JR Rides 53 and 54: Bay, Blonde, Grey

Monday 7/20/09 and Tuesday 7/21/09

The Blonde. I borrowed a western saddle for JR and rode him twice in it. The first ride was OK. Not much girthiness (cinchiness- ha!), longed fine for about 5 minutes, walked and trotted a little tensely but OK. The following day, he was backsore again. He was fine on the longe line (another quick 5-minute spin to see how he was moving in it) but was resistant as soon as he stood at the mounting block. His tail was swishing and his neck was tight throughout the ride. I walked him on the trails with Mary the Morgan for about 20-25 minutes. He was tense at first but relaxed toward the end. He just did not feel right. There were ruffled hairs under the saddle and it looked like the saddle was bridging. I think I need to move on with my saddle options.

The Bay. Wizard is enjoying his vacation already. As soon as my car pulls into the driveway, he hollers for the apple he knows I have for him. After he finishes the apple, he hollers for his alfalfa. After the alfalfa, he hollers for his beet pulp/supplement mix. Every day after his snacks, I groom him and graze him as long as time permits. He is fat, sassy, and happy. When he was outside all night, he was great to groom. The day he was in his stall, he was more reactive to grooming.

And what of the grey in your title, Sarah? Who is that pretty thing in the photo? Meet Selena, a Thoroughbred mare. She is sweet and well-schooled, but she has had a long vacation and I’m going to start getting her back in shape. On Monday and Tuesday, I started with grooming, hand walking Selena around the property, a few minutes of clicker work, and a little grazing.

Groom n Graze

Monday, 7/13/09

Sometimes, the horses just get groomed and get a little grazing time :^) I also tried a few western saddles on JR. I think I found a likely candidate, and we’ll try it in a few days.

JR Ride 52: Wasn’t Born to Follow

Friday, 7/10/09

Blahhhhhhh, JR feels backsore again. This is after an evaluation/adjustment by a veterinarian/chiropractor, a saddle adjustment by a master saddler, a few weeks of topline-strengthening ground work, and a week or two of light riding at a walk with only a few minutes of trotting. I could feel it when I was grooming him- his back sank significantly. He’s also becoming more and more girthy. I also saw the beginnings of telltale dry spots behind each side of his withers :^/

My next step is to try a few western saddles on him. I thought my dressage saddle looked good on him, but it’s possible that his shoulders are starting to get pushed now that he is filling out and slimming down. Since our riding is basic flatwork and schooling, the discipline is less important than a nicely-fitting saddle. Now all I need to do it learn how to ride western :^)

Our ride on Friday was productive. I started by placing a few boogery objects in the outdoor dressage arena. I used a tarp, held down by two ground poles, and a potted plant, placed in the center of the arena. As expected, JR reacted to the objects. He was completely controllable, but snorted and pranced when he saw the plant. I think the schooling is helping, though, because he was trying to eat the plant within a few minutes. He walked on the tarp nicely once he got a look at it. I longed JR for a few minutes. It was a just-ok longeing session, since he was caving in on the circle again. I think he does it when he’s lacking confidence.

I mounted up and we rode for about 25 minutes, mostly walking with a little trotting until my ankle said no more. My ankle is improving- whew! Mary the Morgan and her owner came out to the arena while we rode. I figured that another horse would help JR get over any concerns about the woods in the evening since there are quite a few deer crashing around there. JR wasn’t born to follow, though, since he gave a good-sized spook when we were at the edge of the trees in the arena. I stayed securely in the saddle, and circled him around in one fluid motion and rode past a few times and he was fine. It was good for me to finally feel what his spooking feels like under saddle. I’m sure he can do a much bigger one, but now I know what the average one feels like. We did a little lateral work at the walk, leg yielding in each direction. Productive ride :^)

I turned Wizard loose in the big arena to watch his movement. Still a hitch in the hind end, but thrilled to stretch his Thoroughbred legs.

