Riding Mick the last two weeks has provided me with an interesting contrast. Last week Mick was really, really, really stiff when I mounted, and when Debbie told me she had taken him on a longer trail ride the day before I understood why. Mick was so stiff that I think he had been sending my subconscious mind “messages” that he was not up to much, because I forgot to switch my RS-tor between saddles. It was truly amazing how much confidence I lost when I could not hold the RS-tor in my hand, I had absolutely no desire to trail ride and I certainly did not want to canter! What was interesting was that in spite of being so stiff his back “swung” from the first step of the walk, those “Clouded Leopard” TTouch circles and a quarter down the back half of his back, over the loin, and down the croup and thigh that I did before he was groomed sure seem to work better for loosening him up than the back and forth massage I had been giving him with the roller massager. Of course when I backed him up his back stiffened up big time, and right afterward there was no “swinging” back at the walk until I reached behind the saddle and gave him some more of the “Clouded Leopard” circles and a quarter and his back loosened up again. When I played with the super-slow walk he stiffened up again and was resistant to stretching back out. I spent most of my lesson just getting Mick to move out at the walk and trot. Mick seemed glad when the lesson was over.

This Wednesday Mick was much better. I made sure to do the “Clouded Leopard” circles before he was groomed, and when we walked to the riding ring he seemed a lot less stiff than he was last week. This lesson I avoided everything that I knew could stiffen him up, no backing, turns on the hindquarters or super-slow walks. Mick rewarded me by remaining relaxed and loose the whole ride. This time I had remembered to switch my RS-tor so I felt up to anything and it was nice to have my boldness back, I just wish I could feel that bold without the RS-tor in my hand! Mick reflected my boldness and strode forward confidently at the walk and trot. When Debbie said canter I did not hesitate, and on my second leg cue Mick broke into the canter. Then after I rested a few minutes we reversed, walk, trot, and Mick felt ready so I cued him into the canter. It still took me giving him two leg cues but I think that was an “are you sure?” on his part. This time I dared to try and sit the canter, and this time I had no difficulties, while his canter was not exactly smooth it was definitely sittable. I kept in a crotch seat for a few strides before getting up into the two-point for the downward transition to the trot. This is a GREAT improvement from his canter last year, then his canter was rough (like a washing machine), his back was stiff, stiff, stiff, and it just took me too much effort to sit to his canter. Of course other people have been riding Mick, and they have been cantering and jumping him a lot. This time I enjoyed Mick’s canter and when Debbie told me to trot I let Mick get two more strides in. I was exhausted the rest of the day but it was worth it!

On Friday Debbie was able to ride Quizzy, the hormonal TWH mare, when I rode Mia. Quizzy is now on two mare supplements and hopefully both Quizzy and Mia will settle down soon. Debbie was exploring Quizzy’s running walk, trying to elongate the running walk without triggering a rack. I told Debbie how I used to use my seat or thighs to moderate my Paso Fino mare’s gait and I tried to describe how the back feels during the different variations of the gaited horse movements. Debbie hasn’t worked on training a gaited horse before so she is feeling her way, and Debbie succeeded quite well in getting the pit-a-pat-a of the running walk with four distinct hoof beats. But then Quizzy got tired, (she and Mia have been running around quite a bit when separated,) and she started to go more into an ambling-pacey side of the running walk. Meanwhile I had been working Mia at the walk, backing up, trot, and back down again with Mia mostly staying in contact. Then the next time I was trotting I tried to get Mia to extend her trot by using my legs when I sat down and giving the reins a light twitch when I rose. Mia started shaking her head, stopped, and immediately I felt her back “arch up” under my seat and Mia did a little buck in place, just one. Huh? What was that? I immediately lightened my contact and sent her forward into a good walk, avoided asking for extension at the trot and the rest of my ride was nice and peaceful.

