Wizard Rides 526, 527, & 528: The Sunset

Thursday, 8/16/13

Before work, Wizard and I hit the trails. On our previous trail ride, I noticed that the perimeters of a few fields were mowed this week. The footing was dry and even, and the fields had good visibility… perfect for some trot and canter sets! All the way around, the field is about a half a mile. We went around it three times, doing a trot or canter on the long sides and walking the short sides. It was FUN! Except for one stumble, Wizard was quite light on his feet, and “on” the bridle. I always assumed he’d be a zoomy kind of horse when we began doing trot and canter work off the property, but he really is quite soft in the bridle and tends to slow down when he’s uncertain instead of rushing forward. It’s quite different from Alibar, who did everything quickly. We walked home and I gave him a nice hosedown before hustling in to the office.

Friday, 8/17/13

Epic Barn Day. Those are the days when you actually have a few hours to really get some things done at the barn. Baths. Or tack cleaning. Watching a friend’s lesson. Or just leaning over the fence watching your horse graze. Kris and I actually had the day off, so we declared Friday an EBD. We started our ride in the arena, and after some nice trot and canter work, Wizard and I took two separate lines of jumps twice each. First line was a placing pole to a cross rail to one stride to a second cross rail. Second line was a placing pole to a cross rail to one stride to a small vertical, maybe 2’3″. Kris was nice enough to take pictures, and got the really great picture of Wizard over the second jumping effort- I love how light and round he is. He’s really coming along.

After our ringwork, we hit the trails. We took the same field that I rode the day before, and cantered the far side. Wizard was much more “looky”- it sort of seemed like he was gawking at the white flowers that were blooming in the middle of the field. Tractors, deer, turkeys, those are all fine. But that silvery underside of leaves? Spooky stuff, sometimes. Same with certain white flowers. That’s okay- he gets a pass. He jumped like a star today. He was so good, in fact, that I scheduled a jumping lesson for next Friday. I’d love to take the next step forward with our jumping.

Here’s a neat photo evolution of Wizard over fences since 2009 or so…

Saturday, 8/18/13

Wizard and I hit the trails for a solo ride. He was looky again, and interestingly was best on the cross country field on the Horse Park. We just walked and trotted around the perimeter, but there was a lot of noise over the loudspeaker and he took it all in stride. We were out a little over an hour. We cantered on the long cantering lane, but walked the rest of the way. He listened, but had his ears on swivel and his eyes on lookout. We got back with plenty of daylight. On workdays, it’s beginning to become a struggle to get out of work in time to have light for riding on the trails. In a few weeks, we won’t have any light at all after work. But we’ll have awesome weather. The tradeoff of autumn.

Wizard Rides 484 & 485: Miles Away

Saturday, 5/18/13

I discovered runmap.me and I’m hopelessly hooked- I can map my trail rides and measure how far we rode. I’m sure I could do the same thing with a smartphone, but that would require me to get a smartphone (I’m stubbornly avoiding it).

On Saturday, Wizard and I rode for 4.68 miles. We rode past the log cabin, out the side field, and trotted up the “bowling pin” hill. Wizard was so fresh and happy to be out that he was purring/”truffling” LOUDLY- he was so snorty it made me laugh. He sounded like the racehorses when they step out on the track for a morning jog. We rode across the fields in a serpentine pattern as a schooling exercise. When I crossed my own path, I could feel Wizard nudging me to head back to the barn. He listened, though, when I told him to go on. He was very good when we rode through the Horse Park, and spooked once for good reason when some clumsy creature crashed through the treeline. Wizard was able to hold his trot on a variety of terrains without breaking to a canter. He stumbled a few times in the beginning of the ride, but as he warmed up, he felt more surefooted. When we returned to the barn, he was sweaty under the saddle, but cool otherwise. I cleaned my tack while he enjoyed some fresh spring grass. His weight looks just about perfect now- the grass really filled him out nicely.

Sunday, 5/19/13

Kris and I took a walk in the Assunpink for about 1.8 miles, followed by a short ride in the outdoor arena. I only had about 12 minutes to ride in the arena, so we did some trot, walk, canter transitions. After a few attempts, we actually got something pretty nice at the canter. I brought him right back down to a trot, and we took a tiny cross rail a few times at a walk and trot, followed by a leg yield to the rail. When he tried to rush it at the trot, we walked to it. For a quickie ride, we got some nice work accomplished.