She may beg, she may plead, she may argue with her logic
And then she’ll know the things I learned
That really have no value in the end she will surely know
I wasn’t born to follow

JR Ride 12; Wizard Ride 55: Natural Born Wizard

Monday, 3/9/2009

I think I’m going to have the chiropractor look at JR. He’s forward and willing, but he seems a little tight in his back. He’s getting goosier during grooming and feels a little tender through the loin. I’ve felt it since I started riding him and it’s not going away. I thought back to what I did for Wizard when we were first starting out, and he had two chiropractic/acupuncture treatments. It would only be fair of me to get JR aligned, especially since he’s already doing more demanding work with cantering and a little bit of trot poles. He’s a healthy and sound horse and I want to give him every advantage I can afford.

Our ride was good. I longed JR for about ten minutes. He was feeling a little fresh and did one or two little bucks and broke into a canter, although I only wanted a working trot. I usually only ask for a canter on the longe in very small quantities, more for balance and training than any sort of exercise. I prefer to do most longe work at the walk and trot, especially with green horses.

I rode for about 15 minutes and we did about 10 minutes of relaxing trot work. Unlike our last lesson, I mostly worked on “long and low”. JR has the habit of bracing with the bottom of his neck during transitions so I’m trying to work and stretch the muscles in the top of the neck and not let him brace the muscles in the bottom of his neck. It went well- I got a few nice stretches out of him and we did a baby shoulder in at the walk in each direction. I also set up the ground pole box (four jump poles in a square) and we did a little work on halts and disengaging the hind end. He’s wiggly at the trot and he’s heavier in my hands, but I think it’s his greenness and his build. When he’s more schooled, I expect him to take more contact than his friend Wizard.

Speaking of Wizard… breakthrough, breakthrough, breakthrough! I was on Cloud Nine after our ride tonight. I longed him for ten minutes to let him warm up- he did that wonderful working horse snort… not the purr of a jumper, but the rhythmic snort of a fresh horse ready for work. Under saddle, his walk was relaxed and willing. He chewed his bit slowly and thoughtfully, not nervously. I kept him on a large circle for our ride. I started on his hard side (right) with trot work. The transitions were the most harmonious yet! There was very little awkwardness and we got in sync really quickly. Wizard picked up a little bend when asked and did some amazing stretches. A few hints of long and low, on our way to the coveted dressage stretchy circle. We trotted left as well with the same results.

It might not have looked like a lot, but Wizard had a major breakthrough and it was thrilling. All of a sudden, things are falling into place. These are basic movements, but they were not possible without all of this careful riding and care for his health. I gave him Ulcergard and I’m still trying to figure out if it’s the magic bullet. If it is, it’s a pricey magic bullet ;^) Two of my barn buddies have confirmed my thoughts that Wizard looks like a new man- his belly is gone and his muscles are getting smooth and round. Wizard is a natural-born mellow and willing guy. He is eager to please and it is very rewarding to find the real horse as a result of all our hard work. I was getting close to giving him another long layoff, but the extra time and money have really paid off.

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!

JR Ride 6; Wizard Ride 49: My Adidas

Saturday, 2/21/09

The farrier gave JR a pedicure and a pair of Adidas for Wizard. OK, they were actually a set of half round shoes. But I like to call them Nikes, Adidas, wheels, etc. The farrier was pleased with the overall hoof health of both horses. Hopefully, JR can stay barefoot and hopefully Wizard will be more comfortable in his shoes (if you’re just catching up, Wizard has been footsore so I gave him some time off and now he has front shoes).

After the farrier left, I tacked up JR. The weather was lovely and the barn was very busy. I decided it was a perfect day for showing some new stimuli to JR. I always try my best to keep a training session within the comfort level of the horse and we take just a step out of the comfort zone with each session. It’s not always possible, since we cannot control the surroundings at all times, but I’ve always been taught that a horse learns best when he is stimulated but not overstimulated.

JR and I took a walk on the trails behind the farm (in hand, not riding). JR bravely negotiated the trails and was very well-behaved. When we got back to the barn, I longed him for about 10-12 minutes. We worked indoors. There were no jumps in the arena so we were able to to a really nice longeing session. I asked JR to do circles as well as traveling down the long sides of the arena. I’m really pleased with his progress. He really seems to be catching on to the “piece of pie” of longeing: his body is the short end of the triangle and I’m the point of the triangle, with my driving aids making up one long side and the longe line making up the other side.

