Wizard Sessions 387, 388, Ride 389: Sore Thumb

Wednesday, 7/25/12

After work, Jon and I took Wizard for a hand walk. We went out the big back field behind the Horse Park, up to the “bowling pin”, and down the road back to the barn. The weather was stunning, and we had a really nice walk in the park.

Friday, 7/27/12

After work, I took Wizard for another hand walk, around the same route as Wednesday, but with a reversed path. I’m getting fitter from the hiking, and Wizard seems to enjoy it, despite the buggy nights. Unfortunately, he lost weight again. I’m going to take a good look at his feed plan, and I think he is going to need to go back on some senior feed for part of his ration.

On the way back to the barn at the end of our walk, I tripped over a root, took a dramatic fall, and somehow landed on my thumb in the process. Thankfully, Wizard stepped away from me and stood quietly instead of trampling me. Extra carrots for him. My thumb is swollen- I’m guessing it’s a sprain.

Saturday, 7/28/12

In the morning, I went for a ride with Kris and Sunny. We were out for about an hour, riding from the back field behind the barn to the fields by the lake to the “bowling pin” field. Wizard was a little perky, but behaved himself very well. I kept my thumb immobilized with Vetrap- it worked very well.

This week, I saw countless rabbits, plus some sort of bird of prey, plus a fox. Ahhhh, the great outdoors…

Wizard Session 382, Ride 383, Session 384: Ranking Full Stop

Tuesday, 7/10/12

Jon and I took Wizard out for a hike in the Assunpink. It was pretty hot and we were out for well over an hour. We walked through the back field behind the farm, around the Horse Park cross-country course, and up the road. Somewhere in the Horse Park, Wizard lost his left front shoe.

NOOOOOOOOOOO!

I got him home safely, and his foot did not get badly shipped or shredded, thank goodness.

On Friday, the farrier put a new set of shoes on him. We removed the leather rim pads and he welded a few dots of borium on his shoes for added traction and wear.

Saturday, 7/14/12

Borium is sticky. Really sticky. Wizard was tripping a bit during our ride, and I could feel his feet “grabbing” the road more than I expected. I think I’ll skip the borium until perhaps the wintertime when ice is a risk. We rode out on the trails with Sunny and Brigid. We went out through the field by the log cabin, over the “bowling pin” hill, down into the “secret corn field”, and looped back around. We trotted the long side of one of the fields- it felt soooo nice to trot. My back is still cooperating, yahoo! We ended up on the road and walked back to the barn, where I did a teeny bit of ringwork with Wizard for the first time in MONTHS. We just trotted around and I asked for a few leg yields. He felt strong and willing. I quit before my herniated discs protested, cooled him out, and put him back in his paddock.

Sunday, 7/15/12

Wizard and I took a brisk walk up the bowling pin hill and down the cinder road. I took him back to the barn for a good grooming. He developed a little bit of crud on his right hind cannon bone, so I am going to be more diligent about making sure he’s fully dry after I hose him off and before he goes out in his paddock.

Selena Session 49; Wizard Ride 119: Wizard and the Giant Peach

Sunday, 11/15/09

It has been three weeks since Wizard’s feeding regimen was altered. He now gets a little bit of senior feed mixed with his regular grain and I also give him a rice bran mash. He picked up his weight quickly and he looks lovely. His coat is glowing and his muscle tone is very good for a horse in light work.

Wizard and I went on a trail ride with Mary the Morgan and her owner. We wore our bright safety vests in order to be as visible as possible for hunters. We rode over 5 miles. Throughout the ride, Wizard was alternately great and awful. At times, he walked along like a pro, light on the bit, forward, and comfortable. And at other times, he was hopping around, kicking up a little and prancing. I thought the kicking was related to the flies (there were a few buzzing around) until Mary’s owner mentioned that it looked like he was kicking at his belly. I dismounted when we walked past the Infamous Piggies (who are gone, by the way!) and checked Wizard’s belly just to be sure nothing was wrong. I had no expectation of finding anything but there it was, on his midline and ahead of his sheath: a huge swollen tick bite! It was larger than half a golf ball, almost the size of a peach. The tick was not attached so I removed it and felt for any crustiness or oozing.

I remounted. He was still playing with me (I was pretty pleased with my riding- I was able to stay light and quiet in my seat and settle him nicely) but he was more settled. It seems like this horse is extremely sensitive to discomfort and this tick bite has been driving him mad.

When we got back to the barn, I hosed him off (he was a little sweaty in the warm air) and gave him some alfalfa.

I took Selena for a hand walk with Mary the Morgan. We did some ground work along the way, encouraging her to walk at the proper leading distance. She caught on by the end of the walk. We walked over 4 miles and encountered all sorts of exciting things: several ATVs and some random gunshots. Both mares were fantastic- they watched the ATVs with interest and merely flicked their ears when the gun fired.

When we got back to the barn, I worked on some more schooling with her. There is a mare at the barn who calls and calls calls when Selena leaves the barn. When we returned from our walk, I heard the mare calling so we practiced standing and walking around the property while the mare called. Once Selena was focused on me, we went back to the barn for some grooming and treats.

Selena Ride 46; Wizard Ride 116: Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

Conformation photos of Selena. I’m very pleased to see improvements in her topline and neck.

