Since May 30, I’ve been battling with my herniated discs. Barn time has been sporadic, which is unfortunate since we are in the heart of the wonderfully long days of June. On June 16, I weight-taped Wizard and he weighed in at (drum roll, please) 1019lbs. He is now gaining over 20lbs per week (estimated). YESSSS!
He completed his course of 28 days of UlcerGard tubes on June 11 and I gave him one more week of the omeprazole granules at the treatment level for good measure, followed by tapering amounts. We started two packets on June 20.
Thursday, 6/7/12
My mom and I took Wizard for a hand walk down the main road, up the cinder road to the “bowling pin” and back down the road to the farm. It was about a mile. Wizard was very happy to get out and good to work with.
Saturday, 6/16/12
I took Wizard for another hand walk in the park, this time with Christie and Brigid. We took a short walk, less than a mile, just to the hunt club, around the brush jump, and back to the farm. Wizard was happy to be out with his buddy Brigid.
Tuesday, 6/19/12
My husband came to the barn with me and we took Wizard for a really nice evening hike in the park. We walked to the parking area, up the hill to the bowling pin, down the cinder road, and onto the main road back to the farm. It was about a mile and a half. We saw a red-tailed hawk and several rabbits. Wizard had one bucking fit when we got past the log cabin and the flies really got to him. Thankfully, I was leading him and my back did not have to suffer through those bucks in a saddle. Other than the bucking, he was very good to groom and walk.
Thursday, 6/21/12
The weather was H-O-T! Temperatures were humid and topped out in the high 90s. In the morning, I took Wizard out for a hike with my mom and with Christie, who rode Brigid. We walked to the log cabin, hiked up the hill to the bowling pin, walked down the hill on a trail that circles around the field’s perimeter to a trail that took us to the wheat field, which led us to the road home. We saw several rabbits, including a REALLY cute baby.
Wizard was a little agitated when I groomed him. It was earlier than our usual walks, just after breakfast. I think I was interrupting his morning time with his girlfriend, Sunny. It must be the time when they usually have coffee and do their crossword puzzles together. After the walk, I hosed him off and got a little more hair off him. He is mostly shed out, but held onto a little hair when he moved to the new barn in April. I’m counting down the days until my physical therapist says that I’m allowed to ride again!
Many horses eat the harmless, flavorless granules with no problem if they are sprinkled on a serving of grain. But sometimes, there are horses like Wizard, who object to the texture and decide that the pop rocks are poisonous.
For a while, I added a blob of molasses to his feed and dumped the pop rocks on the molasses blob, but then my friend Christie came up with a brilliant, less messy idea:
1) Buy a bucket of Stud Muffins, or similarly delicious, large, and SOFT horse treat.
2) You will need one muffin per sachet of granules. Put the first muffin in a small Dixie cup- the little bathroom ones work great.
3) For added softness, microwave the treat for a few seconds or add a few drops of water.
4) Make a hollow pocket in the muffin with your fingers, pressing the edges of the treat onto the walls of the cup. The deeper a pocket you can make, the better.
5) Pour one sachet of omeprazole granules into the hollowed-out treat.
6) Using the walls of the cup, mold the treat back into its original shape. This will conceal the omeprazole granules and make the treat look normal.
7) Remove the treat from the cup and feed to your horse. Yum!
I scheduled an appointment with the vet for Weds, May 30. I shot videos so she can get an idea of what we’re looking for. Based on what Wizard is doing, it appears that it’s the inside of his right front leg/foot. To the left, he has more of a head nod. The vet said to keep him working, since she does not want him sound when she tries to examine him! After he’s diagnosed, we will treat/rest/whatever is needed.
Trotting left:
Trotting right:
Weight as of 5/15/12: approx 975 pounds- definitely underweight for his size. Since he has gotten on more pasture and has settled in more, his weight is FINALLY increasing again. I’m hoping that the UlcerGard is helping as well. I can’t believe how quickly he stressed the weight off when we moved.
Wednesday, 5/23/12
After work, I went to the barn and took a walk in the Assunpink with Cathy and Miss Tuesday. This was before the vet told us to work him, so I was resting his leg and we hand walked in the park. We were out for about half an hour, and Wizard was pretty good. He walked on pavement and on the grass.