After longeing, I mounted up and we had a short ride in the indoor arena. We worked at the walk, practicing some basic rein aids. Like many horses, JR bends more easily to the left. I rode for about 10 minutes. At the end of the ride. I asked him to halt and stand for about a minute before I dismounted. JR had listened to me even though there were a lot of distractions at the barn. I have a few lessons scheduled this week and I’m looking forward to taking my riding to the next level with the Yellow Fellow.

After JR was groomed and put away, I tacked up Wizard. I longed him first, then rode at the walk. From what I could see, Wizard appears to be more comfortable in his shoes. He was energetic and a little frisky on the longe line. There were children just outside the arena, where Wizard could hear them but not see them. He listened to me but I could tell that he was distracted. He had one “wahoo!” moment on the longe, when he spun in a fancy pirouette and bolted the other way. I calmy reversed him and he was fine the rest of the time. He’s had about 3 weeks off from any serious work so I’m not surprised that he was a little silly.

I mounted up and rode briefly at the walk. I wanted to get a feel for his stride with the new shoes. I’m waiting for my lesson before I do any more serious riding. Wizard seems comfortable and I’m thrilled. After I rode, we took a walk on the trails (in hand, not under saddle). Wizard was very good, especially since it was a different time of day from our normal sessions.

When we got back to the barn, I let Wizard hand graze for a few minutes and then groomed him. Both horses are shedding like crazy. By the time I was done working with both horses, I was TIRED! My rides were extremely low-impact and short but all the running around, grooming, walking on trails kept me busy. I have a feeling that I’ll get into riding shape much faster riding two horses instead of just one.

Since their turnout time was abbreviated due to the farrier’s visit, I turned each horse out for a few minutes in the big arena. JR leapt around like a hooligan but Wizard took the time to take a nice roll in the dirt and then he looked like he was ready to take a nap in the remaining sunshine. Maybe he was dreaming about his new sneakers.

My Adidas
walk through concert doors
and roam all over coliseum floors
I stepped on stage, at Live Aid
All the people gave an applause that paid
And out of speakers I did speak
I wore my sneakers but I’m not a sneak
My Adidas cuts the sand of a foreign land
with mic in hand I cold took command
my Adidas and me both askin P
we make a good team my Adidas and me
we get around together, rhyme forever
and we won’t be mad when worn in bad weather
My Adidas..
My Adidas..
My Adidas

JR Ride 1 (Session 4): Macaroni and Cheese

Monday 2/16/09

JR was kind enough to keep one side reasonably clean after his bath on Thursday. My friend Sarah remarked that his color was so pretty after the bath that he looked like a bowl of macaroni and cheese. Perhaps that can be his jumper show name ;^)

I tacked him up and we did a short longeing session. We worked at the walk and trot. He broke into a canter a few times and I used it as an opportunity to bring him back to the trot with verbal cues. JR is a lot heavier on the longe line than Wizard- it does not bother him at all to pull on the line. I do my best to use pressure and release to keep the circles reasonably round. JR was barely winded when I was done longeing him. He’s getting a little fitter and not getting as excited on the longe line. Hooray!

My friend Sarah rode JR for about 10 minutes. They walked, then trotted a few large figure 8s. She hopped off and said, “Your turn!”

I mounted up and was immediately amazed how sturdy he felt. He’s just over 15 hands but he is so round and substantial that my leg did not feel too long at all.

His mouth is way less sensitive than Wizard’s mouth. He did not mind if I played with the bit at all. I need to make sure I don’t get too handsy with him. He rode nicely in the Happy Mouth bit. It allowed him to keep very comfortable contact but he also had plenty of stopping power. I’m starting to really like these bits.

We walked for a few minutes, and then Sarah prepared me to trot. She reminded me that the first few steps might be a little bumpy because he’s green and finding his own balance. The trot transition actually felt easier than Wizard’s. I think it reminded me more of Alibar’s old trot- very Quarter Horsey. We trotted on a 20 meter circle each way, then rode around the entire arena. We worked on figure 8s and I learned how to work him through the center to help him balance, as well as how to ride him past the gate, where he likes to slow down. The lesson lasted about 20 minutes, which was really the most real riding I’ve done in months. The work I do with Wizard is much more at the walk and our trot work is in smaller bits, but JR is balanced and comfortable enough to start trot work already.

It felt really nice to do some meaningful work in the saddle. Speaking of the saddle, it was sliding to the side! The girth was definitely tight enough but the saddle still slipped. JR has nice withers but he is a round boy. I’ll need to do some tinkering to see if I can get the saddle to sit better on him.

