Nickname - Wicky
Seal Brown Appendix Gelding
Seal Brown Appendix Gelding
17 hands high
Birthday – March 7, 2003
Charming and stately.
Owned by Amanda, Wicky is very sensitive and worried about new people. He is an amazing ride, doing things when you just think them!
Owned by Amanda, Wicky is very sensitive and worried about new people. He is an amazing ride, doing things when you just think them!
I had a great ride Easter Sunday. The footing is still iffy, though getting better daily.
ReplyDeleteAmazing how the right saddle can make or break a ride. The previous Wednesday when Wicky was hopping, and I realized I had a saddle that was too wide, well, it wasn't pretty. That saddle rode reasonably well a week previous to that day of unhappiness. I think I might have had it too far forward as well.
Sunday was warmer, so his neck might not have been bothering him much as well. He was willing and calm and fun! I like the new stirrups, and I found that stirrup length is really important with large knee-rolls under the flap. I had read Margaret Freeman's blog-column on page 14 of the May Dressage Today and it made me think about that saddle and stirrup length issue even more.
I'm curious if you free longed him first on Easter? The day of unhappiness was a day where you didn't longe first, and we talked about how that could have contributed. Just trying to think of any other things that might impact his good and bad days.
ReplyDeleteExcellent question, actually. I longed him on the line on Easter, the good day. So, yes, that could have made a difference. The day before the naughty day he was free-longed, but that doesn't mean it applied to his brain on the day after.
DeletePsh, we all know horses have attention spans of 3 seconds. Day before is long since forgotten :) Have you (you as in all the riders at the barn) been stretching horses before getting on?
DeleteLately, just the walk around the ring is stretching! The mud is soooo much still, it's all we can do. I do stretch Wicky as I clean his hooves, but it's no replacement for getting to stretch all his long muscles and run his tension out.
DeleteI'm still laughing at the sight of Wicky in the pony pen today. His huge head rising above the little door.... and his tantrum was remarkable.
ReplyDeleteOh, my, the tantrums continue! He doesn't want THAT PONY to talk to "his" Tristan. He goes after her, cuts Tristan away, you name it. I haven't had time or been physically up to riding again since last Monday (not sure where my post about that ride went...) so, it's good that he's exercising himself with his tantrums!
ReplyDeleteI rode him Sunday 5/21. The footing was perfect. I longed him first, and rode in the dressage saddle. I had some of the best walk work I've ever gotten from him. His head was nice and low, and he was moving forward, tracking up. He responded to everything I asked, so I played around with leg, seat and weight aids. It was wonderful! Then we trotted. Yuck! The girls at show team were all pretty sure that he was uncomfortable. His head was up, he kept scooting and he was very hollow backed. When we finished, I checked his back for pain and didn't find any, but there were strange pressure spots from the saddle. I'll try to post a photo.
ReplyDeletehttps://goo.gl/photos/KHvUSQ2vmiucrCBe8
ReplyDeletehttps://goo.gl/photos/Rz9e3zPz2UJA9Gsm9
I had uneven sweat patches when I rode him the week before you (see next post, I can't post from my own computer, but I can from a different computer...?!), but I think his right side was more sweaty than his left, which is opposite what you had.
DeleteI rode Saturday, May 13. I let him run around the ring while Paul and I worked on footing, moved poles around, etc. He was well warmed up and the temperature was nice.
ReplyDeleteWe worked on yielding his shoulder, moving his hips, and I was trying to keep good riding form. I found I wasn't initiating the turns in my shoulders and I was riding off my toes a bit still. We trotted, what seemed like a lot, though I did take a lot of walking breaks. I realized after I was letting him escape through his hind end in the bending a lot. He was "drifting", I wasn't catching with my outside leg. I was VERY sore Sunday in my abductor riding muscles! Not bad today. That means it was a good amount of work.