Friday, 5/25/12
I got a nice note from one of the boarders. She noticed that Wizard had been separated from Sunny for Sunny’s riding lesson, and after his usual hollering and crying, he spent some quiet time with his Thoroughbred neighbor, Bailey. Wizard is finally making friends, and his whole world no longer revolves around one mare.
After work, Wizard got a quick bath and a hand walk in the Assunpink, this time with Christie and Brigid. We mostly walked on pavement, as part of our long-term conditioning plan. Once he’s off the property, he is MUCH more relaxed since he’s away from Sunny. We practiced with some halts when we got close to the barn. He needs to be SOLID on knowing how to stand quietly when needed.
Saturday, 5/26/12
Since the vet wants him working up to the exam day on Weds, I saddled up and rode. During tackup, he was fidgety for about 5 minutes and then settled pretty well. We went back out in the park with Christie and Brigid. We walked over 2 miles, and it was a really nice little ride. Wizard was happy to let Brigid lead sometimes, and they got along very well. We rode past the Monmouth Hunt Club and up and down a few gentle hills. There were lots of rabbits, a few bluebirds, and beautifully-scented spring flowers. It felt GREAT to finally get out for a ride in the park- the trail/hill work was a big reason why we moved in the first place. Back at the barn, he stood pretty well while he was untacked. I think I am finally getting the real Wizard back.
On Monday, May 7, the farrier shod Wizard. We are trying leather rim pads on his front feet.
On Tuesday, May 15, I began Wizard’s 28-day treatment with UlcerGard. On May 16, I shot a few video clips of Wizard trotting on the longe. Bad news: he’s still losing weight. Good news: whatever unsoundness he was dealing with has shown improvement. I spoke with the barn owner, and we’re going to make a few changes and see what helps him. We bumped up his grain (short-term solution to him worrying off so many calories when Sunny is separated from him) and are slowly increasing his grass intake.
On Friday night, Wizard and Sunny were moved from their quarantine paddock to a small grass paddock. During the day, they are turned out on a two-acre grass paddock, and at night, they have grass in more limited amounts. We are still acclimating them to 24/7 pasture. Wizard’s cribbing has not stopped. On the 2-acre paddock, he cribs very infrequently, but in the smaller paddock, he still cribs with some regularity.
I tried another jogging video on Friday morning, this time down the pea gravel driveway. He looked pretty good. I think it’s a combination of the time off and him doing less of a freakout when Sunny is separated from him.
Saturday, 5/19/12
I should have seen this coming, but I didn’t. The move from the quarantine paddock to the new grass paddock basically put Wizard back to Square One with his stress level. He was just as bad as he was when he arrived at the farm a month ago. I tacked him up in the outdoor tackup area, and he paced and whinnied each time Sunny called to him. Sunny must have also been stressed, because she did not stop calling for him for my whole ride.
Our ride was one of the worst rides in my 3 1/2 year history with Wizard. It took 15 minutes just to get him quiet enough to get in the saddle. I did not want to longe him because I was afraid to twist or strain whatever is wrong with his leg. I’m treading a delicate balance between wanting to keep him focused/working and resting whatever soundness/stiffness/arthritis issue he is having.
The moment I settled into the saddle, Wizard was cantering in place, snorting, sweating, champing on the bit. My plan of quietly walking the short sides and trotting the long sides was thrown out the window. The only way I could keep him under control was to work him. We kept the ride to walking and trotting, but it went longer than I wanted, and we did more turns than I wanted. He never truly settled. Every time Sunny called to him, his entire body tensed. He threw a few tantrums when we rode away from her, and I could feel the gravitational pull when we rode toward her. He was so amped up that I could not tell if he was sound or not. I can say, though, that he did not feel lame, for the few stutter steps that I could count out a tempo and feel straightness.
When I untacked him, he fought his tie. He was “checked out”, mentally. When a bug landed on him, he threw several bucks in place. When the lead draped over his head, he reared up a little. I am still using the Blocker Tie Ring, so hopefully if he really gets himself in trouble, it will release as needed.
I hosed him off, gave him his ulcer meds, and put him back in his paddock. My arms were sore, my arms were bruised, and my hands were blistered.