When I was done riding JR, I groomed Wizard and brought him out to the arena to let him loose and stretch his legs. He seems a little more comfortable. I’m looking forward to the farrier appointment on Saturday. Hopefully a set of shoes on Wizard and a trim for JR will have me riding much more frequently.

JR Session 3; Wizard Session 48- I’m Your Boogie Man

Wednesday 2/11/09

Ahhhh, a warm, quiet evening! I arrived at the barn, knocked the dirt off of Wizard, and brought him outside to do some clicker training. There were some new jumps in the outdoor arena, including one fence with a white, flappy sign in front of it. Wizard arched his neck forward but approached the fence boldly and tapped it with his muzzle. Click, treat, good boy! We did a little more targeting and stretching, about 10 minutes of ground work altogether. My farrier confirmed that he can put shoes on Wizard on Feb 21 so we’ll do groundwork until then.

When I turned Wizard loose in the arena, I noticed something interesting: Wizard gravitated toward the flappy jump. Perhaps it was because it was his first targeted item of the night? I’ll experiment next time and see if Wizard gravitates to a different jump or traffic cone if I target it first.

I think the light work, coupled with the Dengie, is improving Wizard’s appearance. He looks rounder now than he did a few months back and his belly is tucked up a bit. When we were done, I fed Wizard his Dengie and put venice turpentine on his feet.

I tacked up JR and attempted my behavior experiment with him. We first targeted the flappy jump. He was more spooky about it but was nosing it boldly after just a few seconds.

Then, we worked on longeing. JR was really good. New arena, far end of the ring, night time, and he remembered our previous lessons in walking and trotting on the longe line. We did have one explosion when JR saw some sort of boogey man in the woods and did a complete 180 degree turn, followed by a little scamper in the opposite direction. I calmly changed his direction back and he trotted nicely the second time. I have had the best luck working through spooking issues this way: keep working calmly and don’t let the horse look at whatever is spooking him for a long time of he’ll just get spookier (usually). Under saddle, I’ll actually as for a shoulder-in away from the spooky object and it has worked pretty well with most horses.

We longed for about 10 minutes. JR did not break a sweat. I wanted to keep the session really calm and deliberate and we succeeded. I then turned him loose to stretch his legs, and guess what? He ran over to the flappy jump! I might be on to something here.

JR Session 2; Wizard Session 47: Baby Carrots are Your Friends

JR targeting a traffic cone

Monday 2/9/09

JR seems to be enjoying the attention and the work. I put my Moritz dressage saddle on him since it’s wider than my Stubben Portos. It looks like it will fit OK, but it might be narrow (it’s also too far forward in the picture). I’ll try to get a better photo of the saddle fit when I have an assistant hold the horse or snap the photo instead of me doing both ;^)

In only his second longeing session, JR has improved by leaps and bounds (no pun intended). I am using clicker training to mark good behaviors on the longe line. It appears that JR understands “go” but has little “whoah” or any gait variations on the longe. He also does not respond as much to “good boy” as Wizard does. Wizard comes to a full stop if I even think “good boy”, almost to the point of propping.

I kept JR on a much shorter line than last time and it really helped. The first few rotations, he hopped about, cantering, trotting, changing leads, and wobbling in a shape very unlike a circle. I worked a little on “whoooooah”, rewarded with a click and a baby carrot. I spoke very quietly and praised frequently, feeding the line a little and not using the whip at all. I then got a good trot in each direction- click and treat. I asked him to move off again and he walked- good boy! Click and treat. JR seems to be getting the hang of the clicker. Our session had very little aerobic work since I was trying to keep him at a walk and trot so afterwards, I let him stretch his legs in the arena. Wheeeeeeeee! Lovely flying trot and a few wild bucks for good measure. He immediately came back toward me when I called, which was very cool.

Wizard is on vacation from riding until I get my farrier to check out his feet. I did notice that the venice turpentine made his sole smooth and mayyybe a little tougher. I’ve noticed a personality change in Wizard in the past week or so- he’s not his normal laid-back, sweet self. Instead, he’s a little removed and sometimes I see his ears pinned back. Once he saw the bag of baby carrots, his mood brightened considerably :^) We did a little bit of work with clicker training (10 minutes), targeting jumps and doing stretching exercises. He tolerated grooming and I started a Panacur Power Pac, chased by a tub of Dengie.

