Wednesday was nice, sunny, windy, and cold.  Mick had been out for an hour before being brought back in and even though he wears a warm blanket he was obviously stiff.  I massaged his loins with my roller ball hand massager, he enjoyed it but he was as stiff as always as we headed toward the ring.  When I mounted and we started walking his back did not “swing” and he was not too happy about having to move.

After a minute or two of just walking around I got to work on loosening up his back.  Like everything else this starts with the hind legs, getting them to engage and disengage freely.  With some urging Mick started moving out but he kept his back still and stiff.  I started working on the three speeds of the walk with lots of turns and he still did not loosen up.  Then I got myself forward into a crotch seat (NO weight on my seat bone “knuckles”), and when my seat bone moved upwards I moved it a little more forward and upward, making sure that I did not load my other seat bone, all the while alternating with my legs.  Mick finally consented to “swing” his back and started lengthening his stride when I asked him to.  I have noticed with Mick that he is reluctant to start to “swing” his back if I am sitting on the “knuckles” of my seat bones, the weight of my seat has to be just behind the pommel of the saddle and I have to sit LIGHTLY before that wonderful “swing“ comes through (luckily he allows me to keep my weight in the stirrups.)  Once I got his back “swinging” he was ready to work.

So we trotted some, his usual speed at first, then I asked for some extension.  He gave me the extension he was comfortable with, definitely NOT a full extended trot!  Since he had responded at the trot I decided to see what he would do if I did the full back-up, regular walk, extended walk, super-slow walk, to a slow trot, regular trot, extended trot and back down the gaits to the halt.  I did something different on Wednesday, when I had Mick in the super-slow walk I asked him to go directly into a slow trot instead of asking for a regular walk and transitioning to the trot from that.    First, in the super slow walk I asked him to raise his head, then I asked for the trot with my legs.  It took a few moments before Mick understood my new demand and then he did what I asked for, giving me a slow trot.  After about a quarter of the ring I asked him to go to his regular trot, then we extended some, and he gave me a little bit more extension than before. When we cycled back down to the halt Debbie was pleased with how Mick was moving and she started talking about cantering.  At first I said I was still too tired from my trip last weekend, but when I got into my last trot of my lesson Mick felt READY to  canter even though we would be going on his least favorite lead.  So I applied my outside leg at the right time (when I sit down posting) once, twice, and he cheerfully went into a nice slow canter.

This time we went ten full canter strides before Debbie told me to go back to the trot, and when I asked Mick he obeyed immediately.  Debbie immediately told me how much she liked what my hands were doing at the canter, since I was holding the RS-tor, my hands stayed nicely down.  I had Mick’s reins sort of long when I asked for the canter since when I hold the RS-tor in my hand it limits how far forward I can move my hand.  During the canter I had my hands out almost to the maximum forward reach possible holding the RS-tor, and, keeping my fingers loose to keep supple contact, I managed not to give Mick the signal to stop while I was telling him to canter with my legs.  I find it is very important to give the horse enough rein so he does not hit the bit with his mouth when he obeys me.  If I rode in collection I might feel differently but, riding Forward Seat, I always try to make sure that the horse has all the rein he thinks he needs.  It just keeps the horses happier with me.  Since holding the RS-tor does limit the forward movement of my hands it will take me a lot of experimenting and practice to make sure that I do not abuse the horse’s mouth.  I know I will be altering the length of my reins a lot more using the RS-tor.  At least with the RS-tor my hand has an additional reference point helping me be aware of where my hands are.

I am glad I did the full range of slow to extended movements before I asked Mick to canter.  His canter depart was MUCH easier for me to ride and he was not trying to slow down each stride as he did the last time I cantered him.  His downward transition to the trot was also much better, he slipped into a nice trot instead of falling into an earthquake trot.  I just wish it did not take so long to warm up and loosen Mick’s back muscles, since I ride for just 30 minutes it takes most of my ride just to get him moving decently, but on the other hand I guess I am doing pretty good getting good, free striding gaits out of a stiff backed horse after just 20 minutes or so of riding.  Debbie seems pleased with the results I get.

Today I got to ride Bobby again after missing out last week end.  Bobby is getting better with his new Pee Wee bit, he is grinding it between his molars a lot less.  I can even ride on a loose rein now without that constant grind, grind, grind as he tries to break the bit in two with his molars.  Bobby was sort of cooperative this morning, as usual he was more angelic for the first ten minutes (understand that this angelic behavior only seems angelic in comparison to his usual uncooperative mood.)  After ten minutes Bobby started pretzeling himself again.  Today I decided to see if I could straighten him out with just my seat and thighs instead of using the reins and my lower legs.  It took me a lot more work and energy to straighten him out this way but I succeeded a few times in getting Bobby out of his pretzel shape and going straight for a step or two without using my reins, and he let me straighten him again each time he went into his pretzel shape.  I did have to use occasional rein and leg aids but we always returned to loose reins.  Later on in the ride, when I was too tired to use my seat as well, Bobby surprised me and gave me less problems when I straightened him out using my hands and legs.  We continued improving until I just had to rest a minute or two and I sent him in toward Shannon.  Bobby then started looking back at me when I did not dismount, I HAD ridden him for 25 minutes after all!  Didn’t I think that was close enough to 30 minutes to call it a day?

I told Bobby that we would quit after one more time around the ring IF he behaved!  Well, Bobby, a pony, thinks that it is beneath his dignity as a pony to behave for long, and during that trip around the ring Bobby tried all his evasions.  I stopped him and gave him a lecture, telling him that if he had behaved the ride would be over then, but since he was naughty we would have to go around the ring again until he behaved.  Taking up and keeping light contact, using my legs and seat, I MADE Bobby behave that last time around the ring, correcting every evasion and disobedience right when it started.

Willing, cheerful and voluntary obedience to his rider’s wishes be damned.  I was tired and wanted to end on a good note, the good note of Bobby obeying me every step of the way around the ring.  I am rather lenient with the horses I ride, they have enough difficulty handling my lack of perfect balance and coordination, and when they “disobey” me I rather give them the benefit of the doubt.  I do not have perfect control over my body and I realize that I might have accidentally given an unintended aid.  But Bobby pushed me too far, and when a horse pushes me too far I can be just as dictatorial as any competitive dressage rider.  Horse, you WILL obey me.  He did obey me and we happily ended the ride.

Bobby has lost enough weight that I will have to get him a shorter girth.  Going downhill I noticed only occasional ouchiness.  I think he has lost 30 to 40 pounds.  In a week or two I might be able to start trotting him without causing him any physical problems.  I am looking forward to that, it is easier to get Forward Impulse at the trot than at the walk, and good Forward Impulse cures a lot of evasions!

Have a great ride!

Jackie Cochran