Have I Found “Another Piece of the Puzzle”?

Ever since I started doing the “rider's push-ups” six weeks ago I have experienced many moments of feeling quite unstable on the horses' backs. I achieved some feeling of stability while doing the “rider's push-ups” on Bingo, a gelding, but I never really got rid of the feeling of teetering in my stirrups while on the mares, Cider and Mia. At first I credited my better stability on Bingo to being under Debbie's sharp eyes, but upon further thought I decided that the conformation differences of the horses probably played a part.

Even on Bingo I had to do a certain amount of hitching myself around in the saddle to successfully do a “rider's push-up”, getting my knees FORWARD into the knee pocket of the saddle, putting my feet “home” in the stirrups,keeping my weight in my heels, making sure that my stirrup leathers were vertical, and gripping with my upper calf muscles. Even with all these changes it was obvious to me that I was missing an important “piece of the puzzle” since I rarely felt STABLE on the horse, and I had to be very, very careful not to lose my front-to-back balance and start falling off over the horses' shoulders.

The “rider's push-up” is such an interesting exercise, it is the only one I have run into that teaches the rider's body what to do to jump HIGH jumps, like I told someone think like you are jumping a 5' jump! This exercise effectively points out all the weaknesses in my seat that have been present ever since I first tried jumping a horse 47 years ago, weaknesses that prevented me from ever becoming good at riding horses over the jumps. My lack of front-to-back balance, my weak muscles in my legs, butt and torso, my inability to use my lower leg correctly, my total lack of feel, and my general total inability to stay “with” the horse over the jump. This exercise mercilessly points out everything that is wrong with my jumping seat, it strengthens the correct muscles for a good jumping seat, and it lets me practice all the movements I need to go “with” the horse over a jump, in slow motion so I can figure everything out!

Lately when I've ridden Bingo I have been pretty successful in doing a “rider's push-up.” Bingo does not have the “well sprung” ribs of the Arab and Arab-Welsh mares though he is not slab-sided at all, and I felt pretty stable gripping with my upper calves while I did the “rider's push-ups” on him. By my third repetition of the exercise I no longer had to hoist myself around in the saddle and I did not feel like I was going to fall on my head, but Debbie still remarked on my feet moving back. But on the mares I always felt like I was in danger of falling off onto my head and I often ended up putting my hands on the mares' shoulders to keep my balance. It became quite obvious to me that I still had to figure out a solution to my balance and lower leg problems if I were to have ANY hope of Debbie deciding that I was stable enough on horseback to start jumping.

So on Wednesday I made a subtle change to my lower leg. Instead of gripping with my upper and middle calf muscles, I gripped with my LOWER CALF MUSCLES. The transformation in my security in the saddle was amazing. I had absolutely no problems with my front-to-back balance, I did not have to hoist myself more forward in the saddle, and it was SO EASY to go from “vertical far” down to two-point, down into the “rider's push-up”, back up into two-point, back up into “vertical far”, for several times in a row without losing my balance at all. I felt so much more secure! One thing I noticed immediately was that my knees were much looser in the saddle, barely touching the flaps with the inside back tendon. That in itself does not freak me out, I have years of experience of riding a less than placid mare in an old English hunt seat saddle, without knee rolls, with my knees floating in the air because they ended up in front of the flap of the saddle when I was in a proper Forward Seat.

Since I was not gripping with my knees at all I had fewer problems with my lower leg swinging back. I felt like my whole leg was wrapped around Bingo's barrel. Of course I made good and sure to keep my heels away from his sides so I did not accidentally give him any leg aids.

Gripping with my knees is so instinctive for me when I feel insecure on horseback, but paradoxically it weakens my seat severely. Gripping with my knees raises my center of gravity so it is no longer close to the horse's center of gravity. Gripping with my knees causes my lower legs to “pivot” backwards, which encourages the my body to tip forward, often badly enough so I feel like I will fall off over the horse's shoulder. Gripping with my knees effectively shortens my leg so I cannot wrap it around the barrel of the horse. Gripping with my knees also raises my knees in the saddle, which prevents my weight from sinking into my heels, greatly reducing my security while riding. Gripping with my knees at all, except in a dire emergency, is a REALLY BAD IDEA!

I did not get to ride Mia this week to try this out. I have had big problems getting Mia to stay in a halt while I do the “rider's push-ups”, and it will be interesting to see if my greater security inspires her to stay in the halt, or if the grip of my lower calf inspires her to move faster! Bingo was not entirely happy with my lower calf grip though he did stay in the halt when next to Debbie. I will just have to train the horses the difference between gripping with my lower calves and my lower leg aids. This will be simple, the grip is steady while my leg aids are pulsations against the horse's rib cage in time with the movements of their hind legs. Grip stays at a steady strength, while my leg aids give and take, I apply the leg aid at the proper moment then I completely release the pressure, reapplying the pressure if needed at the proper moment in the horse's stride.

Tomorrow, if Hurricane Nate stays far enough away from me, I will get to try the lower calf grip on Cider. Cider, always honest with me, is not yet convinced that my “rider's push-ups” are a really good idea! I can “hear” her muttering under her breath about my instability when I try them. Hopefully she will approve of my greater stability on her back while going through the “contortions” necessary for jumping.

Have a great ride!

Jackie Cochran