Wizard Session 434: Until the Next Time

Sunday, 1/6/13

I’m milking every moment of this week’s streak of mild weather. Wizard and I took a hand walk in the Assunpink on Sunday morning. Wizard wore his fluorescent yellow saddle pad under a surcingle to increase our visibility. We were out for about 45 minutes. In order to work on Wizard’s strength and balance, I asked him to do some halts on the hills. He cheerfully obliged.

When we were rounding the turn to head up the big hill, I heard hounds. I could not tell if they were in the kennels at the hunt club or out on a hunt until we got closer. Wizard was VERY good as we walked past the members of the hunt and past the trees where the hounds were working on a scent. They were loud, and Wizard was concerned, but listened to me the whole time. Good boy!

When we got back to the barn, we worked in the outdoor arena on long lines. I tried warming him up with the long lines attached to the bit, but he immediately curled behind and would not get in front of the vertical. I hooked the lines to his longeing cavesson, and then he was able to settle and find a rhythm. Once he was warmed up and engaged, I was able to hook up the lines to his bit. He was even better than he was in our last session, and was eventually able to stretch out at the trot and do some relaxed trotting. I tend to back off whenever I think I’m overfacing him, but this was a perfect example of letting him figure something out. It took a few minutes, but he did get into the groove.

After our session, he enjoyed some grass in the spare paddock. Days like this make January not so bad.

Wizard Sessions 425, 426, 427, 428: Two Feet Off the Ground

Friday, 11/30/12

In the past, I’ve done some long line work with Wizard, but it was always nuts-and-bolts type work. Basically, it was me trying to figure out how to do it and how to keep myself from getting spun around or any of the other many awkward things that can happen when attached to a 1,000-pound creature by two pieces of cotton webbing.

But on Friday, I actually got a taste of the work part of long line work. We have come along for enough with our basics to start actually doing some schooling. We worked with three dressage cones, and did a little weaving pattern around them. We also walked over two ground poles and were able to do it in a straight line (!). This stuff is fun!

So we don’t exactly look like this, but it sure is good training for both of us…

Saturday, 12/1/12

Before our session, the farrier did Wizard’s feet. Interestingly, Wizard is sounder on his right front, but his heel looks lower and underrun. The farrier decided to try a wedge pad. I was leery of putting a wedge on him, but if it is not working out, my farrier is a phone call away and can come out and make changes. So far, he’s moving out nicely on it.

We did a repeat session from Friday’s long line work, plus a little added trotting in hand. That’s not much of a workout for Wizard, but great exercise for me- whew! He actually seems to enjoy it. I need to get my hands on some longe lines to go a little longer with it- my long lines are fairly short and I have to run around like a nut during the trot work. He chews a lot on the bit just like he does under saddle, but he looks relaxed- I think the chewing is some processing/nerves as he is learning something new. We’re getting the hang of a little bending, and just the verrrry beginning of a shoulder in when we really have ourselves together.

Sunday, 12/2/12

Kris and Sunny went out for a walk with me and Wizard in the park. We were out for about an hour, walking through some fields and down to the lake. It felt great to get out and do some walking. With all the hunting, we’ve been sticking to the roads and to the Horse Park when we go out, but since Sunday is bow hunters only, we felt safer going out. We did not see any hunters at all, unlike last week.

After our walk, I did some long line work with Wizard in the outdoor arena. The ring is slowly drying out, and we have more room to work. After warming up at a walk, we did a little trot work on the long lines, working on the outside rein and trying to get a bit of a bend. Wizard seemed pretty happy in his work. After our long line session, I longed him for a few rotations in each direction in side reins. Between the walk in the woods and the long lining session, we were out for a while, but it was very low impact work.

