Wizard’s hoof progress: radiographs

Wizard’s radiographs from Feb 5 and March 27.

Left front, Feb 5

Left front, March 27

Right front, Feb 5

Right front, March 27

Left hind, Feb 5

Left hind, March 27

Right hind, Feb 5

Right hind, March 27

Wizard Session 73; JR Session 28: I’m a ‘Sole’ Man

Saturday, 4/11/09

OK, Wizard does not have a brand new pair of roller skates, but he does have a pair of brand new shoes. As a result of the shoes, the farrier said that Wizard’s sole is growing nicely now that he can grow more foot- hooray for soles! The farrier also mentioned that the outside of Wizard’s right hind hoof showed a little unusual wear, which ties in with the issues with his left hamstring. Overall, he really likes Wizard’s feet and was pleased with the changes.

JR’s feet looked great as well- I’m keeping him barefoot. A little reshaping and he was ready to roll.

I longed JR indoors due to the wet weather outside. The air was chilly and JR still feels a little goosey on his back so I longed him with a quarter sheet. I also used one side rein buckled to the girth and attached to his bit. I only longed for part of the session with it attached and left his head loose for the rest of the longeing. When he first felt the side rein, he crowhopped with every single stride around the circle for a full rotation. When he resigned himself to the side rein, he quickly learned that if he carried his head long and low, there was no pressure. When the side rein is attached to the girth between his legs, it does not force him to flex at the poll, which is good for a green horse like JR. I think that he needs to learn to work from the base of his neck before we worry about his poll.

I longed JR for about 25 minutes, just enough to get him to break a light sweat and get a little workout. The horses stayed indoors due to the rain so JR seemed pleased to be working. After the session was over, I walked him out and grazed him.

I put my Thermatex cooler on Wizard while he was resting in his stall in an attempt to keep his hamstring warm in the chilly air. I massaged him a little before he worked. He was not quite as receptive to it as he was last time. When I tacked him up, I removed the cooler and put the quarter sheet on him. I also attached the side rein, but did not use it until he was completely warmed up on the longe.

I started him longeing at the walk to the left, then asked him to walk to the right. Frequently, Wizard breaks into a trot when we change direction to the right and I now think it’s a reaction to the tension in his hamstring. Today, he was relaxed enough to walk, but he was chewing on the bit.

I then asked him to trot to the left and he travelled very nicely with a playful spring in his step- he increased the tempo quite a bit to the right but was responsive and obedient. I changed direction again and hooked the side rein to the bit. It took a few rotations for him to learn that a low, relaxed head is what I wanted. Then, we went right. He trotted quickly again but was obedient. He stopped twice on the circle and the second time was reluctant to go back to trotting and it took a little finessing to get him trotting clockwise again. After he did his work with the side rein, I took it back off and asked him to trot each way without it. It was rewarding to watch since he stretched his head and trotted freely.

My hope is that Wizard might have torn some adhesions when he was playing in the deep footing last week and perhaps this caused the soreness. I’m toying with the idea of administering a dose of bute before a ride to see if it makes Wizard feel better or if it has no effect.

I brought him back to the barn, untacked him, cooled him out, and grazed him for about 20 minutes. The sun came out at the very end of the day and hinted at the wonderful weather we’re expecting for Sunday :^)

Wizard Ride 45: I’m a Sensitive ‘Sole’

Wednesday, 2/4/09

I smiled a huge smile as I left work at 6pm today. Although the ground is covered in snow and the temperatures are in the teens, I saw a sign of spring: there was just a bit of glow on the horizon. It was not 100% pitch black dark out when I left work. Soon, the hint of a glow will be a rosy tint on the horizon. A few weeks later, it will be a sunset. Then, it will be broad daylight when I leave the office and I’ll be riding in daylight again on weekdays! Ahhhh, the life of an incurable optimist. I even cleaned my tack today :^)

When I arrived at the barn, I turned Wizard loose in the indoor arena to let him stretch his legs. Some days, he leaps and gambols. Some days, he wanders around and sniffs the jumps. Tonight, he played a bit but seemed content to hang around with me. He’s such a sweet guy- I really enjoy his personality.

