Winter Rules for Now

Yesterday we got our first real snow this winter down here in NC. It snowed steadily for a few hours yesterday afternoon but it was too warm for any of it to stick, even my porch railing was bare. Friday morning it felt so cold, damp and raw when I opened my front door that I KNEW that Mia would curse me out if I tried to ride, even with two butt blankets on her. “Are you absolutely insane?” would just be the start. I called Debbie and canceled my ride.

At least I got to ride Cider and Bingo earlier in the week.

Cider is progressing nicely, she rarely “pretzels” herself any more. She has become used to the fact that the pigs live next to the riding ring, so it is much easier to keep her straight and on contact when we pass them. She obeys my aids readily when I have to steer her away from Madison and Magic who are in the ring with me. Madison's ability to control Magic continues to improve though they still have “discussions” about moving forward, the speed, and where they go. The rainbow reins and the saddle replacing the bareback pad have both increased Madison's confidence and the effectiveness of her aids, which means occasionally Magic does exactly what Madison wants. A great improvement for both of them!

On Wednesday the weather was not too bad, but when I opened the front door and felt the wind I went back in to get the second butt blanket. I should have also put on another jacket so I was sort of cold when I went into the barn. Helping groom and tack up Bingo warmed me up some, and when I mounted Bingo I put the second butt blanket over my thighs and I warmed up enough so I did not even have to use my gloves. Bingo's back was so much better on Wednesday! I went back to 5 minutes mostly in two-point instead of the 20 minutes during my last two lessons.

Once Bingo and I were warmed up Debbie handed me the Equicube. I am stronger, at least I was able to hold the Equicube up off of Bingo's withers for two minutes instead of just one minute. Immediately Debbie told me that my back was a LOT straighter, and my back continued a lot straighter after I gave the Equicube back to her. This week I carried the Equicube before I did my “rider's push-ups” and I found them a lot, lot easier to do, I had no problem touching my chest to his neck without using my hands for support, I felt secure, and I found it easy to do three “rider's push-ups” in a row.

It is interesting how the using the Equicube affects different riders. On Wednesday my lower back muscles started protesting, but Debbie told me that other students had complained about sore stomach muscles, and another student learned how to FEEL his core riding muscles. Debbie really likes how holding the Equicube immediately improves my seat and posture, holding the Equicube helps me do things that Debbie has been fruitlessly yelling about for years (straighten your back, get your shoulders back, steady your hands!) Obviously my back muscles are weaker than the muscles in my abdomen, and when I hold the Equicube I use riding muscles that I never realized are important in keeping a good position in the saddle. The wonderful thing is that when I hold the Equicube I do not have to think about my back, shoulders or hands, just holding the Equicube up off of the horse's withers makes my body get into a proper position.

When I backed Bingo up he still used the same micro steps he used last week, but even so Debbie was very pleased with Bingo because he backed up straight, and I did not have to use my lower legs to keep him straight. I cannot just pull back on his reins, I have to be delicate and light, asking then releasing and asking again if necessary. Bingo is not backing up because I am hauling back with the reins, he is backing up in response to my light aids.

Now, when Bingo has made a bee-line for the gate and I cannot stop him until he gets to the gate (at a walk,) I have to haul back on the reins some to get him to back up to the proper place to stop at the gate—around three steps back, but that is his correction for not stopping when I told him to. You would think that the gate was a black hole, a well of gravity so deep that Bingo cannot stop himself until his breast is plastered against the gate. Nowadays he will stop when I tell him to when he is headed for the gate most of the time, but any lapse in my concentration results in him zeroing in on that gate.

And I feel like a beginner again.

Have a great ride!

Jackie Cochran