Monday, 12/3/12

Before work, I enjoyed the unseasonably warm weather (60s) and did a long lining session with Wizard in the outdoor arena. It rained the night before, so the arena was a little sloppier than it was on Sunday, so we kept our session to a walk with just a little trot work. We walked up and down the long side of the arena, turning a keyhole shape at each end and reversing direction. We zigzagged between the dressage cones and walked over the ground poles. At the end of our session, I put him on the longe line with no side reins and let him to a very loose trot, just for about 4 rotations in each direction.

Wizard Session 112: From the Ground Up

Saturday, 10/24/09

A good day for ground work. I tacked Wizard up in his bridle and a surcingle and we did some ground work in the indoor arena. I started with a very light longeing session, walking for a few minutes, followed by about 7 times around at the trot in each direction. Then I fastened two long lines to his bit and introduced long lining to him.

I started by standing on his “good side” (his left) by his shoulder. The lines were held in my hands like reins. I asked him to walk on, just like we do on the longe line. His walk was a little wobbly because he was uncertain, but he seemed to catch on quickly. I asked for one turn and one halt, and praised profusely. Then, I tried the “bad” side (his right), which is the side on which he stops and spins on the longe line. He was very hesitant and reluctant to go forward but responded when I clucked him into a walk with my voice. I walked him along the wall so I could keep him straight. It will take a lot longer to work on the right, but it is an interesting glimpse into his personality to see that he is just as funny about his right on the longe line as he is in hand.

Here’s a photo of me long-lining JR this spring. Wizard will take a few more sessions before he can be this far away from me.

JR Session 18; Wizard Ride 62: On Your Knees

Sunday, 3/22/09

I heard from the saddle fitter and she’s hoping to be able to schedule an appointment to adjust my saddle very soon- hooray! In the meantime, training has not ceased for JR. I started our session with work on long lines. For those who are unfamiliar with the process of long lining, check out this link. I’m about a million times more boring as I wander around the arena with a wiggly green horse, but the link gives you an idea of what you can do with long lining. With JR, we’re only walking at this point- he occasionally jogs and then settles back to a walk. The long line work is good for him to learn the driving aids. I’m working him in a cavesson until he’s a little more experienced and then I can try the bit.

I long lined JR for 10 minutes and then longed him. Today, we used the entire arena (100×200!). I moved the circles as JR worked so that he started at the bottom of the arena and ended at the top. I’m gaining more lateral control over him. He still has that gravitational pull to the gate, but I learned today that a little give-and-take on the line as he goes through the “magnetic” part of the circle really keeps his “birdie” on me on the longe line and not at the arena door.

JR is showing more rhythm and relaxation in his trot. Occasionally he feels the need to remind me that he’s a green youngster, like when he did a 180 degree spin at the canter and bolted in the opposite direction when he saw a break in the arena wall. The little guy has quite a pirouette on him :^) I’ve increased canter work with JR on the longe and now we’re doing more than a few rotations. His balance is improving at all gaits. When we finished longeing, I turned him loose and let him stretch his legs: buck, leap, fart, leap. I cooled him out and put him to bed.

Today was the first day I’ve ridden Wizard without Ulcergard in a few weeks. I decided to use today as a test to see if I need to go back to administering a dose before each ride or not. I did not see a big difference under saddle, but I saw a difference while I was grooming him. He was touchier and more irritated than normal- he did not make contact, but he nipped in my general direction I brushed his side. He also lifted a leg when I brushed near his belly. Is he touchier without ulcer meds? I shall continue my experiments.

My friend Kris visited the barn today. I’ve known her since 1997- she’s a friend from college. She always loved horses but has gotten more serious about her hobby in the past year or so. In two weeks, she will begin leasing her first horse. I’m really happy for her. And it’s a lot of fun to have a crazy horse friend who understands the joy of the latest Dover Saddlery catalog and enjoys visiting the barn during my crazy night owl hours.

