I got to ride today, last night Shannon suggested that we see what the weather was like at 10:00 AM, and when I woke up it was 19 F.  By 10:00 AM  the ground was still frozen so I asked if I could come out and make sure all my new tack I got for Merlin fit and Shannon said fine.  Well the 44" girth was just small enough (the Wintec Wides take a dressage girth) but I better get myself a shorter one for when he sheds his winter coat, the Warm-blood sized running martingle was big enough, and the Wintec Wide saddle seemed to fit him with my Corrector pad under it with all the shims in front and back and the horse sized Spirit bridle without a browband fit him just fine.  Since I was mostly planning on standing around we decided it was just warm enough for me to ride.

Luckily for me Shannon has a stairway of six steps I can use to get up on Merlin, at 18.2 hands he is just too tall for me to get on using the two-step mounting block.  I mounted, Shannon coaxed him into the ring and we stopped.  Following my plan I just sat there practicing the new modified chair seat (next time I will take out two of the rear shims so I can be comfortable sitting further back.)  I was waiting for Merlin to sigh, and when he did after several minutes I used my progression of driving aids, first saying WALK, waited 4 seconds then used my legs lightly, then waited another four seconds before I touched him lightly with the spurs.  Merlin did not move.  Well, he always tended to need stronger driving aids, but now I am trying to get him to respond to light driving aids so I just chilled out on his back.  Finally after a few more minutes of thinking he sort of sighed again so I went WALK, waited 4 seconds, used my leg aid...and he moved forward a few steps toward Shannon and I told him to stop just before we reached her.  GOOD BOY!!!!

Then more standing.  I found out that the Wintec Wide feels much more comfortable on Merlin's back than it does on Cider's back.  On Cider it feels like a pole is going from front to back right under the middle of my thigh on both sides, there is no way I can apply my whole leg at once.  But on Merlin everything smoothed out and my legs felt normal.  Even when I practiced my two-point position everything felt better.  Riding Cider in this saddle I feel like I am in training to do full splits, on Merlin this feeling went away even though he is MUCH BIGGER and wider than Cider, 4 1/2 hands taller, and using a 14" longer girth.  I guess having some withers and a little more dip in his back helps this saddle fit better.

So we stood around for a few more minutes then Shannon had to walk to the fence to talk with one of her kids and Merlin offered to follow her so I did the same sequence of aids, only this time I got up to the light (and I mean LIGHT) touch with the spurs and Merlin consented to move and followed Shannon to the fence where we stood for a few minutes, then the same thing occured when Shannon returned to the center of the ring.  There we stood and Merlin took a little nap.  After a while I sort of woke Merlin up by moving the reins, he shifted his weight so I used my driving aids but this time all I got was Merlin stamping a front foot, he was not ready to move yet.  I apologized for going too fast and we stood some more until he sighed again, I repeated my aids and Merlin consented to move, and this time I got him moving away from Shannon.  I am afraid that I did not keep my legs passive, but all it took was light touches with my calf to keep him moving away, so in reward we went back to Shannon and stood some more.

Shannon told me about the last time she tried to ride Merlin, she was up on Merlin and her mother, Nancy, was on the ground.  They both gave the go-ahead signals, Shannon first then Nancy immediately backing her up from the ground,but Merlin got upset and started stomping a hind hoof.  I am beginning to think that because Merlin is SO BIG that it may take longer for signals to reach his brain, longer for the signals to process in his brain, and longer for the signal to move to get from his brain to his legs.  Too many signals or signals that repeat too quickly just don't work with him and he feels put upon and freezes in place looking really pissed off.  By waiting 4 seconds between my escalating aids I give him time to sort himself out and make a decision of whether he should obey or not.  By not using the same aid during the sequence I avoid adding to his resistance of the first aid.  By not punishing him for not obeying my leg aids I kept Merlin in a good humor, this is why I did not carry a crop, I did not want Merlin upset because he expected to be swatted with the whip.  

Around halfway though my "ride" as we were standing there Merlin started thinking and licking his lips.  He looked back at me.  NO ONE had ever ridden him like this before, it had always been go, Go, GO with escalating aids ending up with a good stroke of the whip, but not today.  He thought some more, took another quick nap, woke up when the other horses started a ruckus, sighed, then I repeated my aids and Merlin moved AWAY from Shannon, and kept on walking slowly.  PROGRESS!!!!  So after walking a minute or two we went back to Shannon, stopped, and I got off.  No point in staying on, Merlin had given me what I asked for and it was time to end our ride.  Besides the wind was cold, very cold and I wanted to get home and warm up.

I did not have to wait for five rides for Merlin to move!  Of course next week I will have to go through the same process all over again, it is going to take me a long time to convince Merlin that moving under a rider can be pleasant.  I will have to keep working on being polite, not DEMANDING immediate obedience, in fact until he changes his mind about being ridden I will have to be consistently polite every minute I am up on his back.  Waiting until he is ready to move, asking politely and taking my time in escalating my light aids, and then politely thanking him for doing what I ask, and never punishing him.

But at least Merlin moved today!

Have a great ride!

Jackie Cochran