July 22, 2009:

October 21, 2009

Thursday, 10/29/09

I could not get much done during my ride with Selena due to a lot of distractions at the barn. We mostly walked and did just a bit of trotting. It was practically not a blog-worthy ride :^P After our ride, I gave her a bath. While she was drying, I put two coolers on her and let her munch hay in her stall. The cheeky girl decided it was a great time to roll in her stall, right on the pee spot. Now I’m stuck with two stinky, shaving-encrusted coolers. Blech!

But Wizard’s ride was definitely blog-worthy! We took a walk on the trails with Mary the Morgan and her owner and Wizard was FANTASTIC. It was one of the best rides I’ve had on the trails with him. We rode for about an hour and I dismounted when we walked past the pigs but he stood like a perfect trail pony for me to remount for the rest of the ride. He got a little rambunctious when we were walking behind Mary for part of the ride but was sterling once he was on the lead. Was it the Ulcerguard? The rice bran? The senior feed? The schedule? The increased turnout? The alfalfa? The ground work? Who knows. Whatever it is, I need to keep it up.

Both horses got trimmed by the farrier. I kept Wizard’s shoes on and kept Selena barefoot. If I end up giving Wizard time off over the winter, he will get his shoes removed and Selena might need them if we increase her workload but both seem fine for now as is. And they both earned a week-long vacation while I go to California to watch their cousins run in the Breeders’ Cup.

Groomin’ and Grazin’

Wednesday, 9/16/09

The horsey advice books always tell riders to take a day off from riding and just spend time with their horses. I had a tack cleaning extravaganza on Tuesday night so I took the opportunity to let my saddles soak up a little more Lederbalsam and gave Selena and Wizard a good grooming and some grazing time.

Selena is such a sweet mare. She nickered when I arrived (probably was really saying, “APPLE! I SEE APPLE!”) and playfully arranged my hair for me while I groomed her.

It is good to take a day off to check the overall condition of the horses. Selena is gaining muscle and fitness- it’s a wonderful thing. Wizard, on the other hand, looks like he dropped a few pounds. It is not enough to cause concern but it was noticeable enough for me to take a mental note of it. I turned Wizard out in the indoor arena and he trotted and played for about 15 minutes. I had to reschedule my farrier appointment for a 5-week interval because both horses’ feet grew so much. I’m watching the weather for tomorrow. So far, it looks like a good day for a ride and a hike.

JR Ride 8; Wizard Ride 51: Heels Down!

Wednesday, 2/25/09

I lost Alibar in September 2008 but I still see reminders of him all the time. I bought a bag of hay cubes for Wizard and I just about started bawling when I started making them. We made hay cubes for Alibar for over a decade- it was a signature Alibar dish.

I started the night with JR. First, I turned him out in the indoor arena to let him blow off a little steam and stretch his legs. We worked on some clicker training at liberty. Although JR was a little slow out of the gate with clicker training, he has caught up really quickly. I rewarded him for circling around me and also for approaching me on command. I think that a moderate amount of liberty training really strengthens the bond between horse and rider. I’ve never used round pens- I find a big arena to be just fine for what I need.

I tacked up JR and Sarah rode him first. She rode for about 10 minutes. She worked on adjusting his stride- forward trot, working trot, sitting trot. She also cantered him. For a green horse who has been out of work for more than a year, he was quite balanced. JR has a really nice inner balance and rhythm and I think he has the ability to go really far as a riding horse. JR just barely broke a sweat by the time she was done.

Then it was my turn. JR and I had a workout! Sarah really put us through our paces. We trotted figure 8s, serpentines, and figure 8s down the long side (really skinny figure 8s). Sarah asked us for three trots: forward trot, posting trot, and sitting trot. JR has a remarkable forward trot! He never feels like he is going to break into a canter and he sort of floats along. His natural ability to adjust his gaits will be an asset if he ends up doing any dressage. We rode for about 20 or 25 minutes. By the time we were done, I was sweating! I’ve ridden all my life but since Alibar got sick and before that hurt his leg, I barely rode in 2008. In the beginning of the lesson, JR did a lot of adjusting his head, sometimes up, sometimes out, sometimes down. At the end of the lesson, I could feel JR stretching into the bit and accepting contact. His trot became more rhythmical and easy to ride. I cooled him out, groomed him, and moved onto the next victim :^)

I let Wizard spend about 10 minutes loose in the arena to stretch his legs and so I could see how he was feeling on the new shoes. He looks more comfortable. I tacked him up and Sarah rode him for about 10 minutes. A lot of the relaxation and schooling we did in January has regressed. He was back to being tense and anticipating the trot. Sarah was very patient with him and worked on asking for a quiet trot on a large circle. He did relax a bit after a few rounds. Then, I rode him for about 10 minutes. I think that it will not take as long to get him settled this time around as it did last month. Even though he had a layoff, I find that horses pick up training quickly once they have already learned it at some point. We did a few quiet walk/trot transitions and then walked some more, working on getting him to his “happy place”. Wizard simply needs more physical care and work than JR. I love working with them both and I am beginning to appreciate their differences.

It’s also really nice to be doing actual riding lessons. It feels good to have somebody tell me to put my heels down :^) Part of the comfort of a lesson is that I can allow somebody else to pilot the ride while I work on myself. I can focus more and we both improve. I’m really impressed with the progress we made. Can’t wait for the next lesson!