Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

For those of you who don't know, a little less than a year ago I had a bad 
riding accident and broke my neck. I recovered almost fully - I have a small 
amount of permanent nerve damage that affects my right hand slightly, but it 
is hardly noticable.

Prior to my accident, I was taking regular dressage lessons and finally 
making some real progress with my mare Mazzie - she's a slightly hot Morgan 
who prefers to travel like a giraffe, not like a horse. I knew that in order 
to do distance riding, we'd have to get her working more correctly and more 
relaxed, and we were starting to get there.

Now, however, I find that it takes an immense amount of concentration on my 
part to ride her correctly in the snaffle I have her in, as I was taught in 
my dressage lessons. The barely noticable nerve damage is mostly noticable 
when I ride - I really have to focus in order to maintain a consistent 
contact on the right rein.  I also have some muscle spasms in my right leg 
and right forearm that tend to go off when I try and concentrate too hard 
(and the doctor says the spasms are probably something I'll be dealing with 
forever). It's both mentally and physically tiring, and I keep finding 
myself dropping the contact, riding almost totally off my seat and legs, and 
being much more relaxed in the process!

Mazzie has naturally become more relaxed since I got her a Bob Marshall 
Sportsaddle - I've had constant fitting problems with her, and she really 
seems to like this saddle. I'm considering trying one more new thing - going 
to a sidepull instead of the snaffle I've always used with her (she was 
ridden in a hackamore when I got her 2.5 years ago, but she doesn't neck 
rein well, and she didn't seem to go well in it). She's always been very 
responsive to my weight during transitions, and I rarely need to get strong 
with her to get her to come back to me - she's hot, but she's also 
sensitive, so she's pretty responsive. I thought with the sidepull, I 
wouldn't be as concerned with the contact issue, and wouldn't need to worry 
about the inconsistencies with my right hand. I figure when I do start CTR 
next spring, as I hope to do, I could always start out with a bit if I feel 
I need more control, then switch once she settles down.

With THAT long story, my question is how do I ensure Mazzie is working 
"correctly" now that I'm considering a change to my riding style like this. 
By correctly, I don't mean in an artificial frame. I mean using herself in a 
manner that will help her extend the least amount of energy and protect 
against soreness (for example, when she goes like a giraffe with her head in 
her air, she hollows her back and tenses her muscles - NOT good for distance 
riding for either of us!). What types of "cross training" do you guys do 
with your horses? How do you ensure you are a good partner to your horse? I 
adore my mare (we've gotten much closer since I returned to riding from my 
accident), and I want to continue riding her for a long, long time!

Thanks for any suggestions! And I'd love to hear from any others who have 
returned from accidents and had to change their riding style to accomodate 
the changes.

Karen and Mazzie

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