Wizard Ride 367: Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie

Saturday, 6/9/12

A stunning turn of events in the racing world led me to riding in the Assunpink on Belmont Stakes Day. My back had been feeling pretty punky since our vet appt on May 30, and I was dutifully babying it. I had myself prepared for the eventuality that I would have to lug ladders and camera gear all over Belmont Park on Saturday for the Belmont Stakes, especially with I’ll Have Another bidding for Triple Crown stardom. But on Friday morning, it was announced that he had a tendon injury, would not run in the Belmont, and would be retired from racing.

It was a big bummer for me as a shooter, since I’ve yet to see a Triple Crown in person (all I’ve got are Slew and Affirmed since I was born). I’m really glad to hear that the horse is in good shape and that his connections did the right thing by him.

And I took the announcement as an omen that I should enjoy the day on horseback in the Assunpink instead of slaving away with cranky photographers at Belmont Park. And so I did- gimme some saddle time. Wizard stood quietly as we tacked up with his filly friend, Brigid. He stood like a statue as I mounted up for our ride. My back felt fine during the ride. Whew…

We rode a little over an hour in the park, all at a walk. We took the paved road out of the barn and down to the back Horse Park of NJ entrance. We walked around the entire back cross country field. This was Wizard’s second ride in this field. The first time, he got pretty excited out there, but we were with a larger group and we were trotting and cantering. Something about an open field without a path gets his engines revved. He is fine in the big fields with paths across them or around the edges, but a giant grass field is just too much for his little brain. The bugs were worst in the cross country field, too, so that added to his anxiety. He did not do anything bad, but U could sorta feel him wanting to blow up a little.

We walked back out of the Horse Park on the gravel path, and into the rest of the park, riding through the “roundabout” field, up a red clay road, and over the ridge of the “bowling pin” field. When we got to the trailer parking area, Christie dismounted to make a tack adjustment and remounted at the picnic table. Always a good skill to perfect!

Wizard was pretty antsy when we stopped to chat with a rider and his horse, but other than that, he strode home with a confident and comfortable walk. We played “pole bending” around the trees by the gate so the horses learned that work is not always over when we get back to the barn.

I brought Wizard over to the tack up mats and GINGERLY dangled from his neck and dismounted. Success. Dismounting on mats is a GREAT idea.

Wizard got a hosedown and was being prepared for turnout when he began to dance around like a bit of a nut. I could tell he was about to throw a tantrum, so I unclipped his tie and fastened the chain over his nose on his leadrope. He proceeded to wag his head back and forth and pull back pretty hard on me, rearing a few times when he hit the end of the line. I got him away from the horses who were lined up next to him, and gave him a sharp pop each time he considered rearing up. I turned my shoulder away from him and got him moving forward as quickly as I could. We did a few circles before I returned him to the tackup area. I could see a drop of blood on the side of his nose. I assume a bug bit him. My friends said they saw something flying around him as well. I understand that these bug bites hurt, but there’s no excuse for rearing unless he’s by himself, loose in the field. For the rest of the session, he stood like a stone, behaving like a perfect gentleman. And I doubled up on fly spray ;^)

Wizard Ride 366: You Jane

Sunday, 5/27/12

The weather has been hot and sticky for a few days now, but it gets mercifully cool in the evenings. After work, I met up with Kris and Christie for a walk in the Assunpink. During tackup, Wizard practically snoozed on his tie ring. All was right with the world since we were riding with Sunny, his paddock buddy, and Brigid, one of his favorite horsey neighbors. He stood like a perfect gentleman while I got in the saddle, and we rode in the middle of the group for most of the ride: a mare sandwich. Wizard usually prefers to be at the front of the pack, but being between two of his favorite mares changed his mind.

We rode a reverse path from the ride we did the day before, starting on the road, riding past the hunt club, through a hay field, down some trails, around the “roundabout” field, across the cinder road, over the ridge with the “bowling pin” (it’s some sort of radio tower thingy), and down to the ranger’s station. We saw some rabbits and a person riding an ATV. All the horses were relaxed and enjoyed our little adventure. We were out for a little over an hour.

I measured Wizard with the weight tape and he is about 990 pounds. He has gained give or take 15 pounds in about two weeks. He’s officially out 24/7 on the big paddock as of May 29, so I think that will make a big difference.

On Wednesday, May 30, the vet will look at Wizard’s leg. He feels totally fine on our trail rides, but we’re just walking and we’re not turning sharply at all. When I ask him to trot at liberty in the indoor arena, he is just as lame as he was a few weeks ago. Cross your fingers for a good diagnosis.