Sunday, 5/20/12
The TDN fates were on my side on Sunday, and I slipped out of work well before dark and headed to the barn. I had two human/equine pairs for my ride this time: Cathy/Miss Tuesday and Kris/Sunny. We all tacked up in the indoor arena since there was a chance of showers. Wizard was very anxious from the very beginning, pacing nervously when he was tied, swinging his hind end from one side to another and swiveling his entire body. He could see Sunny, but he was still stressed. He was worse than he was when we first moved to the new barn.
I let him swing around for a few minutes, for my own safety. Cathy suggested longeing him, but I was trying to avoid stressing whatever issues he has with soundness. As he got more and more worked up, I relented and asked him to trot a few rotations on the longe in each direction. His lameness is subtle, but I definitely saw it more on Sunday than on Saturday. His head dips just a bit each time his left front foot hits the ground. Despite my misgivings about the physical strain, the longeing helped him mentally. He was able to stand reasonably quietly while I tacked him up.
He stood WAY better when I got in the saddle than he did on Saturday, and walked off much more quietly than his performance the day before. But with Sunny in the arena, he began to throw little tantrums when she was out of his sight or passed him in the opposite direction. He does not outright buck or rear, but he leaps around, cantering in place and jumping imaginary jumps. Now that I know him, I can sit his antics reasonably comfortably. If they got worse, who knows ;^)
It took about 15 minutes for him to settle and focus on me. By the end of the ride, he was actually pretty good, seeking contact with the bit and responding well to my leg. His canter was NICE. His trot was pretty good, too. I tried to avoid tight twists and turns and do some of our original plan of walking the short sides and trotting the long sides.
After our arena work, we all decided to take a quick walk into the Assunpink. I hand walked him, since he has a freakishly fast walk. If I had ridden him, I would have had to circle him around or stand a lot while the horses caught up with him, and that would have rattled his fragile brain. Wizard surprised me with his calm demeanor in the park. He strided out confidently, and nothing spooked him at all. The waist-plus-high grass had me wishing I had ridden him after all! He had one mental blip, and that was when he lost track of where Sunny was for a moment.
When we returned to the barn, it was just about dark. Wizard was able to stand quietly while he was tied, resting one hind leg, with one eye always on Sunny. We untacked in the indoor arena and I put Wizard out in the paddock before Sunny went out. He circled at a frantic trot and canter, calling and snorting until Sunny was back in the paddock with him.
All I could imagine was him twisting an already strained leg. I don’t have any diagnosis on what his problem is yet. All I know is that it’s subtle and consistent. It seems to get a little better with rest. It does not bother him at all- he’s very forward and responsive under saddle. I need to try to get a better video of it so the vet can see it. Normally, I’d have the vet out right away to look at something like this, but I just shelled out big bucks for our ulcer scoping, Lyme Disease treatment, etc etc etc, so I’m monitoring it for the moment and will talk with the vet and see what she thinks. I’m happy to rest it if that is what he needs.
This separation anxiety with Sunny has me getting pretty anxious myself. At the old barn, Wizard was the OPPOSITE of a typical herd-bound horse. He could be the only one in the barn, the only one outside, ridden alone in the arenas, ridden alone on trails, without a peep. He was turned out with geldings and they played quite a bit. The last month that he was at the old barn, he was turned out by himself, and was surrounded by mares. I heard from the people who had to work with him that he was a bit of a handful. I’m wondering if he might need to be out with geldings only. I don’t have a lot of evidence, but it seems like mares cause him to lose his mind. I have a particular distaste and lack of tolerance for herd bound horses, so this needs to be nipped in the bud. I can put up with a lot of quirks, but we need to fix this one.
For now, we’re keeping him with Sunny and slowly introducing him to other pasture buddies. So far, it’s a non-event. Cisco was in the same paddock, and they barely even looked at each other after they were introduced. The barn owner is hoping that once he’s in a small herd (4 horses), he will not look to Sunny so much for everything. Since the move to the new barn, she turned into his security blanket. We used to ride all over with Sunny at the old barn and there was zero attachment. This all started with the move a month ago.
My training plans are vague. Balancing a physical issue with a training issue is very difficult. Wizard does well with more work and handling, but the work that he needs involves circles and transitions. Quiet walking is not in his vocabulary right now. I really would like to get a diagnosis on what is bothering his leg so I could figure out how much work we can do. If I leave him alone to hang around with Sunny, he will just get worse, I fear. He had last weekend off while I went away for a quick trip, and he was pretty anxious when I worked with him after I returned. It’s a delicate balance, and we’re working hard to find it.