I had Michelle on him 2 days after MaryEllen rode. She walked off the line, and he was again stretchy and relaxed. We did her trot work on the line and it was mostly good. He does get icky moments, but it was good. Of course we did free-longing, until he was done first.
ReplyDeleteSo, I'm thinking about going to the NWRDC show since Ali is the only one going, and riding in one or two classes! I rode today, 5/31/2017, just as a big electrical storm was coming up, so only got in about 20 minutes, but trotted most of that! His trot was not too bad, very stiff in places still, but not any consistent time or place. My outside hand kept dropping as I was working hard at posting and bending, and motivating the big lug. He was not super responsive to leg today! I had my breeches, 1/2 chaps and gloves on, "practicing" I should have been nervous enough to mess him up, but it was more funny than anything.
ReplyDeleteHe was silly backing. Got all worked up and threatened to hop up, though he never did. It didn't scare me at all, just annoyed me. WHY was he so worried? He backed in several other places he backed between two other poles, why there? Paul was standing in the middle of the ring, about 30 feet away, and could have been considered to be "behind" us, so I asked Paul to move. I did get the back where I was asking finally, but it still wasn't great. I wasn't planning on doing trail necessarily, just figured I hadn't schooled any backing in a while, so why not.
So, I did ride at NWRDC on June 4. Wicky was very good. Footing was a bit iffy. He slipped in our second class, I kind of slammed against the pommel and torqued my right groin muscles, bumped with my left leg, and got two strides of canter, but it was at extended trot in Road Hack, no way was he getting beaten in RH by those horses. Not their fault they aren't built like he is! He was good, my clothing was a mess! I didn't realize my shirt didn't button at the collar (I'd been wearing it as a beach cover up for years!), and I forgot my stock tie... A bit too relaxed in my prep. My 1/2 chaps are also too big. The photos showed me just how awful I looked, sloppy and floppy. Very sorry to have NOT taken more time with my appearance. That is something I should have done better with. No excuse for not looking the best I can, except I'm on a fixed budget of course. If I show again, I'll be sure to have better clothing!
ReplyDeleteWicky worked at camp Tuesday, 7/11 and Friday, 7/14. He went around like a beginner schoolie! I assume the biggest difference is the fresh grass having vitamin E and selenium. I'll be sure to put him (and Parzi) on a supplement once grass is gone.
ReplyDeleteI rode July 16. First ride since the show. My groin pull is still tender, but probably won't finish healing unless I use the muscles more! He was a completely different horse than my last rides!
ReplyDeleteI asked the spectators for critiques to help me fix my position, but the only ones willing to speak up were Emily B and MaryEllen (well, besides Paul). They all told me my shoulders were forward, and my outside hand is indeed dropping. Funny, it felt like I was leaning back... Goes to show you need a ground person, even if they don't know as much as you do, they can still see things like lines and angles!
Wicky was relaxed, soft, listening. Over-anticipaing still, but very good. We even cantered! 10 strides or so to the left, very nice. The right was very stiff, I felt as if he was disunited, everyone said he wasn't. The last 3 strides (of about 10) were much better as we came off a corner back down to trot. I'll have to remember that, to think "trot" every step of canter.
After the canter, every time I used a little leg, he tried to canter off. We did get to the point of him just trotting happily though. Then my muscles completely fell apart!
Rode today, August 20. That groin pull is still there... but I managed. I was messing a lot with stirrup length again, then I pulled the leathers and will mark them with a leather punch!
ReplyDeleteSo, no muscle on me or the horse. He was relaxed and soft, but not very flexible. I did a little light longe to loosen him up and he was dragging his right hind a bit more than his left. Nothing worrisome, just an observation. I was trying to get a little lengthening on the diagonal and oops, got some lovely canter! Did finally get a little more stride, but mostly just quicker. I have no balance, so it's to be expected.
I really thought about my shoulders when I wasn't thinking about keeping my legs still to the exclusion of all other thought... It's one or the other!