Sarah K. Andrew: 2008- A Year in Photos

Happy New Year to all of my friends. Thank you so much for all of your comments and ideas and for making 2008 such a huge success for me.

I’ll always remember 2008 as the year I lost my beloved first horse and best friend Alibar. My heart is broken and I’m still deep into the mourning process, but I have a lifetime of wonderful memories. He lived such a happy and full life that I cannot be too selfish about losing him. I was always prepared for the terrible day, but it did not make things any easier when it came.

2008 was also a HUGE year for me as a photographer. This was the year that I:

– won Best in Show for the Equine Ideal Photo Contest
– got a photo on a wine bottle label
– was published in The Ultimate Horse Lover and The Ultimate Cat Lover as a photographer and a writer
– had a photo on the cover of the Monmouth Park 2008 racing program
– had a photo on the cover of American Quarter Horse Journal
– had a photo in the 2008 Belmont Stakes racing program

… just to mention a few!

I also met some wonderful new photo clients and travelled to some amazing events, including the Breeders’ Cup in California.

Click on any photo for more info…

Alibar and me on New Year’s Day 2008

Riding Alibar at the new barn in Feb before he hurt his leg at the end of the month

Wizard in January

Bailey in Feb

Bryan the sink cat

JR plays in the mud

Alibar on Groundhog Day 2008

Alibar after the hock injury

Alibar on St Patrick’s Day

Visionaire heads into the fog on his way to winning the Gotham in March 2008

JR being gorgeous again

Jonathan Andrew performing in Hoboken NJ

Rocket- Wheee!

Alibar’s 29th birthday in March 2008

The famous fluffy barn cat

Moose, aka Celtic Charisma

Tale of Ekati wins the Wood Memorial in April 2008

My favorite remote shot of the year

Perusal the Horse and Evil the Cat. Belmont Park

OH Justin Time, a silver grullo overo Paint stallion

Alibar gets a spa treatment

Garden State Barrel Racing

My friend Jenn and her horse Argo canter at sunset

Tiffany Foster and Robin Hood at Jersey Fresh in May 2008

Dressage at Jersey Fresh

Magik at Valley View Ranch in Georgia

Saint

John the Mule

Jake, Chip, Kat

Kel and friends

Cher and Tuxedo

Big Brown’s feet in June 2008

Casino Drive and the Anna House kids

I love a spoiler!

Third Barrel

Atlas, a playful Percheron

Kim Deal, the Queen of Cool

Rainy Saratoga morning in July 2008

Sarah and Patrick

The Runaway

You’ll get ’em next time, filly

Ginger Punch and Rafael Bejarano win the Go For Wand Stakes 2 years in a row

Half a Furlong Away

Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Sale in August 2008

Dancing Forever

Big Brown chases his shadow

Royal, a 31 year old Thoroughbred

Horse and Rider at Dawn

King of the Wind

Alibar in August 2008

September Spa Treatment

Horse Haven

Alibhai’s Alibar 3/28/1979 – 9/10/2008

Alone at the Wire

Charging into Battle

Wizard, my equine therapist

Gettysburg, PA in October 2008

Jonathan Andrew at Gettysburg

Gracie

Mallie

Flying Mane

Cutsie

Steeplechasing in Far Hills NJ in October 2008

Breeders’ Cup 2008

Curlin in sunny CA

I love CA

Zenyatta

Sunrise at Santa Anita

Jonathan Andrew rocking with Joshua Van Ness and friends

Hickory Ridge Farm, NJ

Homeward Maryland in November 2008

Larry Jones and Old Fashioned

Horse eyeball: a deconstructive study

Rusty the Spaniel

Santa Baby

Christmas with Slade

In memory of Wanderin Boy

In memory of Shakis

In memory of Rebel

In memory of Frodo Baggins

In memory of The Quiet Man

In memory of Tigger Too

In memory of beautiful little Gisele

In memory of Theodore O’Connor, the mightiest pony of them all

In memory of Herschel the Wonder Cat

And in memory of my first horse, the gamest and most generous horse of all, Alibhai’s Alibar