I tacked up Wizard and rode him in the outdoor arena. He’s still lame. It’s subtle, but it’s there. It’s the right front, and it’s worse around turns. He’s not upset by it, actually, he rides really nicely. We just took a quick spin at a walk, trot, and canter, and Mom took pictures. He was willing, forward, and happy. He picked up both leads comfortably, and was happy to travel in the wet footing. No ear pinning or anything like that. I’m wondering if the pre-ride Maalox is helping neutralize the ulcers temporarily before rides. The farrier is due on Monday morning, and I’ll talk to him about putting pads on him and see if he has any ideas about the lameness.
His quarantine period is almost over, and we’re going to start his UlcerGard treatment. He will be transitioning to 24/7 pasture, and not a moment too soon; he dropped weight from the move, and is cribbing as much as he did at the old barn.
So in the meantime, I’ll just keep visiting him and pouring money into him.
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?
First, the veterinary report, and then a bit of good news…
The first part of the vet appointment was another under-saddle evaluation. First, I rode him for a few minutes. He did his usual thing with the kicking and ear pinning. Then, the vet blocked his front feet. Then, I rode him again. He was more on his forehand, and stumbled more. At the canter, he nearly went to his knees. The vet did not see any notable changes other than the stumbling (some horses move out better if their feet hurt before they are blocked). Because he was so grouchy about having no food for his scoping, I decided to longe him to see if there was any change in his gait. The vet and I both did see some more freedom in his shoulder and more reach when he feet were blocked. She recommended talking to my farrier about experimenting with pads.
After 10 hours of no feed and 6 hours of no water, Wizard was properly prepped for his endoscopy. He was sedated, and then they put the tube up his nose so we could see what was going on in his stomach. The diagnosis? Grade 1 – 1.5 gastric ulcers (on a 0-3 scale). On this page, they sort of looked like the Grade 2 ulcers.
The vet recommended treating him for a month with UlcerGard.
We decided to hold off on the SI joint injections for now, since we won’t know what helped and what did not if we treat him with too many things at once.
And now…. drum roll… The Good News. After 3 1/2 years, I am officially a horse owner again. I signed the paperwork and Wizard is officially my horse! After working with him for so long (and for over 300 rides!), it seemed like the right time. I am so appreciative to Wizard’s previous owner for letting me work with Wizard after I lost Alibar (back when I started this blog!).
And the rest of the good news…
In order to strengthen his hind end, I made the difficult decision to move Wizard to another barn with more hilly trails. Several barns said that they could not board Wizard because he is a cribber. After doing extensive barn hunting, I decided upon a barn that is next to Assunpink Wildlife Management Area. With over 6,000 acres of trails, we will have more hills than we know what to do with. I will miss my friends at Handy Acres very much. I have close to 5 years of very happy memories there.
My friend stopped by the barn and watched Wizard ride. Before our ride, I longed him with the SW saddle on. It looked like it slipped forward a little bit on the longe line, so I fixed it before riding. Like a switch, Wizard swished his tail, pinned his ears, and kicked up with his hind leg whenever I put him on contact or gave him leg, and was fine when we walked on a loose rein. I walked and trotted, and he was just as unhappy as he has been for the last few rides. We began a dose of Robaxin, which is a muscle relaxer.
On Tuesday, I turned him loose in the outdoor arena and let him trot and canter at liberty. He had a great time stretching his legs, but was still backsore when I groomed him.
Wednesday, 10/19/11
I longed Wizard in the indoor arena on a mucky, rainy day. He was happy to work, and went great in both directions. He’s still goosey with grooming, but maybe not quite as much.
On Thursday, I turned him loose in the indoor arena to play.
Friday, Oct 21 is Day 11 of magnesium, and Day 16 of omeprazole. Day 7 of the nightly Back on Track blanket. So far, I see no difference with either supplement, or the blanket.
I left work pretty late, and met up with Kris at the barn. She longed Sunny while I rode Wizard in the outdoor arena. While we were grooming, Wizard was very grouchy about currying- this is the second or third time I’ve noticed him recently being so unhappy with grooming. It’s a good thing I ordered the magic “blue Pop Rocks”, aka Omeprazole granules. I’ve long suspected ulcers in Wizard, and did some treatment with Ulcergard until I ran out of funds.