While I was tacking up Wizard, I showed off Wizard’s carrot stretching abilities to Kris. Side to side, Wizard flexed his bendy neck. Then, we did the bowing carrot stretch. Wizard began the bow as usual, arching his neck, lifting his topline, lowering his head. Then, he bent his front legs and… WHOAH! Wizard was on his knees and just about lying down in the barn aisle. I helped him back up and checked him for any injuries. Aside from rumpled hair on his knees, he was fine. I tried the bow one more time, and WHOAH! On his knees again. What the heck was going on??? I brought him in the arena so I could watch him move out and see if anything looked out of the ordinary.

I saw nothing out of the ordinary. I worked on the same exercises with Wizard as I did with JR and I walked up and down the whole arena with Wizard circling me. Left and right at the trot, he was very good. I did a spiraling exercise on the longe and Wizard was a champ. Then, I stepped up the difficulty level and we did the arena exercise at the canter :^) To the left, Wizard was fabulous- I don’t think he broke stride more than once. To the right, it was much more difficult for him. He broke stride a few times but he kept trying and eventually his rhythm and balance improved. As we moved back to the gate end of the arena, he broke stride several times and began stopping a few times. Once he successfully cantered one last rotation on the correct lead, we were done. The canter work is much more of a workout for Wizard- he does not break a sweat at the trot but the canter is more mentally and physically taxing. He’s come a long way!

I rode for about 15 minutes, working at a walk and a trot. Since it was late at night, I used the under-saddle work as a cooldown. We did a lot of walking on the buckle and a lot of relaxing trotting. He was great to the left and a little more tense to the right (as usual). I got several good little stretches- not exactly a stretchy circle, but he definitely loosened his topline. I was able to trot him on a slack rein in each direction. After Wizard was cooled out, I put him to bed with a tub of Dengie.

As I drove home from the barn, it occurred to me why Wizard ended up on his knees in the barn aisle: the shoes! I do the side-to-side carrot stretches before almost every ride but I have not done the bowing stretch in a while. The last time Wizard did the bow, he was barefoot. The poor guy had no traction when he tipped his toes forward as he bowed deeper. It was a slow-motion thing and I think he was simply sliding. And then he even did it again for me when I asked the second time! He’s such a sweet, willing horse. I’ll be sure to only ask for carrot stretches on dirt from now on. Or as Kris suggested, I can purchase a yoga mat for Wizard.

JR Session 16; Wizard Ride 60: Hello, Abs!

“We have to show the horse what we would like to do, but we have to allow him to do it.” – Walter Zettl

Thursday, 3/19/2009

The other day, I got the wheels turning in Sarah’s head when I told her how well Wizard trotted the ground pole in our last ride. Tonight during my warmup for my lesson, I heard the wonderful and familiar sound of jump poles being rearranged. Once we worked on getting a good rhythm for our trot and asking for a little bend, Sarah told us to trot the a pole. I stayed straight, concentrated on the rhythm of the trot, curled a pinky finger in his mane, kept my eyes ahead, and Wizard took care of the rest. Good boy! We trotted the pole in both directions. She added another pole and we trotted a “line”.

Then Sarah got creative.

She set up a little bitty hunter course of poles. Line, diagonal, line, diagonal. If I felt Wizard rushing or getting tense, I asked for a walk for three steps and went back up to the trot. Wizard was fabulous! He trots the poles really nicely. I remember doing a lot of work like this with Alibar and he always wanted to canter after the pole, but Wizard is happy to trot, and he really picks his feet up nicely. Work over ground poles and cavaletti will help his topline as well as his balance.

Sarah got really creative.

She made little itty bitty teeny tiny crossrails that were about the height of the poles themselves. She even made what we jokingly called a vertical and a spread fence, of poles on the lowest jump cup, about 6 inches apart. Wizard did the little course like a champ! It was so much fun (after the initial shock! I had assumed we were working on more trot work and bending and was totally not expecting this kind of lesson).

The change in routine was great for me. I could feel myself riding better and Wizard was very interested in his job. It was a big challenge to keep all of our flatwork in mind and focus on the course of poles.

Here’s our little outside line…

And then we popped over this one… Just kidding.