Wizard Ride 317: Cowgirl in the Sand

Saturday, 11/26/11

A trailer full of cattle were hauled to my barn for a team sorting event, so I walked Wizard to the trailer with Zeke and Lily to show the cows to the horses. The slats were so high up that the horses could not see them but could hear them. The bumping around caught the horses’ attention, but they seemed just fine with the cows. Maybe some day I’ll actually ride Wizard with cows, but for today, we’re happy to just visit them.

We took the horses on a trail ride and rode the full loop at a walk. The horses were a little snorty and reactive, even though the air was warm and we rode earlier than we did on Friday. We heard a loud gunshot, but the horses were actually fine for that. By the very end of the ride, Wizard settled, and we did a short spin in the outdoor arena when we returned to the farm. Wizard was once again reaching nicely into the bit, and did not do any ear pinning in the arena. He did a little at the very beginning of the trail ride, but this was the least he has done in many, many rides.

This brings me to the photo above… A local embroidery shop removed Drosselmeyer’s name from the saddle pad and added Wizard. It is total horse racing nerd humor and I love it. Plus, it’s a cute saddle pad.

Thank you so much to everyone who shared their condolences and support for the passing of my wonderful father. He is greatly missed.

Wizard Ride 279: In the Congo

Sunday, 9/11/11

The weather was not as sunny/muggy as Saturday, and there were not nearly as many creepy, nasty bugs. Kris and I went out for a quick afternoon trail ride before I had to get to work (Keeneland sale = late shift for me).

We rode a similar loop to the ride we did on Saturday, but in the opposite direction. Our Jackson, NJ safari began with a deer sighting. Sunny the Mustang led the way in the beginning of the ride, and it was a riot to see her change from her laid-back, placid self when she’s walking behind the leader to the alert, boss-mare trail leader when she’s in front. Her ears are up, and she has a purposeful walk as she marches along the trail. It’s so nice to ride with an adjustable horse like her. We rode through the puddles on the old training track, and crossed the street to the lovely flat cantering lane. Kris said she was ready for her first trail canter with Sunny, so Wizard and I led the way and he leapt into a canter from a trot with little urging. And I waited to hear Sunny’s strides change… but all I heard was a ground-covering trot! It turns out that Sunny has a seriously efficient extended trail trot, and was able to keep up with Wizard’s canter the whole time. We walked the last leg of the trail ride (video linked above), and got back to the barn in time for me to be only a little late for work :^P

Wizard Ride 272: Swap Meet

Tuesday, 8/30/11

These days just keep getting shorter and shorter. By the time I got to the barn after work, we only ad time to ride the short trail loop again. Our of curiosity, I checked the time. The short loop is 40 minutes, which actually is a reallllly nice warmup before a ride. We rode on the trails with Sunny and Lily, and Sunny led the way on the trail back to the barn. Wizard was really easy-going about being in the middle.

When we got back to the barn, we did some work in the arena. It was a pretty easy ride, walking and trotting, working on circles and looping around the jumps. We did our best to impersonate Lily’s western pleasure jog, but Wizard’s slowest trot cannot compare to her well-trained Quarter Horse gaits.

For fun, Rachel and I swapped horses. It was really neat to see her ride Wizard- I only have trusted a handful of people to ride him. They got along very well. After a few minutes of figuring out the saddle, steering, gas, and brakes, I started to get the hang of Lily, too! At first, I felt like a little kid who was just learning to ride. When I realized that it was basically like riding Wizard but in a western saddle, I did a lot better, ha ha.

The air was so cool and dry that I did not have to hose Wizard after our ride. His coat is getting a very slight plushy feel to it. Fuzzy coats are just around the corner…

Wizard Ride 254: I Am a Tree

Monday, 6/27/11

Two days after our adventures in Assunpink and in the Horse Park of New Jersey, Wizard and I embarked on a trip to the New Jersey Forest Nursery with Lily and Rachel. Map Here.

Wizard was displeased with the deerflies on the way out. I had doused him in fly spray and rubbed his ankles with Belly Balm. Our last trip to the tree nursery was over as year ago, but with only a few wrong turns, we arrived there pretty easily. Wizard got tense and a little snorty through some of the hairier parts of the ride, but for the most part was pretty good. He balked just a bit at a big hill, but then was willing and rode up it. He was a sweaty from nerves, but kept his cool.

We crossed the wooden bridge with ease, and hopped a few little logs. In the back of the tree farm is a long horsepath, which is delightful for trotting and cantering. The footing is a little sandy but not too loose, and the path is wide enough for two horses. Wizard had several Bill the Cat moments (photo below) and forgot how to place his feet, but was controllable even when he was excited. By the end of the loop, he was beginning to find his rhythm. It reminded me of how he used to ride on the farm trails. Time fixed all those issues, and I think the same will happen if we ride the tree farm more often.