Thinking about that little buck in place I started wondering if it was a Croupade, the Spanish Riding School Croupade without the kick. Every single time a horse has bucked under me there has been forward motion, this little buck did not even make me lose my seat as I stayed nice and centered. This would not be the first time Mia gave me a weird High School air when she thought my contact was too strong. A year or two ago I had asked for a canter and I did not relax my fingers enough, and she gave me five strides of a Terre-a-Terre instead of a canter (in a Terre-a-Terre the horse keeps the leg alignments of a canter but the horse springs from the back two feet to the front two feet and springs back, almost in place, it is like riding a rocking horse.) I have to watch the strength of my contact with Mia!!!!! If she was decades younger and if I was a much better rider it would be interesting to see how far I could go with Mia with Airs Above the Ground, she is the only horse I’ve ridden that has volunteered any when I was riding them. Of course to Mia these have been expressions of disapproval, she DOES NOT like strong contact (i.e., maybe half a pound of pressure?), she wants my contact to be around 2 ounces strong and prefers a lighter contact. Mia’s infatuation with Quizzy has made Mia much more irritable when I mess up with my riding. Thankfully Mia does not hold any grudges when I listen to her reprimands.

Bobby was a tiny bit better today, with about a third of the usual rebellions. He did not try and run my leg into the fence as much and straightened out of his pretzel better. I tried spreading my hands like I did with Mia last week (3 feet apart), but this only seemed to irritate Bobby, though he went better when my hands were a foot apart. I guess my hands are not good enough to do this extra wide hand carriage with the Pee Wee bit, those downward projections change the effects of the Mullen mouth and my hands are not sensitive enough to keep the bit completely centered in his mouth. Even so Bobby was a lot more cooperative about moving straight, his rebellions did not last as long, and when I did my last ride through the most difficult part of the ring he behaved every step of the way. We even trotted some, not too much since it has been only a few weeks since I felt that his hooves were ouchy walking “downhill”. He had been offering to trot the last two times I rode him, however Bobby was not too sure that he should cooperate when we actually trotted. I think his feet might be a little sore still. He tried to drop the bit, but took up contact again when I asked. I see that I may have to work at Bobby’s trot for at least as long as I have been working on his walk.

This week I gave my ancient Stubben Siegfried a good cleaning and larding, and I realized I am either going to have to replace a billet strap of two or give up on my 42 year old saddle. I went to the Stubben site and realized that even if I save all my spending money for two years by not riding Mia or buying any books or tack, I would not have enough money to buy a new Stubben. Remember Kaufmann’s Saddlery in NYC? Old Mr. Kaufmann himself fitted this saddle to me in 1970 after the clerk tried to fit me into some Argentine saddles, the old Borelli’s. My Stubben is an 18” Extra Forward saddle, old Mr. Kaufmann said he usually put 6’ high men in that saddle but even though I am only 5’5” it was the only jumping saddle he had that would fit both my thigh and my seat. This is my first good saddle, the one I got for my first horse, Hat Tricks the equine angel, and I am reluctant to get rid of it. I have spent many, many happy hours riding in this saddle in the last 42 years. It is showing its age, I had to get a sheepskin seat saver when the padding on the seat wore out last year, there are deep wrinkles under the knee roll and some wrinkles in the seat, but with the lard I have been able to keep the leather in pretty good condition. I could switch to my regular Wintec but I do not enjoy riding in those saddles, even the 18” ones are a little bit too small for the length of my thigh. I guess I could try out the other synthetic saddles, but a lot of the jumping saddles of the other brands do not go beyond 17.5” in the seat. But even then first I have to save for an EZ fit treeless saddle so I can ride Shannon’s extra-extra-extra wide horses more comfortably. I now have more saddles, bridles, bits and bitless bridles than when I owned horses, and it now looks like I will have to get more saddles. I’ll just have to get used to buying nothing else for years so I can save up for them. Oh well, riding horses is not cheap.

Have a great ride!
Jackie Cochran