I think I need to set some goals and make some plans too. Those plans need to involve more frequent work, and less whining!
Emily SL rode him 8/24 She focused on not charging over a 6" jump! She had to hold, but time the "release", a 1/4" of give, at the base of the jump. In my experience, it is quite daunting to give at all when you know you are going to get run away with!
ReplyDeleteHe was pretty good coming off the short "A" side, with just 40' to the jump on the "E" rail. Coming from the other end, "C", he got worked up every time, we think because he was anticipating the jump. She did a bunch of halt in front of the jump, halt on the approach, then walk over it. Then I suggested a 20m left trot circle to the jump and she could sneak it in, but it was still more forward. Something to watch in the future: is it track left, or is it seeing the jump?
He certainly wasn't "hot" when I jumped him in the dark trying him out. I would say he was cautious, and rightfully so, but I don't think he was crazy. Perhaps he needs some chiro? or just stretching?
DeleteWasn't he quite hot though when you were trotting over little things here that first summer? I think he wasn't too forward there when you tried him out in the dark might have had something to do with the bit and martingale???
DeleteWe're seriously talking just 6" "jumps", a rail raised up on another rail. I think he always needs chiro, but the stretching we do, so not sure.
Emily SL rode again 8/30 and we did more of the 6" jumps. We did the jump on the other end, the "C" end of the long side, and he was still better track right than track left. That gives us more information. He trotted to and after many of them, which is fantastic. She allowed him to canter on a few occasions after the jump, it was track left each time, and after 3 or 4 strides, he got very rude.
ReplyDeleteShe asked about taking him to the 9/24 NWRDC show, and I am concerned about that much canter messing with his brain. She said she was willing to canter a few strides, then bring him back to trot. I'm totally O.K. with that, but I worry about them wasting their money of course. However, I've done things like that for the betterment of the horse, so it's not really wasting!
Wicky showed 9/24. It was at least 90 degrees and full sun! We were at NWRDC, parked up at the top like usual. He couldn't see any other horses from where he was standing for most of the day, and he could not care less!
ReplyDeleteEmily SL showed him Green Horse for safety. He is still very concerned at canter and at times he appears uncomfortable, then he bolts. Green Horse and Novice Rider were combined, which is silly of course, it just wasn't fair to the other riders. They were some nice horses, and nice riders, but not Emily's ability. He really isn't green, but we all felt so much better with them not trying to canter!
Wicky went very well in all his classes. There were only 3 in the division (4 in Fitting & Show), so really no competition. Carolyn, the extra person in F&S is an amazing horse-person and has spent so much time with her young horse in hand. It really shows. When Emily was doing a little warm-up for F&S, she was having trouble getting Wicky square, but in the show ring, he halted square on his own.
Emily psyched herself (and thereby Wicky) out a bit in trail, but it still went well. The bridge is always the first obstacle, and instead of looking up and ahead at where she wanted to go, her nerves got the better of her and she was looking down at the bridge. Of course then Wicky had to look under the bridge! It was really funny, he picked one front up really high, placed it well onto the bridge then carefully put his foot down and weighted it. The second front went on in the same way, then he just walked the rest of the way over it. No problems from there on. They do ask Beginners and Greenies to sidepass there... really strange if you ask me!
In pleasure, the judge called for extended trot, which we were not expecting, and Emily gave a little more leg. Wicky picked up stride a bit, but the ground was really hard, the cute part was the down transition to regular working trot, Wicky slowed down to snail pace! Didn't show much forward, but was quite happy to slow down in the heat!
Wicky has been working like a beginner schoolie! Used him in a lesson Tuesday, October 4 and when Parzi had his bucking fit, Wicky just kept trotting around doing his job.
ReplyDeleteI rode Thursday, October 5 along with Emily on Parzi. He was very good, we did a lot of walk, bending at the walk, engaging the walk, etc. I did do about 10 minutes of trot total, including bending through the 18' cones, changing the bend really well.