The entire ride lasted about 45 minutes. Wizard is getting fitter- he just had sweat under the saddle. As Walter Zettl also says, “We have to go to the limit, but never over”.

I was recently going through Ingrid and Reiner Klimke’s The New Basic Training of the Young Horse and was delighted to see that Wizard is following the basic schedule that they use for young horses (minus the hacking, but I’m hoping to do a little trail riding soon). Of course, we’re going twice as slowly as the book’s plan *g* Here’s the third month’s training plan:

Main aim: Developing looseness under the rider; developing pushing power and contact on the lunge.

Quiet work in rising trot on both reins, both on the circle and going large around the school, trot-walk transitions, stretching and chewing the reins out of the rider’s hand. When possible following a lead horse in walk and trot over cavaletti and single poles. Hacking out in walk behind a lead horse- enjoying the countryside.

Introducing the driving aids of the voice and the whip on the lunge. Short spells of canter on the lunge. Increasing tempo in trot to develop pushing power and the contact with the bit, making sure that the horse does not come behind the vertical. The side reins must not be too short. Cavaletti work on the lunge is a good gymnastic exercise and strengthens the back muscles. Free-jumping; free-schooling in the indoor school- with correct equipment.

After Wizard was cooled out and put to bed, I took JR out for a groundwork session. My goal was to start him with the process of long-lining with clicker training. I tacked him up with a surcingle and a longeing cavesson and attached my long lines to the rings on the cavesson and through the surcingle rings. I stood to his side, asked for a walk, and when he did… click and treat. Good boy!

We repeated the cues a few times in each direction. He broke into a trot a few times but as long as he was forward and straight, I let him trot. I prefer forward at this point.

I longed him a few rotations at the walk and trot, then turned him loose to stretch his legs.

He is moving out freely and I think that he’s feeling pretty good after his chiropractic adjustment. Hooray! He has an amazing amount of suspension for an Appendix Quarter Horse- I can totally see him in the dressage ring some day :^)

As I walked out of the barn, I felt a familiar muscle burn- abs! Hello abs, nice to have you back. It’s been a while, eh? I think the work over poles with Wizard helped me use my core muscles more properly today. I’ve long believed that the motivation of jumping always makes me a better rider- I always pinned better in over fences classes than I did in flat classes. It feels really good to get my riding muscles back. A year ago, Alibar injured his hock and I did not ride very much for several months. When the hock healed was when he was diagnosed with lymphosarcoma. And in the beginning of my sessions with Wizard, I really sat pretty quietly and stayed out of his way. Now that we are ramping up the work in our lessons, I’m beginning to feel like a rider again and it feels good.

Wizard Session 25: Round and Round

Tuesday 12/23/08

For years and years, I’ve asked for a cavesson and surcingle as a gift. Nobody ever got one for me until now. Mom and Dad finally broke down and ordered them from Dover Saddlery. After I opened them, I had to field a flurry of questions about my strange gear. “How does it work?” “Why can’t you just longe in a saddle and bridle?” “Won’t he look a little like Hannibal Lecter?”

So on Tuesday night, I put my new gifts on Wizard. I was a little concerned that he would be concerned about the big old piece of metal on his nose and the big old piece of leather around his belly, but he was just ducky with both. I even put a quarter sheet on his hind end while he warmed up and he was fine with that as well. Good boy!

I longed Wizard for a few minutes in the cavesson, surcingle, and a bit underneath (with no noseband). I used my KK Ultra. I normally ride in a Myler Comfort Snaffle (D ring) but I think that the KK Ultra is better for longeing and I’d like to eventually ride in it as well.

Once we got some good forward motion, I put VERY loose side reins on him. First, I hand walked him. Then, I longed him. He was actually better on the longe with side reins than he was in hand. I think he felt a little behind the bit when he was being led and the “door” was more open when I was longeing.

After we longed for a little while, I turned him loose and free longed a little bit.

Then, I put him to bed and fed him his good-night Dengie.