesson horses. But a green horse with a good trot stride made it feel a little like a video game, riding him straight to the center of each trot pole, keeping the bend of the circle, and staying out of his way as he trotted over the poles. The first few rounds were u-g-l-y. Once Wizard figured out the pattern and I figured out my rhythm while I stayed out of his way, we got exponentially better. But then the star became the Death Star… we had to make a left turn after pole F and trot over pole G. It required me to stay OFF Wizard’s mouth and really use my leg to engage his inside hind leg. After we trotted over pole G, we kept trotting past the poles and circled outside the line of poles until we established a good rhythm to the right. Then we trotted the poles to the right. I remember reading somewhere that just because a horse can do something to the left does not mean he can do it to the right. Sometimes horses need to be trained the same behavior in both directions. This was very true on our little star. Again, we took a few awkward passes to develop rhythm and balance. I could hear Wizard really working hard on this task. His respiration increased and I saw a little sweat on his neck. This was the hardest I’ve felt him work since I started riding him. I was very pleased that his sweat dried as soon as we were done with the exercise. He was sweating from effort, not nerves. It’s really enjoyable to ride a horse who can focus on a task and who tries so hard to do well.

After our star circle, we took a walk break while Sarah set up a little line for us. I could tell that Sarah had the goal in mind of developing my seat and getting my shoulders back where they should be. The trot poles/jump line was in the direction of the barn/gate so I needed to keep my seat in order to prevent Wizard from rushing. It consisted of three trot poles, followed by two teeeeny cross rails. They were small enough that we could walk over them (and we did).

We trotted the combination a few times. Wizard was forward and responsive, but he was beginning to speed up at the trot. Sarah warned us that she might ask us to walk or halt during the line. We trotted in, ready for her signal. She asked me to halt him after the trot poles and before the first X. We did it :^) Next time through, she asked us to walk before we even got to the trot poles. Next time through, she asked us to walk for just a fraction of a second, then trot on, like an exaggerated half halt. The last two times through, she did not ask us to walk or halt at all. Wizard was listening, waiting for my signal, as we trotted through. I was balanced and focused. The last time through the line, Wizard broke into a canter between the two cross rails. I was instructed to let him canter anytime he offered it so I did. I did a good job of staying out of his way, and we were done. Another great lesson!

I untacked Wizard, wormed him with Equimax, put Novlasan on the bite mark on his throat (hey JR, WHO do you think might have bitten Wizard on the neck???), applied Thermaflex to his legs, and gave him a good grooming. And I have the day off tomorrow and the forecast is good so I’m hoping for a daylight ride outdoors :^)

JR Ride 8; Wizard Ride 51: Heels Down!

Wednesday, 2/25/09

I lost Alibar in September 2008 but I still see reminders of him all the time. I bought a bag of hay cubes for Wizard and I just about started bawling when I started making them. We made hay cubes for Alibar for over a decade- it was a signature Alibar dish.

I started the night with JR. First, I turned him out in the indoor arena to let him blow off a little steam and stretch his legs. We worked on some clicker training at liberty. Although JR was a little slow out of the gate with clicker training, he has caught up really quickly. I rewarded him for circling around me and also for approaching me on command. I think that a moderate amount of liberty training really strengthens the bond between horse and rider. I’ve never used round pens- I find a big arena to be just fine for what I need.

I tacked up JR and Sarah rode him first. She rode for about 10 minutes. She worked on adjusting his stride- forward trot, working trot, sitting trot. She also cantered him. For a green horse who has been out of work for more than a year, he was quite balanced. JR has a really nice inner balance and rhythm and I think he has the ability to go really far as a riding horse. JR just barely broke a sweat by the time she was done.

Then it was my turn. JR and I had a workout! Sarah really put us through our paces. We trotted figure 8s, serpentines, and figure 8s down the long side (really skinny figure 8s). Sarah asked us for three trots: forward trot, posting trot, and sitting trot. JR has a remarkable forward trot! He never feels like he is going to break into a canter and he sort of floats along. His natural ability to adjust his gaits will be an asset if he ends up doing any dressage. We rode for about 20 or 25 minutes. By the time we were done, I was sweating! I’ve ridden all my life but since Alibar got sick and before that hurt his leg, I barely rode in 2008. In the beginning of the lesson, JR did a lot of adjusting his head, sometimes up, sometimes out, sometimes down. At the end of the lesson, I could feel JR stretching into the bit and accepting contact. His trot became more rhythmical and easy to ride. I cooled him out, groomed him, and moved onto the next victim :^)

I let Wizard spend about 10 minutes loose in the arena to stretch his legs and so I could see how he was feeling on the new shoes. He looks more comfortable. I tacked him up and Sarah rode him for about 10 minutes. A lot of the relaxation and schooling we did in January has regressed. He was back to being tense and anticipating the trot. Sarah was very patient with him and worked on asking for a quiet trot on a large circle. He did relax a bit after a few rounds. Then, I rode him for about 10 minutes. I think that it will not take as long to get him settled this time around as it did last month. Even though he had a layoff, I find that horses pick up training quickly once they have already learned it at some point. We did a few quiet walk/trot transitions and then walked some more, working on getting him to his “happy place”. Wizard simply needs more physical care and work than JR. I love working with them both and I am beginning to appreciate their differences.

