This was a glorious week in that I got to ride two times. The sun was shining, the puddles shrank to invisibility, and a warm wind started to blow. I am sooo glad that spring is coming!

During my lesson I told Debbie that I did not think I would be able to get stable enough to start jumping this winter. Her reaction? She slapped my lower leg and said we would work on getting my legs stronger, and also work on getting Mia strong enough to canter so that when I got…

The last several months I have been working hard to improve my position, with probably the vain hope of getting secure enough on horseback to safely jump two foot fences. My legs have improved greatly, I have gotten my seat forward in the saddle, and I feel like I am moving with the horse more. The biggest problem remaining has been my shoulders and back. My spine is mildly curved in two places, with a minor hump, and I had begun to despair about being able to get…

In between all the winter weather I just got to ride once this week. Debbie was worried about the ring being so wet, but since I was stiff from lying around the house I was perfectly happy just to walk. When we had finally groomed all the mud off of Mia, tacked her up and got to the ring I sort of groaned inside, lots and lots of big and bigger puddles. I was expecting having to coax Mia through each one.



I have been trying to get Mia completely comfortable with her…

When I finally got diagnosed with MS back in 1993 I sort of went through an existential crisis about my riding ability. I was SOOOO weak, unsteady and uncoordinated that I despaired of ever being able to start riding again, much less being a good rider. After a few days I finally remembered a tale I had read back in 1970 in the book "Riding Reflections" by Piero Santini (1933), Caprilli's fellow cavalry officer and student, and this story showed me a way forward.



In…

This has been an up and down week. First, on Wednesday it got up to 70 F and it was sunny. Since my riding instructor went to Florida I did not get a lesson. I also had to groomed Mia and got real tired. I rode anyway because it was so beautiful, and I figured if I did anything horribly wrong that I could count on Mia to bring it to my attention. To my surprise I did not ride too badly.



I had been thinking about grooming more because I cannot think of a better warm up…

It FINALLY got warmer this week!



Wednesday morning it still was in the upper 20's F, and when I took my lesson at 1:00 PM the ring was just starting to thaw out. I figured it would barely be warm enough to use the bit (mullen mouth snaffle), though Mia was not too sure about that! I changed back to my jumping saddle because riding in my…

Due to the frigid weather and the bitter North winds I only got to ride once this week. My teacher, Debbie, is from Pennsylvania, so a little north wind does not bother her! Mia is not quite as tough, she just did not like the cold wind, especially when it blew right into her face. This has been a common "problem" this winter, I am starting to think that I am the first one who has ever bothered to ride Mia when there is a cold wind, or through puddles, or when it was sleeting or…

I was very fortunate this week, I got to ride in above freezing temperatures.



The last few times I had ridden Mia (the Arab mare) in a bit something was not quite right. She would willingly advance into contact and keep her tongue relaxed, but she was not completely happy with the experience. So I decided to change to my mildest bit, the Mullen mouth snaffle the next time it was warm enough to ride with a bit. Friday--and it was above freezing!!! I had already changed…

Ah, the last week of the year. Since I won't get to ride this week, I decided to reflect on this past year.



I went to my calender and counted all the horses I rode and all the times I rode this past year. I had a pretty good year, I went over my goal of averaging at least one ride a week, though some weeks I did not ride at all. All together I rode 80 times.



I also achieved my goal of riding more horses, I got up on 6 different horses this year, though on…

We barely missed out the blizzard of 2009 down here in Stanly Co., NC. We got some sleet, a little snow, an inch of rain and lots and lots of puddles and mud. In spite of the drama with the weather I rode three times this week.



I got tired of warming up my bits before I ride so I dragged out my old Jumping Cavesson bridle (you can see it in my pictures, Numbers 5, 6, and 7,) and used it…

With MS, even if I am not having an "attack", my body can rapidly worsen. In the past three weeks I had a gradual decline in physical ability, one that I did not notice at first. Last week was the worst, three times when I walked without my canes I'd loose my balance unexpectedly, start staggering, and almost fall. I did not fall because riding has helped me recognize when I lose my balance, and because my thigh muscles are strong enough to keep me on my feet long enough so I…

The past two weeks I have been reminded by the mares I ride that horses REALLY appreciate being comfortable. The past few months I have been using the Micklem multi-bridle with snaffle bits (Dr. Bristol egg-butt and today a copper roller eggbutt snaffle.) The mares I ride do appreciate the multi-bridle, though I have had to modify some things to keep them comfortable.



Two weeks ago I changed the reins I use with Mia. The old ones I use are well broken in and I have…

I have been spending these last two months TRYING to get my body into the Forward Seat. Though I am showing great improvement in the stability of my lower leg, I am having great difficulty in keeping my knees in the knee roll. I start out great, but as the horse moves I find that my knees migrate back toward the stirrup leathers, robbing me of both my security and my main shock absorbers. I was beginning to despair, as nothing I did kept my knees in place in the saddle, unless I…

I have been riding the Welsh-Arab mare Cider for a few years off and on. All this time she has been trying to get to her owner, Shannon, in the center of the ring whenever I tried riding her around the ring on loose reins (we call it her nose dive.) Since I had gotten lost in the glory of coordinating my aids to get the responses I want I mostly used this irritating habit as a wonderful chance to practice coordinating my aids properly. And I can get her to go around the ring on…

First I want to thank all you people who made it through my Forward Seat Riding blogs. I found these lists in books I had never seen, or not seen for decades, and I just could not resist sharing them with all of you.



When I compare my seat with the Forward Seat ideal I am overwhelmed by my many faults. It is impossible for me to keep more than ONE thing in mind at a time, much less twelve! I concentrate on my feet and my hands wander about. I try to grip with my upper…

Jane Marshall Dillon owned, directed, and taught riding at the Junior Equitation School in Vienna, Va. from the 1950's into the 1970's, where she taught the Forward Seat. In 1961 her wonderful book "Form Over Fences" was first published. This book is unique, it only deals with the jump, and has lots and lots of pictures to train the reader's eye, both of mistakes…

The Forward Seat position for jumping adds several features to insure rider stability during the horse's vigorous movements while jumping. All the features of this seat work together, and if one is wrong then the whole position is weakened and the rider can interfere with the horse. While there are a few very talented riders who do not have to have a proper position over jumps, the normal rider will be much more secure and will interfere with the horse's efforts less when riding…

The Forward Seat position for fast equitation is quite similar to the Forward Seat position for slow equitation. There is a logical progression in learning position in this system since riding forward seat requires physical strength, and it takes time for the rider's muscles to develop and get strong. Though the differences between the slow equitation seat and the fast equitation seat are few, they are important to develop a secure jumping position. I am quoting the same books…

This description of the Forward Seat for Slow Equitation is from Vladimir S. Littauer's "The Forward Seat" (1935) p.34-36, with additional comments from "Common Sense Horsemanship" (1951, 1974) by the same author p. 61.



I have gotten questions about the Forward Seat position. This is probably the best description of the American System of Forward Riding. In the next two weeks I will write about the position for fast equitation and the jumping position.



This…

This week is my first full week at using the bit.



It is interesting how the mares differ in their reactions to the change. Mia is becoming much more cooperative at obeying the bit, and she is still giving me great contact. Of course I spend a part of my riding time on loose reins. This mare is starting to stabilize (keep the same speed until the next aid.) Twice when I stopped using my leg she continued at the same speed completely on her own on loose reins!!! One was…