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.

Fool in the Rain

Thursday, 10/15/09

I am a fool. Thursday was cold, damp, and rainy. Possibly the worst day possible to give Selena a bath. But I did it. The plan was to put a sheet on her but my waterproof turnout sheet was professionally cleaned and spotless so I decided to give her a bath so she would be clean under the clean sheet. It was as skilled as brain surgery. Well, maybe not, but it was quick and efficient and successful. My friend and I had an army of towels waiting as soon as I finished shampooing and rinsing Selena with warm water. I used Pantene Silver Expressions shampoo to try to bring out her silvery color. The smell is pleasant and it did a good job. We dried her with towels and wrapped her in two coolers and I walked her in the barn to keep her warm. She dried remarkably quickly! At the end of the night, I had a clean horse wearing a clean sheet, snug as a bug in her stall as the rain poured down. I brought Wizard out to the indoor arena and let him stretch his legs. After he played for a little while, I let JR do the same. Brrrrr. I drove home and took a hot shower :^)

Selena Ride 19; Wizard Session 90: Big Orange Cones

Tuesday, 9/1/09

Another gorgeous Jersey day! The only hints of the miserable bugs from the past few weeks are the leftover welts and scabs on Wizard’s legs, chest, and sides. The air is dry so everything is healing up quickly.

When the weather permits, the horses stay outside at night. My new system with Selena is to bring her in from her paddock and let her eat hay in her stall while I walk Wizard. This seems to be a good pre-ride routine. The past two days, she trotted toward me, which is always rewarding for a horse person :^)

I hand walked Wizard and was accompanied by two riders, who rode Mary and Miss Tuesday. We hit the Across The Street trails again and were out for between 30 and 45 minutes. At the end of the straightaway, we got to a sloped trail with lots of little “roller coaster” dips- this is perfect for Wizard, who needs hill work to build strength in his hind end.

We got back to the barn as it was getting dusky. I grazed Wizard for a little while, and put him in his stall for hay and Dengie while I worked with Selena.

I grazed Selena for a few minutes before our ride. I was out in the outdoor arena under the lights with my two barn buddies and had a fantastic ride! In order to focus my ride and improve my position, I took my barn buddy’s advice and borrowed a Parelli exercise (I have mixed feelings about Parelli work, but what I like best is that there is a clear plan for rides and ground work). We set up four traffic cones at four corners of a square on the size of a big circle. I started the ride by walking and situating my position. Then we rode the circle and halted at each cone, walking between them.

Cones on a Circle

The exercise helped me to make my cues more precise and it helped Selena to learn to relax a bit because she recognized the pattern after a few circles. Then we played with the pattern, stopping every other cone, and sometimes walking past them. It helped me to refine my half halt as a precurser to the transitions and it helped Selena to learn to listen to me.

After the walk work in both directions, we began trot work. Selena was awesome! I think my position really helped her to relax and accept my requests to supple her. We walked from one cone to the next, then trotted to the next cone, and so on. Then we began skipping cones, and then doing transitions between cones. The exercise probably helped me more than it helped her, but it did wonders for getting me to focus and fix my position so I was actually sitting on my seatbones. Selena responded by relaxing her topline and stretching her neck. It was not a true stretchy trot, but it was relaxation and there was no resistance at all. Yahoo! What a difference a day makes.

Selena Ride 18; Wizard Session 89: Unintentional Intimidation

Monday, 8/31/09

Fall is in the air… in August! There is just a nip in the air and the nighttime temperatures dropped into the high 50s. The horses felt good and it was perfect weather for the barn. Then again, bad weather never stops me :^)

Wizard and I went for another stroll across the street on the new network of trails. He was just as pleased to walk the trails as he was the day before, even though he did not have any other horsey companions.

There is a long, flat straightaway on the path and I decided to take advantage of the exercise and do a little jogging. You would have thought I was the funniest person on the planet by the way Wizard reacted- he got SO silly, totally controllable, but entirely silly. He wagged his head back and forth, arched his neck, flagged his tail, and bounced along next to me, snorting happily the entire time.

