Off of Merlin, that is.  Obviously I eventually got down, but this is a problem from my Multiple sclerosis that I’ve not run into since I was diagnosed.

From long before I was diagnosed, I had started sort of vaulting out of the saddle when I wanted to get off.  I had no problems with this method until, several months ago when I got hung up by the cantle trying to vault off Mick the first time I rode him.  So I started practicing getting off the normal way since I had to do it with Mick, and I was rusty as I had not gotten off a horse the normal way for decades.  So I have been practicing this and somehow my body lost the ability to vault off.  Luckily, until last week, my body cooperated with getting off normally and I had no difficulties in dismounting from Mick, Mia or Merlin.

Last week when I rode Merlin my ride started off very well, he walked three-quarters of the way around the ring before he slammed on the brakes.  Then he would not move more than a few steps in any direction unless we were headed toward Shannon.  She told me that her mother had no problem getting Merlin as he just stood there and seemed sort of reluctant to move.  It got warm last weekend, and since Merlin was not moving I was not getting any breeze so I did not do any of my exercises on him.  So I practiced coordinating my turning aids, seat, leg and hand, since he would sometimes move a few steps to the side, and when my time was up I prepared to dismount.  Then my troubles started.  I was HOT and sweaty, and somehow I could not get my seat out of the saddle to dismount.  I could get up into two-point--barely--but I could not get my right leg to start swinging over Merlin’s back.  After several futile attempts Shannon led Merlin to the stairs but I still could not get my right leg to work.  Finally Shannon called her mother who stabilized the steps so I could get a good hold on one of the upright posts with my left hand and I finally was able to get off.

Since Merlin is 18.2 hand high there is no really easy way to get off when stuff goes wrong with my body.  Sitting over 6 feet up in the air my body is afraid of falling when I try to dismount.  Vaulting off, when my body could still do it, was no problem, I just slid down his side on my belly until my feet touched the ground.  I don’t know what stopped working in my body, which nerve or which muscle that suddenly refused to work for dismounting.  I had no trouble getting on from the steps and no trouble riding Merlin, I could get up into two-point, and my body worked fine until I tried to dismount.

When I rode Mick and Mia this week I had no problem dismounting.  My stirrups were short enough on my Stubben so I could easily get up into two-point, plus I was 16 inches nearer to the ground so my body did not freeze up on me.  So I approached today’s ride confident that I would have no problem getting off of Merlin.

Merlin seemed to feel better today, he ran up with the other horses when they were called.  He seemed to look at me kindly and I got up on him full of hope.  We started our ride off OK, I rode him a ¼ way around the ring, felt him start to slow down, told him to halt (he was somewhat resistant) and after praise I got him moving again and we got all the way around the ring that way until I told him to go to Shannon for a reward.  That was enough cooperation for Merlin today!  He balked the rest of the time, and when I could get him moving it was just for a step or two before he stopped.  So I practiced my mounted exercises and coordinating my aids for a turn, getting just a step or two to the side if I was lucky.  Finally I set a goal to go around on of the barrels in the ring and we got into a discussion, he wanted to double back to Shannon and not walk around the barrel.  We got several steps of the turn on the forehand in before he finally consented to walk around that barrel.  Since it was near to the end of my riding time I decided to end the lesson.

And I failed to get off again.  This time I realized how dependent I am on my saddle’s knee rolls, I put my left hand on the knee roll when I start swinging my right leg over the horse’s back.  My Stubben in an Extra-Forward, so the knee rolls go forward a good bit, giving my plenty of space for my hand and my hand is in the right place so I can lean on it while dismounting, plus there is plenty of room for my left knee to dig into the knee-roll as I swing my right leg over the horse’s back.  I can dismount from my Stubben fine.  But my Wintec Wide saddle is an “all-purpose” saddle whose flaps do not go very far forward at all, which does not have much of a knee roll thus there is no place to put my hand for support, and there is not enough room for my left knee to feel stabilized while I dismount.  Plus, since the flaps do not go forward very far I have to ride with longer stirrup leathers or my knee is floating in the air well past the front of the flap, and even with the longer stirrup leathers I still had to take out the velcroed-in knee rolls so there is enough room for my long thighs.  AAARGH!

Right now I HATE all-purpose saddles!  I can ride in them fine, but right now getting off is another matter.  Unfortunately every extra-extra-extra wide synthetic saddle is all-purpose with hardly any forward flap, so I am sort of stuck if I want to ride wide backed horses.  Before last week I had no problems at all dismounting from this saddle, this is a new problem for me.

Shannon lead Merlin to the steps but she had trouble getting him to stand close to them.  Finally we  went back into the ring, called my son in, and I had my son put his hand on the outside of my left thigh just above my knee and I asked him to push in.  With my left knee stabilized my body worked fine, I was able to get my right leg over Merlin’s back and get off with no further problems.  Thank goodness, both days I was beginning to feel like I would never be able to get off of Merlin, and contemplated spending the rest of my life sitting over 6 feet up in the air.  I like Merlin fine, I just don’t want to be on his back permanently.  If I am going to be permanently stuck on a horse I want the horse to be an Arab mare, not Merlin, for one I‘d be closer to the ground!

Thinking back after my ride I finally remembered another time I had trouble dismounting.  Almost 30 years ago I was in a head-on collision with a drunk driver (not my fault) and as I was trying to get back into riding after the wreck I ran into a used A-fork/hard seat/high cantle Western saddle I could afford.  I felt SO SECURE in that saddle, I loved it (except for the hard seat).  My seat was right over my stirrups, the high pommel and cantle helped keep me in the saddle (including an unplanned fast 180 degree whirl by my horse) and everything worked fine until I dismounted.  Same problem, there was nothing for my left hand to push against and nothing for my left knee to get any security from.  This is the main reason I stopped riding in this saddle, while it was very secure I had big problems dismounting.  I was able to get out of the A-fork saddle back then, but after problems I’ve had lately I do not think I dare try to ride in it again.  At least not until I can ride where there is a derrick so I can be winched out of the saddle!  I am also wondering about trying to ride in my dressage saddle any more, again there is no place for my hand, no forward flap, and no knee rolls (I had to take out the knee-roll inserts).  So this means that I now hesitate to ride in half my saddles.  At least I have my old Stubben and Crosby jumping saddles.  They really knew how to make good saddles 40 years ago.  Even with my MS I can ride in them fine and I have no problems getting off.

After my ride today I told my son and husband that they will probably have to help me get off Merlin for a while, at least until it gets colder and my body, hopefully, starts working again.  In all my years of riding I never anticipated having any problems getting OFF the horse.  Just goes to show how neurological diseases can mess up one’s riding.  At least I am still riding!

Have a great ride!

Jackie Cochran       

 

 

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Comment by Jennifer Lamm on January 26, 2013 at 2:57pm

wow this merlin guy has a buddy here.... a little younger and shorter but none the less stuck... ")  can't wait to read other stories of you guys.

Comment by Coopersmom_1958 on June 5, 2012 at 11:44am

Sorry to hear, glad you were able to get help to get off. 

Comment by Jackie Cochran on June 4, 2012 at 1:25pm

Thanks Marlene, this is part of the reason I prefer horses under 14.3 hands. 

Comment by Marlene Thoms on June 4, 2012 at 12:37pm

Glad to hear of your successful descent from Mount Merlin Jackie. That's a long way up to be stuck, I'd be a little terrified. I hope your body gets back in gear soon. Take care.

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