It’s also really nice to be doing actual riding lessons. It feels good to have somebody tell me to put my heels down :^) Part of the comfort of a lesson is that I can allow somebody else to pilot the ride while I work on myself. I can focus more and we both improve. I’m really impressed with the progress we made. Can’t wait for the next lesson!

JR Ride 1 (Session 4): Macaroni and Cheese

Monday 2/16/09

JR was kind enough to keep one side reasonably clean after his bath on Thursday. My friend Sarah remarked that his color was so pretty after the bath that he looked like a bowl of macaroni and cheese. Perhaps that can be his jumper show name ;^)

I tacked him up and we did a short longeing session. We worked at the walk and trot. He broke into a canter a few times and I used it as an opportunity to bring him back to the trot with verbal cues. JR is a lot heavier on the longe line than Wizard- it does not bother him at all to pull on the line. I do my best to use pressure and release to keep the circles reasonably round. JR was barely winded when I was done longeing him. He’s getting a little fitter and not getting as excited on the longe line. Hooray!

My friend Sarah rode JR for about 10 minutes. They walked, then trotted a few large figure 8s. She hopped off and said, “Your turn!”

I mounted up and was immediately amazed how sturdy he felt. He’s just over 15 hands but he is so round and substantial that my leg did not feel too long at all.

His mouth is way less sensitive than Wizard’s mouth. He did not mind if I played with the bit at all. I need to make sure I don’t get too handsy with him. He rode nicely in the Happy Mouth bit. It allowed him to keep very comfortable contact but he also had plenty of stopping power. I’m starting to really like these bits.

We walked for a few minutes, and then Sarah prepared me to trot. She reminded me that the first few steps might be a little bumpy because he’s green and finding his own balance. The trot transition actually felt easier than Wizard’s. I think it reminded me more of Alibar’s old trot- very Quarter Horsey. We trotted on a 20 meter circle each way, then rode around the entire arena. We worked on figure 8s and I learned how to work him through the center to help him balance, as well as how to ride him past the gate, where he likes to slow down. The lesson lasted about 20 minutes, which was really the most real riding I’ve done in months. The work I do with Wizard is much more at the walk and our trot work is in smaller bits, but JR is balanced and comfortable enough to start trot work already.

It felt really nice to do some meaningful work in the saddle. Speaking of the saddle, it was sliding to the side! The girth was definitely tight enough but the saddle still slipped. JR has nice withers but he is a round boy. I’ll need to do some tinkering to see if I can get the saddle to sit better on him.

When I was done riding JR, I groomed Wizard and brought him out to the arena to let him loose and stretch his legs. He seems a little more comfortable. I’m looking forward to the farrier appointment on Saturday. Hopefully a set of shoes on Wizard and a trim for JR will have me riding much more frequently.

Wizard Ride 44: Let Your Earth Quake, Baby

Monday 2/2/09

Perhaps it was the 3.0 earthquake we got here in Jersey, or perhaps it is all the weeks of careful training, but Wizard was feeling goooood today. A little too good. Sarah hopped on Wizard and began warming him up before our lesson and he was feeling much friskier than usual. He did not misbehave or do anything dangerous, but a few times, he jumped forward from a walk into an extremely speedy trot without being asked. He was not spooking, it looked like he was just feeling good.

It took a good 20 minutes for Sarah to get Wizard to stretch down and start to bend a little bit. She rode about 30 minutes and he never broke a sweat! She mostly worked on pressure and release: take contact and ask for a little bend, release when he gave to the pressure. She kept him on a very large circle (20+ meters) for the duration of the ride. Sarah also remarked how nice he felt, even though he was a little fresh. He was moving out nicely and taking contact. He has a very soft mouth and when he’s relaxed, it’s a pretty picture.

After Sarah was done, I rode for a few minutes at the walk since he had already finished his workout. I was really impressed how well he took contact! He was striding out nicely and accepting the bit. We rode all around the arena and he felt really good- he did not try to trot out of the walk, probably because he was relaxed after his ride.