During my two rides this week I worked on my gripping muscles. Of course, before I work on my gripping muscles, I have to make sure that I do not end up squeezing myself out of the saddle. Concentrating on keeping my heels and my knees down, I did succeed at practicing gripping with my calf without ruining the basic security of my seat.

Sunday was a marvelous day to ride Cider, my only complication is that I accidentally took Mia‘s bridle (with the Wellep bit) instead of Cider‘s bridle (with the JP Dr. Bristol). No big problem, I rode Cider in the Wellep bit a few years ago. It was sort of cool, and there was a good strong breeze, and that combination kept most of the gnats away, so I had a nice peaceful ride. Cider, reacting to the coolness and the strong breeze, was ready to go, go, go! Before I got all the way around the ring Cider took the excuse of a directional leg aid (one leg) to burst into a trot, I guess I did not have my other leg as inactive as I had hoped! Since I was willing to consider her early trot as a sign that I needed to have more control over both legs I let her trot around the ring a few times, and when she started to slow down I asked her to go for a little longer at the trot. This trot I used to practice using my lower belly muscles to limit the upward movement of my post.

When we dropped to the walk I started working on my two-point, finding the only place in my EZ-Fit treeless saddle where it felt like there was some support to keep my thighs from sliding back. I had to get my seat bones as far forward in the seat as I could, keep my knees down as much as I could, and of course keep my feet under my seat and my heels down. I asked Shannon to keep track of my lower leg so I would not end up swinging it back. After a little bit of wiggling to find the right place for my thighs I felt secure, but after a minute or two my inner thigh muscles started complaining. So I sat back and rested, got back up in two-point, and walked around until my thigh muscles started protesting again. All during this time I was also working on keeping my face vertical, my shoulders back, and my back relatively correct (I am sway back.) Then I went back to the posting trot, and did some two-point at the trot practicing gripping with my upper calf muscles. That did it, my inner thigh muscles started screaming at me, promising me intense pain the next day. So I collapsed into a walk practicing walking Cider past Shannon a few times, trying to keep Cider straight when all she wanted to do was dive into Shannon. The third time Cider got my message, did not try to dive into Shannon, and I ended my ride.

The next morning I got up. My thigh muscles did not hurt at all. Amazing!

Then the cool rains started. Wednesday, when I got up it was not raining, but 15 minutes before I would have started to get ready the skies opened up and the rain came down. Oh well. At least my thigh muscles were not hurting from my ride on Sunday!

Friday it did not look too promising, deep, dark grey clouds, a cold wind, and my land was super squishy from all the rain we had gotten last week. Since it was not raining by the time I got ready I told my son that I really needed to rasp Mia’s hooves because the Spring grass makes them grow faster, and we took a chance that the rain would hold off. Of course it started sprinkling on our drive to the stable, then it would stop, then start again. My son did not bring my saddle into the barn at first because all the clouds looked like they were overflowing with rain, but those clouds moved on and the sprinkles stopped. By the time Mia had been groomed, rasped, fly sprayed and tacked up the rain had stopped and all we had to face was a pretty cool North wind.

The riding ring was WET. The sand was saturated, each hoof print had its own puddle, and there were puddles in the low spots all around. Mia did not like that. I kept to a walk since I do not like making the footing of a riding ring worse. So more practice keeping myself up in two-point, and since I was in my jumping saddle it was a LOT easier to find the right place in the saddle for security! It was also a lot easier practicing gripping with my upper calf muscles because the flap of the saddle is right under my upper calf instead of my lower legs floating on air. I worked on my two-point, keeping in two-point while working on circles, keeping in two-point working on curves, keeping in two-point while going straight, all the time working on keeping my contact even, my hands relaxed and stable, and, of course, keeping my knees and heels down. After a while my inner thigh muscles started complaining again. I’d rest a little bit and then get back up into the two-point until my thigh muscles started screaming at me again, promising me long-lasting pain because of all the work I was putting them through. We ended up by me insisting that Mia go through at least some of the puddles since the grand old mare did not want to get her feet wet. It was so cool and windy that I did not see any gnats until the very end of my ride.

And this morning I got up--and my inner thigh muscles were fine. I am encouraged by this, it seems that all the work I’ve done in two-point since my appendectomy has finally paid off. This week I was trying to work my thigh muscles enough to make them sore, and I am really glad I failed! Now I have to work on my endurance so I can stay up in two-point for longer than a minute or two.

Because next week, hopefully, I will be back riding Tercel. With him I need all the security in the saddle I can get! Even if the blinkers stop his spooks from what he sees in the back corner of his eyes, there are all the sideways spooks at things to the right and left, not to mention all the monsters that suddenly appear ahead of him. Tercel has definitely inspired me to work on my seat and my security in the saddle.

Have a great ride!
Jackie Cochran