Through the wonders of the Chronicle of the Horse forums, I’ve discovered a MUCH cheaper Omeprazole treatment, with the enteric coating that is designed to handle stomach acid. Wizard got his first three sachets tonight, mixed with molasses and a little grain as a treat. He did not have any problem with the taste. Hooray!
Wizard was also goosey under saddle- he flattened his ears a few times when I put leg on him. It will be very interesting to see if the Omeprazole helps.
The arena was holding some moisture, but there was only one really wet section. Wizard did not handle it quite as nicely as he handles drier footing, and I never really got that schwung that he sometimes gives in better footing. We walked and then did a few halts, followed by the trot. I let him trot loosely for a few laps, then asked for a little stretching, and then asked for transitions from walk to trot to walk to engage the hind end. As we continued with the transitions, he started to use himself a little better and maintain more contact. The contact was not as good as it was a few days ago, though. We trotted a few times over teeny, tiny cross rails and verticals, which woke him up and got him moving better. He cantered out a few times, and I let him. Once we had done a few of the little jumps, Wizard was able to open his stride a little and give me a nicer trot. When we were done, we cooled out at a walk, and I put him to bed with some hay. Let the blue Pop Rocks begin their magic…
I awoke to this text message from my friend Sarah: “UR going to need an Advil when I’m done with U.”
Great.
We started with JR. Sarah rode him for about 10 minutes as a warmup and worked on bending and softness through the ribcage. JR was willing and forward, but he has a habit of bracing himself with his neck whenever he does an upward or downward transition. I think that part of the habit stems from being ridden with a tiedown in the past. Riding him through it with light hands and lots of leg is what we normally do, so that he will learn to balance himself. But today, we used a gadget.
Forgive me, classical dressage masters, for I have sinned. A few years ago, I swore I’d ride in the mildest bit possible at all times and never use a gadget again. But today, we experimented with a well-known homemade training device. It’s an elastic side rein and a piece of baling twine. The side rein is buckled to the girth and snapped to the baling twine, which is attached to the bit. Sustainable Dressage has an excellent discussion of gadgets here. And here’s what should be done instead of gadgets.
I was totally leery about the side rein gadget, but I must admit that this one does not make me as mad as most gadgets. As you can see from the photo of us walking, JR can stretch his neck very low and in a natural and relaxed position. Secondly, he cannot brace against it like a horse can against a standing martingale or tiedown. It also does not interfere with a horse’s attempt to elevate his poll or round his topline. And best of all, it helped me to keep my hands really, really quiet. If I felt him bracing and tightening his neck, I could keep my hands steady and drive him forward and help him relax instead of fussing with him. I want him to relax his topline and elevate his poll, not tighten the underside of his neck. I hope not to have to use The Gadget very often at all or ever, but I have to say that it helped me to understand what I need to do to maintain JR’s rhythm and forwardness when he falls into his bad habits.
We worked on circles, figure 8s, serpentines, a little cantering, and a baby shoulder in- yahoo! Then, we trotted over three poles. I rode in a forward seat, asking for JR to travel as straight and forwardly as possible. He was stellar! Now I’ve really got the jumping bug :^D
We then moved on to Wizard. No gadgets needed, just a quiet seat and hands. He has improved so much physically and mentally. Today was the first day that he was balanced and relaxed enough to trot figure 8s and smaller circles around the arena. His transitions were the smoothest they’ve ever been and his gaits were the most consistent they’ve ever been. He was able to respond to my cues to bend him a little bit. By the time we were finished, I was beaming with pride.
Today was my best ride ever on both JR and Wizard- both horses were willing, forward, obedient. I progressed more with Wizard more today than we have since we started in late September. Is it the Ulcergard regimen we began two days ago? Is it the Panacur PowerPac? Is it the shoes? Is it the chiropractic treatments? Is it the five months of hard work and careful diagnosis? I’m not sure, but whatever it is, I’m thrilled. When I left the barn, I received this text message from Sarah: “U did great today!” I smiled, and took two Advil.
Rock and Racehorses: Sarah K. Andrew 