The Changing Seasons Always Mess Up My Riding    

Some mornings are cooler, and then other mornings are warmer.  Which breeches and shirts should I choose?  If my clothes make me feel too cool my muscles start moving slowly and it takes me more effort to move.  If my clothes make me feel too warm everything gets worse, balance, coordination, timing, and my stamina disappears.  The worst are the mornings that start out cool and then rapidly heat up, oh my, whatever can I do so I can ride effectively? 

Last Sunday Shannon wanted to start an hour later.  I put on my FITS deerskin breeches and my medium weight technical fabric shirt.  By the time I got up on Cider the sun was well up and the temperature was rising.  It was cool enough in the morning that I used my bit warmer, but by the end of my ride I was starting to sweat.  Cider “kindly” pointed out just how that was affecting my riding.  My side-to-side balance was off (she started imitating a pretzel), my front to back balance was off (she reduced her impulse), and I felt like I was sliding all over the saddle in spite of my full seat breeches and putting saddle soap directly from the can onto the saddle.  After several pointed “remarks” from Cider I finally got my balance centered enough so she was not irritated with me, but I never reached that wonderful state of feeling SECURE in the saddle.  Sigh.  At least Cider did not make any nasty remarks about my contact with her mouth, and once I got my balance better she started cooperating better with going straight.  I was pretty tired after my 30 minute ride.

My lesson on Wednesday was better, because she is used frequently in lessons for beginners Tilly is a bit more understanding about faulty balance than Cider is.  I had brought out my BOT riding sheet just to get Tilly used to it, and used it on our walk to the riding ring where I took it off.  It HAD been cool the previous night, and I thought she would enjoy the warmth, but by the time we got to the ring the breeze had abated and the sun was shining brightly.  Tilly has fully bought into the idea that when I am on her back that I want her to stride out at the walk and trot, and I am finding out that she has a truly delightful walk, ground covering, with good speed while staying relaxed, and she stays cheerful while doing it (I didn’t have to do leg, leg, leg.)  I got her to canter twice, and each time I found it easier to get her into the canter, but I still had to use my leg to keep her in the canter.  Yes, I need more practice, but on Wednesday I got exhausted from 2 canters and a few trots. 

While I was riding Tilly, Debbie was teaching me from Tercel’s back.  Last week I had brought out my BOT/Thinline saddle pad to use with the Corrector pad since Debbie told me that Tercel’s back was a little sore, and he did well with it.  This week she used it again plus I put rear shims in my Corrector pad, and Tercel was exceptionally good.  A mare escaped through a little people sized gate someone had not latched properly and Debbie took off on Tercel to catch her.  After everyone caught the mare Tercel trotted back to the ring, and he had a nice, calm but alert expression on his face.  Then Debbie wanted to go into her other ring to introduce Tercel to the poles and barrels that she had set up for a gymkhana this weekend.  She trotted and cantered Tercel around and he behaved the whole time!  In my dealings with Tercel I have been operating on the hypothesis that Tercel can handle one or two things going “wrong” without much problem, but any additional things that go “wrong” eventually lead to bad behavior.  So first I put on the blinkers that took care of the scary visions from behind him.  Now it seems that his back was bothering him some, not much (he did not buck, get girthy, etc.), but now, with the BOT/Thinline saddle pad his back seems to feel more comfortable and he does not to get as weirded out about stuff that would have totally unhinged him before.  I was not able to use the BOT saddle pad or Corrector pad under the treeless saddle, and now I am glad to be able to use them together under my Stubben saddle.  Combined with the Corrector pad I use to protect his back from my less than perfectly fitting saddle, the BOT/Thinline saddle pad treats his back with gentle long-wave infrared radiation and adds a shock absorber between his back and the saddle.  Only time will tell if this will be as successful a remedy as the blinkers were, but I was really impressed how Tercel did not freak out at all on Wednesday.  He had around ten perfectly “valid” excuses for some type of freak out, and each time he decided to listen to Debbie instead of wigging out.

Debbie finally found round bales to put in her paddocks and I am afraid that Mia’s cough is back.  I was able to groom her and trim her feet without triggering the cough, but once I got up on her back and started my ride she started coughing.  These were not the deep, racking coughs she had before, but I am NOT happy to have her coughing again!  Aside from the occasional coughing fit Mia did very well, I even managed to do a ¾ turn on the hindquarters without having to use any rein aids, in fact my reins were quite loose.  She did not extend as well at the walk as she did on the days without any coughing, but I did not press the issue since heavy leg aids seem to trigger some of her coughing fits.  I mostly walked around and we trotted briefly three times as I try to improve her physical condition from her long rest.  It is really unfortunate that the round bales seem to trigger Mia’s cough, I understand why Debbie wants them in the paddock since the horses are no longer coming in with fresh bite marks on their skin.  The horses, especially the “boss” horses, tend to get somewhat rambunctious when they can’t spend their time eating on the round bales, and they take out their frustrations on the lower ranking horses.  While Mia is the lowest ranking mare in the paddock she would not like being isolated just so she could be fed hay from the square bales.  Most horses like being in a herd, and there does not seem to be any “easy” solution to Mia‘s cough.

After I got home from my ride on Mia I was exhausted, and for several hours I had a more severe hand tremor than usual.  Riding the horses has really helped my balance walking, I am staggering less than when the weather started changing, but riding is making me so TIRED now!  I don’t particularly like cold weather, but right now I wish it would get colder and stay cold until Spring comes.  This weekend the forecast highs are almost up to 90° F so I will continue to suffer from the hot-cold-hot-cooler-hot weather.  But I guess it isn’t too bad, the mares are still letting me keep contact with the bit, there have been no head slinging or other equine curses about my hands, I could sit Tilly’s trot and canter, and my lower legs are not swinging around.  I am going to count my blessing and keep on riding!

Have a great ride!

Jackie Cochran