Wizard walked nicely the whole way home, through the neighborhood (video above), and down a new trail in the woods. Lily, as always, was sterling.

I hope to get out to the tree farm more often this summer. The horse path is a wonderful place to work on trotting and cantering up and down gentle hills.

Back at the barn, Wizard got a bath and was put to bed with hay.

Practice, practice, practice.

Wizard Ride 253: Rider

Saturday, 6/25/11

My friend Erin came from Maryland with her lovely Morgan mares Belle and Esme and picked up Wizard for our trail ride in Assunpink Wildlife Management Area.

Esme, photo taken this spring…

Wizard loaded onto the trailer like a CHAMP (woo-hoo!) and was quite happy with his equine companions. We tacked up and met up with Christie and her filly, Brigid, who was started under saddle this spring. Esme is also pretty green, so Wizard was the second-most seasoned trail horse on the ride! Belle is the trail princess, and she has been everywhere. The flies were not too bad, and Wizard was equipped with his Nose Net and a fly bonnet. The weather was wonderful- after a week of sporadic rain, some of the trails were wet but totally rideable.

For the beginning of the ride, Wizard was a little balled up with energy. I expected this, and did my best to settle him into a good walking rhythm. On narrower trails, he was fine, but in the huge open fields, he would get a little prancy. He also likes to prance up hills, but my biggest pet peeve ever is letting horses blast off at a faster gait than you want. So we WALKED the hills, not the most relaxed walk ever, but better than a jig.

About a mile into the ride, Wizard settled into the walk I was looking for; he has a delightfully swingy and ground-covering walk when he is relaxed. The larger group of horses meant that sometimes they were riding alongside him, which was fine unless one of them trotted ahead of him. Then, he would get antsy and dancy and fussy and not really pay attention to me. In the words of Dr. Deb, Wizard’s “birdie” leaves the building.

At one point, one horse trotted past him up a hill and he went into a leaping, cantering, pulling, sideways, clumsy tantrum. He does not rear or buck, so it’s fairly simple to sit, but it definitely feels a little like riding an octopus wearing roller skates. He threw the tantrum once again when we reached The Horse Park of New Jersey, where we strolled through the cross country course. Someone trotted ahead of him, and there I was again, cantering, sort of, on a horse who felt like he had no head because it was tucked so low.

I’m not really sure how to work on the issue. It never usually happens, since the trails at my barn are narrow and nobody usually trots past me when I’m walking. I would like to work on it, though, since I’d love to do some hunter paces with him. I guess one answer is to always be the leader and never allow anyone to pass us when we’re walking, but that’s so controlling and limiting. I’ll need to think on it.

So for about 20% of the ride, Wizard was wound up or fussing, but for the rest of the ride, he was delightful. He was fine on the lead or in the back of the pack, but he definitely prefers the lead. The only time he spooked was when one of the horses we were riding with separated and walked around a group of trees. We met face-to-face and BOTH horses jumped! It was hilarious.

When we reached Stone Tavern Lake, Wizard was interested in wading in the water, but the ripples seemed to freak him out a little. All the mares got into the water and were even playing and pawing. Wizard stood at the verrrrry edge. I could feel that he wanted to try it, so I tried a few different angles and walked toward it a few different ways. I did not force the issue, and eventually, he got the hang of it and walked in like a pro. Maybe next time, he’ll wade a little more.

At the Horse Park, we explored the hills and paths that make up the Jersey Fresh cross country course. It was really cool to walk in the footsteps of the eventing greats- of course, they galloped those steps, ha ha!

We returned to the trailer and let the horses graze for a little while before they loaded up and went home. I gave Wizard a much-needed hosedown and put him back outside with his paddock buddies. Hopefully, we’ll have a few more off-the-farm adventures this summer.

And I blazed
in the last orange hours of the day,
until the dust hazed and hid us away.

Wizard Ride 249: Dark Entries

Tuesday, 6/21/11

After a fun mini photo session in the arena, Wizard and I went out on a twilight Summer Solstice trail ride with Kris (pictured above with Philly), Rachel, and Ashley. It was getting dark, so we rode around the short loop at a walk. Unlike last year, the fireflies were not quite out in full force. Wizard seemed a little out of sorts. He was not walking as long/fast as he usually does and he was a little grouchy. When we got back to the barn, I trotted him around the outdoor arena for a few laps. He felt responsive and willing. In the barn, I took his temperature just to be sure something worse was not going on, but it was normal (99.5). His appetite is fine, and there is nothing outwardly wrong. He just does not seem quite right.