I tacked Wizard up and tried the Roma Merino Sheepskin All Purpose Pad that I got for a big discount on Tack of the Day. I really like this pad. It seems durable and it sat beautifully on Wizard. It has a bit more padding on the withers, which is exactly what the chiropractor recommended. Check out how the saddle fits him. This is a Stubben Portos. Please note how Wizard is making friends with the scarecrow on the jump :^)

I hand walked Wizard for about 10 minutes to warm him up in the cold weather, then mounted up. With the new saddle pad, my girth was a bit loose. As I reached down to tighten it, a HUGE gust of wind blew past the arena door, sending a big swirl of snow into the barn, rattling the door, and startling me. Wizard, bless his heart, startled for a moment and relaxed when I spoke to him. Gold star for The Wizard!

We walked around the arena for about 10 minutes, stretching and working on accepting a little bit of contact. I headed to the far end of the ring where the footing was best. We rode on a large circle and I asked for a trot- we trotted about 5 or 6 circles with one or two walk breaks. He still does not feel right on the footing but he is responding wonderfully to my commands. I really want to get him more comfortable so we can progress further. If it is indeed tender soles, I need to find out why and talk to my farrier about whether of not it can be resolved.

Tomorrow is Wizard’s 13th birthday :^)

Wizard Ride 42: I’m Made out of Turpentine…

“I’m sticking with you…
‘Cos I’m made out of glue…” (or turpentine)

Thursday 1/29/09

I have a public service announcement for horse people everywhere…

What Not to Do with Venice Turpentine
By Sarah Andrew

Horsemen have long used Venice Turpentine to toughen the soles of horses’ feet.

Turpentine Don’ts:

1) Do not apply Venice Turpentine to a horse’s hooves without wearing gloves. Venice Turpentine is the stickiest substance known to mankind and it sticks to everything. How do I know this? Because I forgot my gloves and applied it to Wizard’s soles without wearing gloves.
2) Do not expect Venice Turpentine to be workable in any way whatsoever in cold weather. I could not even open the jar without soaking it in H-O-T water first.
3) Once the jar is open, do not spill it. And if you spill it, wipe it up while wearing gloves (see Rule #1).
4) Do not apply Venice Turpentine while your horse is out of his stall. Apply Venice Turpentine when your horse is in his stall so the shavings can coat the bottom of his foot. Contrary to what you read online, the paper of a feed bag does not stick to your horse’s foot once Venice Turpentine has been applied to the sole.
5) Do not expect the brush included in the jar to do a very good job applying the product. A toothbrush or hoof brush will work better.

Turpentine Dos:

1) If you get Venice Turpentine all over your hands, apply Corona Ointment to keep your hands smooth instead of sticky.
2) Tie up your horse’s tail so the tail does not get sticky.
3) Have a plastic freezer bag ready for the Venice Turpentine jar when you are finished.
4) Do apply Venice Turpentine as the last task in your grooming ritual.

After all that, does it work? I have no clue. I put it on Wizard’s feet after I rode. Let’s hope it’s worth the aggravation.

ANYWAY, back to my ride…

I turned Wizard out in the arena to let him stretch his legs. He was quite appreciative of the playtime, especially since he’s been getting less turnout time with all the funky weather this week.

After Wizard played for about 10 or 15 minutes, I tacked him up and longed him in saddle, bridle, and quarter sheet. Wizard handled the freedom of the longer longe line very nicely. I’ve begun introducing a tiny bit of canter work on the longe, mostly to help Wizard with balance and for a little variety. His canter is sort of floaty but VERY fast- I think it will be OK with some more work but right now, I cannot imagine riding him at a canter!

After 7-10 minutes of longeing, I hopped on and rode Wizard for about 10 minutes. We did just a little bit of trotting. Because he had not been ridden in a week and because he did not have enough turnout this week, he seemed quite excited just from the longeing and turnout in the arena. He was sweating more than usual so I took it easy. We did just a bit of trotting and mostly walked because I did not want him to get too sweaty in this chilly weather.

I untacked and gave him a good grooming. He’s already shedding! The quarter sheet, cooler, saddle pad, girth, everything is covered in hair. I rode Wizard in a Lettia Coolmax girth. I did not notice any difference from how he is with my Professional’s Choice girth or my leather girth.

I fed Wizard his Dengie, gave him warm water, and went home to get the Venice Turpentine off my hands :^P