The last time I rode was three weeks ago.  The last time I rode Tercel was four weeks ago, though Debbie did ride him three weeks ago.  Today was the first day I could ride in weeks, Debbie’s ring was not too wet, it was above freezing, and it was only misting this morning.  A good day to ride!

When we got out to the barn Debbie had not yet turned out Mia, just in case I felt like I needed to ride her since I had been out of the saddle so long.  I guess she remembered how awful I was last year when I was just recovering from my MS exacerbation, when not riding for three weeks really messed up my body and my ability to walk.  But this year I have not had an exacerbation, I am walking fine even though I couldn’t ride for three weeks, and I wanted to get back to riding Tercel!  If the weather had cooperated I had planned on starting trotting Tercel last week and re-introducing him to the bit this week, but the weather did not cooperate with my plans so it was just back to walking Tercel around the ring.  The only thing I wanted was to use the butt blanket on him though he did not need it today to keep warm, and Debbie cheerfully agreed to this because she had noticed a big difference in his spookiness when she rode him with one three weeks ago.

As we got Tercel ready I got my little head brush and started brushing around his head, gradually approaching him ears.  Today he was willing to let me brush him around the base of his ears, so I started to work on touching his ears with the brush.  He still did not particularly like having his ears touched, but the brush must have felt good to him because he eventually let me brush the outside of his ears gently.  Then I went ahead and put on the BOT poll cap, and he was a lot less cooperative about that!  When I finally got it on the first time it was upside down because he had moved his head so much.  Groan.  So I got it off and put it on again, this time right side up.  The second time he was marginally more cooperative.  I was pleased, this week he actually let me touch his ears with the brush!

When I started riding Tercel walked on out, then something would catch his eye and he “startled”, not a big problem for me since he also halted.  This week I did not count to ten, I just applied my leg aids and reestablished contact when he walked.  Then as I meandered around the ring I worked on establishing equal contact with both reins.  Tercel was not feeling secure, and his head was constantly moving around so he could see Debbie.  When I got him to reestablish contact on the side with the loose rein I did not fiddle with my reins, I applied my leg on the side with the looser rein, and if that did not work I alternated that with advancing my seat bone on that same side.  I used my lower leg when my seat bone on that side dropped down and I advanced my seat bone as my seat bone on that side came up.  After a few times he seemed to get it and it took me less time to reestablish even contact today even though I had to do it more often.

Then after 20 minutes he started getting antsy.  Debbie told me he did that every time she rode him and to just ride through it (apparently he learned that if he got too antsy his rider would dismount and end his ride.)  He would act like, all of a sudden, he just had too many things happening around him and he could not process any of them.  Fried brains.  I had been thinking of asking Debbie to get up on him to ride him through but I realized he would see that as a reward for getting antsy.  I stayed on and kept him busy  at the walk with lots of turns, making him change the side of his whole body flexion, reestablishing even contact on both reins, then sending him into another turn in the opposite direction.  After a few minutes of this he relaxed and elongated his whole stance so I sent him to Debbie as a reward.  After I rested I got him to back up two steps and he did not throw his head around at all.  I noticed I had been up on him for over 30 minutes so I sent him around the ring again, aiming for a free striding walk on mostly loose reins.  I even got him to extend his stride at the walk without him trying to break into a trot.  Progress!  On that good note I ended my ride.

As I have said before, Debbie is a very busy woman who has trouble finding time to ride Tercel (like this week she has two horses at her stable that are recovering from physical issues and need special care.)  So she did partial leases with experienced riders, but even though these ladies were experienced Tercel managed to freak them out when he decided that being ridden for 20 minutes was ENOUGH.  Debbie just rides him through, but the other riders would get scared and get off, thereby rewarding Tercel for getting antsy.  Well I may be weak, uncoordinated and have lousy balance, but I am NOT going to reward Tercel for acting like a fool.  We ARE just walking around the ring after all!  So I put my heels down, straighten my back, keep breathing (talking to Tercel keeps me breathing!), and I gently insist that Tercel goes at the speed I want, in the direction I want, and with the relaxed head carriage I want, mostly using my seat and legs for aids.  After a while he resigns himself to his new reality and then, and only then, can I end my ride without teaching him bad habits.  Tercel has to learn that Debbie is not the only person brave enough to ride him through his rather minor shenanigans.

Of course when I start trotting Tercel I will probably have to go through this all over again.  Such is the reality of training a horse.  If I get to ride Mia and Cider this week I will be working on keeping my lower leg stable.  A stable lower leg is often the key for riding through equine antics when the rider is posting or in two-point.

Have a great ride!

Jackie Cochran