We walked for about 30 minutes and I turned him out in the arena when we returned. Still looking good! As long as he keeps looking this good, I plan to saddle up and ride him late next week.

I rode Selena for about 30 minutes under the lights in the big outdoor arena. I took her off the big circle we’ve been doing for the past few days and worked on straight lines and I worked hard to fix my position. I tend to tilt my pelvis forward and slouch. I need to rock my pelvis back and straighten my shoulders and create some bend in my arms by using the correct muscles. The ride was less harmonious than the past few rides, but I was satisfied by the end result. She was much better to the right than the left.

Our riding companions were a lovely draft cross mare and her very nice owner. The mare is young but beautifully schooled. As Selena and I worked on riding back-to-front and worked out the kinks, I glanced over at the other mare and her rider a few times. They looked perfect. It was nice to ride in the arena with another horse and rider but at the same time, it was a little intimidating to see them riding so nicely. I need to get over myself and stop being so self-conscious.

Selena Ride 3: That Was Easy

Monday, 7/27/09

I’m counting down the hours until my first trip of 2009 to Saratoga Race Course. In the meantime, I’m spending time with the Jersey Thoroughbreds :^)

I hand walked Wizard for about 20 minutes and grazed him for about 15 minutes. He was a little quiet, probably from the humidity. I rode Selena for about 20 minutes, all at the walk. We rode indoors with Mary the Morgan and her owner. The mares got along quite well. I’m looking forward to taking them on trail rides together. Selena is a very easy-going mare who has more miles under her belt than the other horses I’ve been riding lately. I had forgotten how (relatively- ha!) simple it is to ride a horse who has had a good amount of training. Of course, we were just walking and things will be more challenging in the next few weeks, but so far I’m having a great time with the tall grey mare.

JR Ride 7; Wizard Ride 50: The Dirty Birdie and the Golden Boy

Monday, 2/23/09

Top Six Reasons I Like Working with Two Horses:
6) Making ride plans is fun.
5) One horse is bound to be considered “the good one” each day.
4) I get to sound all important and say, “I have to get on two tonight”.
3) Two eager faces greet me when I arrive at the barn.
2) By the time I ride the last horse, I’m feeling pretty mellow.
1) Double the work = double the exercise!.

Now I understand that real, serious riders get on way more than two horses a day, but please remember that I owned one horse for almost 20 years. Occasionally, I’d ride somebody else’s horse, but it was typically one horse per barn visit. Working with JR and Wizard is also fun because they are very physically and mentally different:

JR
Quarter Horse
Could lose a few pounds
7 years old
15 hands
Strong in my hands
Easy to groom
Reactive to unusual things
A little fidgety
Palomino
Stays relatively clean

Wizard
Thoroughbred
Could use a few pounds
13 years old
15.3+ hands
Sensitive in my hands
Sensitive to groom
Not as reactive to unusual things
Happy to stand all day long
Bay
Gets as dirty as possible during turnout

The luckiest part of the differences between JR and Wizard is that JR is a relatively neat horse. His stall is neat and he does not turn into a complete mudball every time he’s outside for more than ten minutes. On Monday night, I gave him a major grooming. By the time I was done, there was a layer of golden fluff on the barn floor. Some new lights were installed in the barn and for the first time, I could really get a good look at the pearly color that JR is when he’s very clean. When he sheds out and puts on a little more muscle, the Golden Boy going to look amazing.

