A New Home for Wilson

Nancy and Wilson

I’m so very pleased to announce that my foster horse Wilson (aka Sunny Thoughts) has been adopted!  Yay!  Its all official except for the taking home.  Wilson will remain in my care for a couple more weeks so that we can get all of the formalities taken care of.  After that, he will be off to his new home in Illinois.  I’m so very excited for him and his new owner.  I think they are a great fit!  I’ve included a photo of them from a few weeks ago when she was here to visit.  Congrats!

 

Wilson’s Video Debut

Here he is in all his glory…Mr. Wilson!!!

New Video – Sunny Thoughts

 

Such a Good Boy

I had such a wonderful ride on Wilson today.  He takes a while to warm up — a good 1/2 hour of trot work on the lunge or in the round pen.  But then under saddle, he is just wonderful.  Today was the first day he really figured out that it is easier (or perhaps more comfortable) to stretch down rather than go around like a giraffe.  We have yet to canter as I think he needs a bit more work before we go there.  Aside from that, he is really doing nicely. Of course, he still has stiffness and balance issues, but he’s really trying so hard and starting to figure things out.  I’m so very pleased!

 

Hard Work & Appreciation

I really enjoy teaching the track horses new skills.  There is definitely a workout in it for me though!  Today, Wilson’s only real requirement was that he had to be soft.  I didn’t care where his head was, he just had to be soft in the jaw and the poll.  And so, in order to help him understand about driving the energy forward into the bridle, my legs and seat got a major workout.

Wilson is a good boy.  He figured out quickly that a whip in my hands does not mean run forward, but rather “move this body part over.”  This came in handy when asking him to be soft.  The biggest issue is lateral stiffness through body, especially to the left.  He wants to fall to the inside when going left, so to actually create left bend while moving outward on a circle requires quite a bit of support from my inside leg.  It helps having the whip to tap either on the haunches, the shoulder, or just behind my leg.  Typically, its his shoulder that has troubles moving independently.  Keeping an opening rein both directions helps him shift his balance outwards (off that inside foreleg) and move outwards on the circle.  We had previously worked on the ground learning to yield to the whip (or pressure in general) and he quickly figured out moving away from pressure.  It has translated well under saddle, but his balance (or lack their of) makes it difficult for him to move his limbs laterally.

Still, I was pleased with the results.  Most of our work today was at the walk, but I had a nice, engaged and active walk that was also stretched down and forward — oh yes…and soft in the poll and jaw.  I think it was probably the best walk that he could give me today, and I was quite pleased with him.  He really is trying hard to figure out what it is that I’m asking him to do. Such a good boy!

And its rides like that on Wilson that make rides on my mare even more fun.  Today, I rode Jewel outside.  I love having a big fenced outdoor arena.  I didn’t lunge to warm up, instead I got on and walked for a bit, then a bit of trotting followed by some good gallop.  The outdoor is large enough (around 100 x 275) that we can have some good hand gallops where she can really move forward, I can get up into 2-point and she can stretch down over her topline.  We did a couple sets of gallops each direction and it really got her thinking forward.  We had some really nice, long, forward stretchy trot work after that too.  I don’t know how I’ll ever sit that trot.  Its powerful and long, but bounces me up even when I post.  God…please grant me the discipline to strengthen my core enough to sit that trot.  Thanks! 

It was a long time coming for Jewel and I to get to where we are today though.  I would never have been able to ride Wilson (and any of the other foster horses) if I had never been through all the work with Jewel first.  Its been an amazing ride and it just keeps going.  I love it!

 

Photos of Wilson

Just wanted to share some photos of Wilson.  When he focuses, he is really a good boy!  Someone is going to get a nice horse in him.

 

Riding Time

I’ve started riding Wilson (pictured at left).  He is a really good boy so far.  I’ve been lunging him outside in the pasture.  The footing is quite a bit dryer out there than in the outdoor arena (the outdoor doesn’t drain as well).  He doesn’t have very much topline muscle and he tires quickly.  But, he’s willing enough.  I got on him for the first time last Sunday.  It was quite a treat, actually, because Pam and Olivia who adopted JC (now known as Sawyer), were visiting.  They got to meet Wilson and Ned and were there to witness the first ride.

Wilson was really quite good though.  He stood quietly for mounting, which is something they usually need to learn to do.  He’s very out of balance at this point, mostly because of the lack of muscle.  So he’s using his neck to really held him out (which means the underside is quite thick and strong).  I’m going to start working him in the side reins to encourage him to flex at the poll and stretch down and foward. I think this will help him start using himself correctly.  I’ve also been working with him in hand with the dressage whip so that he has an understanding of moving away from pressure.  He caught on to this very quickly and is very willing to move laterally.  Yay!

As far as riding was concerned, he did great.  Aside from the fact that he does go around like a giraffe right now, he’s very responsive to my weight.  We walked and trotted both directions coming back to the walk or the halt simply from a shift in my weight.  He falls to the inside and really needs support on the right shoulder from the crop/whip to help remind him to shift his balance over on the circle.  I find this to be pretty common though.  I used a dressage whip to help support the shoulder and he quickly figured out that the whip didn’t mean go faster, but rather move over.

Slowly but surely, I think he’ll make a really nice horse for someone.

In other news, Ned is heading up to Jan and Archie’s for some trail riding work.  He leaves on Saturday.  I think that will be really good for him.  He needs to go to someone who can ride him through any potential issues and see where he’s at in riding skills.  It should work out well.  He’ll be there for a month and get a lot of saddle time.  I’m looking forward to seeing how it works out with him.

Jewel is also coming along nicely.  I’ve been able to lunge her outside and its making a big difference.  March is usually her crazy month — spring sillies.  She’s been really good.  I’ve been working her for a good 1/2 hour on the lunge line before I ride though and I really do believe that it makes a difference.  She is getting fitter and I’m looking forward to really building some good back muscle on her this summer.  She just needs more muscle.  But I must admit that she is looking better physically (coming out of the winter) than she has coming out of any other winter that I’ve owned her.  I’m really pleased. I think the combination of grass/alfalfa mix hay, strategy and Ultimate Finish, along with regular work, are really a good thing.  I am going to be putting her back on the Ukele oil now that the temps are above freezing.  She really likes that stuff and tends to do very well on it.

Aside from the muscle/strength building, I’m really going to be working on developing our trot lengthenings and working on her connection at the canter.  She likes to rush the lengthenings and wants to come above the bit at the canter.  They’re all getting their teeth done in a month or so, so after that — NO EXCUSES!   In the past, Jewel and I kind of came to an agreement which worked really well for training/first level.  The agreement was essentially this:  I won’t ask too much of you as long as you don’t fuss and just go along quietly.  Well, now that we’re really at a place where we should be showing second level (accept for the stength issues) its time to kick that agreement up a knotch and say hey…its time for you to carry yourself where I put you.  Of course…Jewel being a mare means I have to more request it and then convince her its a good idea.  Ha ha.  Time will tell. Stay tuned!