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…

It has been sort of rough the past few weeks. My husband got the flu, then I started having an exacerbation on my MS, then I got the flu and could not do much for two weeks. Luckily I do not have permament harm this time, so it is back to riding!



Every year after the summer blahs I always worry if my hands are good enough to ride in a bit. Forced by the bad effects of the heat on my MS I HAVE to ride bitless during the summertime. I am so grateful for the cross-under…

I met my first horse (a TB I think) in 1957 in Chile. He was sooo big, and sooo tall. This horse was kind, when my little finger got taken into his mouth with the treat, he pushed it out with his tongue before chewing.



My mania for horses gave me a sort of stability through all the moves of my father's Foreign Service career. I got to ride in the foothills of the Andes, this sort of spoiled me for normal trail riding. Then my family rode on the white sand beaches in…

Another wonderful week, in that I got to ride 3 times. If my energy keeps up I could get to like this!

Although the heat has started to moderate down here in NC, it is still incredibly muggy. I am grateful that those horrible flies I call buzz-bombers (you know, the ones over 1" long) have yet to appear in great numbers.



Mia surprised me Friday. The jumps in the arena were being re-arranged, with various parts of jumps temporarily being stored just outside the…

This was a wonderful week. For the first time in three months I got to ride 3 times in one week!

I got to ride Mia twice at Debbie's, which was nice. Even though it was still hot on Friday I gave up ignoring Mia's hooves and hoping that what the farrier did would be enough to see her through. So I got out my rasp and hoof knife and started on her front feet, trimming the sole a little and evening out her hoof wall. Her back feet may have to wait a few weeks as I get…

Well this week I got to ride Friday and Sunday on Mia and Mars. I did not get too tired from riding Mia, the poor mare was still sore from her last trim, very reluctant to extend, but being the Arab that she is she tried to do everything I asked for even though she hurt. So I practiced my jumping position at a walk, trotted some and worked on my leg position. I did not get terribly tired.



Then on Sunday I rode Mars. He is getting resigned to being ridden again, but I…

I started reading non-fiction books about horses for about 47 years ago when I got my first serious horse book "Cavalcade of American Horses" by Pers Crowell. Since then I have been trying to read just about every non-fiction horse book I have run across. In 1963 I got access to books on HOW TO RIDE in my junior high school library and have been reading books on how to ride ever since. In high school I finally got access to two serious riding books, "Common Sense Horsemanship"…

This morning the ground was wet, so I looked at the TV weather and it looked like there would be a tiny gap with no rain, so I decided I would ride anyway. Shannon thought her ring would stand up to it as we are mainly riding at a walk now. I got to the stable, it had stopped raining, so we tacked up.



Mars was a little happier today, I changed to my dressage saddle, and Shannon said he…

Today I got to ride Mars at Lanolin Farm. Since Shannon had gotten all her horses in the small paddock, Mars decided to cooperate, let himself be caught at the first try and did not make too many faces over being groomed and tacked up. Just think, Shannon did not have to convince a running, bucking and kicking pony that it was time to be ridden. Sounds good, doesn't it?



But when I got up on Mars's back he WAS NOT HAPPY. Reluctant to move forward, extremely reluctant to walk in a…

Every summer I have to face the fact that my normally good hands deteriorate. My tremors increase, the sensitivity of my skin decreases, and my responses slow down. The horses I ride notice this long before anyone else, and by various means they tell me--hey, time to go bitless.



The first signal of my degredation comes when the horses I ride ACT like they are on full contact, but when I see my reins they are slightly sagging. My horses are still perfectly willing to…