Wizard is a dirty birdie. He is a slob in his stall and he is covered from head to toe in dirt every time I see him. If Wizard was a palomino instead of being bay, I’d never keep him looking tidy without blanketing and frequent baths. Of course, rolling is good for horses’ circulation, muscles, and coats. I remind myself of this every time I groom Wizard’s sensitive hide. All this dirt is a good thing, all this dirt is a good thing. Thankfully, the farm is relatively dry and the sand and dirt is “clean”; it falls off the horses pretty nicely. Though I’ve made serious progress with Wizard’s grooming routine, he’s still very upset when I curry him. I try my best not to dig too hard into his Thoroughbred skin, but I also must get him clean enough to comfortably put a saddle on him. My mind keeps returning to the prospect of Wizard having a problem with ulcers. Today, I bit the bullet and purchased a 14-day supply of Ulcergard. I’m also looking into any mineral deficiencies that may cause sensitive skin. Or he might just be the stereotypical sensitive Thoroughbred.

I rode JR first. It was a cold, windy night so we worked indoors. First, I hand-walked JR very briskly for about half a mile. I like hand walking as a warmup, and I think that teaching a horse to walk briskly instead of jigging is a very important thing. I also like the workout for both of us. Reminded me of Casino Drive in the mornings at Belmont last summer :^)

After walking, I longed JR for about 180 minutes. He is responding really well to driving aids and I can migrate around the arena while keeping him forward on a circle. And he’s a sharp little fellow; if I take my body posture out of the driving position, he’ll toss his head and spin 10 degrees and be going in the opposite direction before I can bat an eye. I keep the work to a walk and trot for the most part but I do let him canter once or twice around to teach the gait and see how he’s moving. He’s so athletic- if he gets off the bend of the circle, he swaps his leads and plays on the straightaway. Down the road, under-saddle lead changes will not be difficult for this guy. I longed JR in my quarter sheet and he did not seem to mind the flapping fleece, even at the trot.

I then mounted up and rode at the walk. I kept the ride at a walk because 1) my next lesson is Wednesday night 2) it was reallllly windy and the arena doors were rattling. There’s plenty for us to do at the walk, believe me! We walked the length of the entire arena and did work along the wall as well as in the middle. Our last exercise was to stand quietly at the far end of the ring for 30 seconds, facing away from the gate. JR was a little wiggly but once I got the behavior I wanted, I immediately dismounted. Good boy!

Wizard was next. We did the exact same routine: hand walking briskly, then longeing, then riding at the walk. Wizard’s walk is so nice. I look forward to the day when we can ride on trails because he’s going to be so comfy! Wizard is not as forward, silly, and bouncy as JR on the longe line, but he’s had probably 30 more sessions on the longe than his little yellow friend. It looks like Wizard’s new shoes are proving to be a good thing. He seems like he’s more comfortable at the trot. He longed really nicely, but I’ve almost grown to expect this out of him. I asked him for just a bit of canter on the longe, mostly to practice gait changes and begin the long road to getting him balanced. His canter was noticeably smoother with the new shoes. Hooray!

Under saddle, Wizard felt very nice, much more responsive than the last ride. We rode along the walls and in the center of the ring, walking a few patterns. The one bad thing I noticed was that Wizard did not stand like a stone when I got in the saddle. I’ll need to do a little work with him to make sure he keeps his good manners. He stood nicely at the end of the ride for 30 seconds at the far end of the ring. His head raised and his ears fluttered when the wind whipped but he stood his ground.

Product Rave: Thermatex Rugs! In the words of Ferris Bueller: “It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.” They are quite pricey, but keep an eye out for bargains, especially this time of year. I got mine on Tack of the Day. They run large, so order one size down for a form-fitting rug or order your horse’s usual blanket size for a roomy-fitting rug. The wool-acrylic blend keeps the material feeling luxurious and it’s supposedly washable. The 78″ size fit both stocky, short JR and lanky, leggy Wizard really well for a loose but good fit. It quickly wicked all moisture away from their coats and left the hair soft, not crusty. I bought the black rug and it looks very dapper on both horses. The rug conforms to the shape of the horse and is very well-made at the withers so there is no pulling or pinching whatsoever on either a round horse or a horse with high withers. And it does not weigh a ton- it’s a nice weight.

PS- I was contacted by a reader who is selling a Thermatex cooler (size 81″) for about half the retail price. Blue with red piping. Please let me know if you’re interested and I can pass the info along :^)