Q. I’m helping a rider who pinches with her knees. How do I tell her to fix it?
A. Try the old slip-of-paper trick. Place a slip of paper between the lower part of her inner calf muscle and the saddle. By concentrating on maintaining steady contact along her lower, inner calf, she’ll automatically release some of the pressure against her knee. Don’t place it any lower than mid-calf, or she’ll be likely to pop her knees completely off the saddle trying to grip the paper down by her ankles. If she’s a very young rider, you can even reward her with something small – a piece of gum (not to be chewed at the barn or while riding) or maybe even a horse sticker of some sort – every time she makes it around the ring ten consecutive times without dropping the paper.