I did not get to ride this week.  Either it was too wet (just rain this time), cold, or I had a head cold.  So I read in some old horse books I just got, two from the U.S.A. Cavalry and an old one from an ex Russian cavalry officer who got taught by both James Fillis and Federico Caprilli.  This guy literally got to learn riding from both sides, the high collection of Fillis to the free extended movement taught by Caprilli.  This cavalryman, Colonel Paul Rodzianko, wrote in the forward to his book "Modern Horsemanship" (printed in 1950) that he considered both systems valid, the system developed by Fillis as the best one for riding in an "artificial balance" (he mentions Polo, Haute Ecole, and Hacks), and the system developed by Caprilli as the best one when riding a horse in "natural balance", especially cross-country.

So what does he write about in his first chapter?  It is titled Courage or "Heart" (page 24). 

     "The courage or "heart" of a rider is one of the most essential qualities in a horseman."

     "The courage of the horseman leads to successful results, and, combined with the courage of the horse , can almost create miracles, such as I have witnessed in the Italian Cavalry School, in England (especially in the Shires), and in Ireland." 

And on pages 26 he writes

    "I witnessed some of the most extraordinary cases after I had lived in England for several years.

     I saw riders with one arm hunting, winning races and show jumping competitions.  In the hunting field I saw riders with both arms missing, whilst others had no legs.

     I saw gallant riders of over eighty hunting in the Shires, and riders about the same age winning races as Punchestown."

Then further down the page he writes

"...courage and knowledge must be combined so as to give the perfection in horsemanship that leads to success."

That got me to thinking.  When I finally got back to riding around a decade ago I was extremely weak and unsteady on my feet beause of the effects of my Multiple sclerosis.  I did not feel very confident doing anything physical, and I was wearing out my electric wheelchair taking care of my horses.  Since I had already ridden for over twenty years I knew the challenges I could face staying up on a horse's back.  I can tell you that I did NOT feel very brave or courageous!  After much thought I finally decided the type of conditions I needed to be brave enough to start riding again.  I needed horses that were used to less than perfect riders, horses that got plenty of regular exercise, a decently surfaced and fenced riding ring, and I needed an authority figure for the horse in the middle of the ring.  I finally found a suitable stable, and started riding independently again on a TB mare named Maggie.  I had ridden TBs before in my youth, they are horses who respond well to calm and humane handling.  So I got up on her and by the third step of the walk I knew I could handle her.  Maggie gave me no problems at all.  Blessed mare.  I even got to impress her owner, the barn manager, because Maggie appreciated that I knew what I was doing and promptly obeyed my pretty weak aids from the beginning of the ride.

Maggie really boosted my confidence.  I decided to extend my boundaries a little further, and decided to trust the people who owned the horses to judge if I was able to handle them instead of insisting on the most docile equine in the stable.  When stable leasing problems moved Maggie away from me I rode at Shannon's some, getting her horses used to handicapped riders.  Shannon started me off on an Arab-Welsh gelding who needed a rider who was a little beyond the beginner stage.  After a disappointing first ride I changed the saddle and the bit which improved Mars beyond all expectations, and I got braver and rode more of her other horses.  After a while I realized that if I was to have ANY hope of ever getting out of the ring I had to get my seat more secure, and I finally found Debbie, the riding teacher I had been looking for my whole life.  The first time Debbie saw me she asked how high I had gotten before, I told her, and she decided to put me on this absolutely wonderful Arabian gelding, Glow, who had problems with beginning riders.  Well actually Glow had big problems with any human who was a fool.  Fools who were scared of Glow's sometimes explosive power, fools who then grabbed the reins in a death grip, screamed, and clutched his sensitive side with their legs, fools whom Glow rewarded with running away, though he always let Debbie catch him when he acted up.  Glow had no mercy for cowards, he was an Arabian of the highest blood and he was not going to put up with fools!  Luckily I had gotten enough confidence back so I was brave enough to ride Glow.  My reward?  I got to ride the BEST HORSE I had ever ridden.  Since I was brave enough to ride Glow properly, Glow took care of me, including one or two sort of hairy situations.  

Notice, I did not overface myself in the courage department at the beginning.  I set up parameters within which I could feel brave, as brave as I was capable considering the extent of my handicaps.  This meant though that I had to TRUST both the horse I was riding (whether or not the horse "deserved" my trust) and the ladies who were helping me ride.  I had to trust my knowledge of riding, all the eternal truths of horsemanship I had learned from my horses, my teachers, and from all the books I'd read.  I also had to ride at the top of my form, no matter how weak my form was.  During this time I learned which techniques bolster my courage, techniques which may finally help me get out of the riding ring.

One of these techniques is the proper use of the lower leg in riding.  A strong, stable lower leg is the foundation of a secure seat, a seat able to keep on a horse in spite of surprise movements.  This security cannot come from gripping with the knees which can stiffen up the whole body and prevent the rider from flowing with their horse.  The key to a truly secure and stable lower leg is to grip, when needed, with the UPPER CALF, while keeping the heels away from the horse's sides.  By gripping with my upper calf I find that the rest of my body can flow with my horse, easily following all the movements.  My horse's shoulders don't feel constricted like they do when I grip with my knees and my horse is not irritated by my heels like it would be if I dug my heels into its sides.  Plus my lower leg does not fly around during exciting moments of horsemanship.  I feel so much more secure this way.  Now I am working on strengthening my lower leg and increasing the endurance of those muscles so that one day I will be able to extend my safe riding boundaries even more and finally get to ride outside the ring.  I am still very weak so it may take me a long while to get to my goal.

The other main technique that helps my courage is to concentrate on ADVANCING MY HANDS whenever the horse give me any difficulties.  My commitment to free forward movement has always paid off.  When the horse gets restive and starts acting up I consider it as an indication that my fear may be taking over and destroying my connection with the horse.  By advancing my hands I am telling the horse that I hear his objections and that I WILL stop driving him crazy!  When I need to give a rein aid when the horse acts up I gently apply the aid and IMMEDIATELY release it.  Of course each time I advance my hands I am also giving a leg aid, encouraging the horse to stretch out and get comfortable again.  Though I have a flash of fear everytime my horse acts up they tend to calm down because I am brave enough to give them enough freedom to move.

And yes, I still feel scared when I mount a horse.  I feel scared everytime I re-start riding and everytime I get up on a new horse.  Just because I feel scared does not mean that I do not have courage!  Do the horses know I am scared?  Probably, sometimes I am trembling with fear, one of the symptoms of my MS.  But I have found out that horses LIKE brave riders even if the rider is scared, and that the horses will often give me the benefit of the doubt and help me get through my fear so long as I treat them humanely (ie. no death grips with my hands or heels).  I think that horses like brave riders because with a brave rider the horse feels free to be brave itself.  And everyone likes feeling brave!

So I combined my small amount of courage with my knowledge of horses and riding to set myself up so that my courage would grow.  This has worked out very well for me, and I have gotten to ride some really good horses, horses I would have never have been able to get on without courage.  Sometimes I think I am a fool, but when the horses relax under me, cooperate with me, and take care of me when I need it even though these horses are often far beyond my current riding ability, I know that it is all worth while.  Courage combined with knowledge, a very effective method of riding, even when I am trembling with fear.  And yes, it does lead to success.

Have a great ride!

Jackie Cochran