Ultimate shoulder rides

14.09.2014
  I had the annual retro bicycle ride last Sun. where i got to rickshaw-pedal my friend Lydia for half the day.
  lydia reminded me [ of my previous SR offer/ suggestion], that we can do a 'pony ride' , in the park while we're out on the bike event!
I thought of some instruction to tell her, days earlier, -. This was to  stand on my thighs when i'm in mid-squat, so that she can re align her seating if necessary during the ride.
She was wearing biker boots, very well-cut tight denim jeans and a small wintery jacket.
  For her mounting, i squatted beside a sign pole for her to hold, she immediately proceeded to mount, she's a bit on the light side, so i dont remember the sit-down much, i guided her boots onto my knees/ thighs. At this time she lifted her bottom completely off my shoulders for the re-settle of her seating position! [which she remembered!]
and asked her  to weigh-onto my thighs a little as a part of a planned geometrical lift-assist technique,
Now I stood up easily, the little weight thru her boots, subtracted some from my upper-body lift, as planned!. I demonstrated how i copuld hold her ankles out in front/ or; that she could wrap her legs round my body - this was her prefered postion; " oh yeah that's better" I  also held her around the knees/ thighs then walked away from the pole by a few metres.
Her balance is very good; no twitching, leaning/ slumping to the side
then i noticed some fear, so stopped-still for her to re-gain composure, and asked "are you scared?"
[ she said earlier in the day that her anxiety levels were high for other un associated reasons]

She now explained that height and falling were fear factors! Poor thing was petrified. I asked if to put her down here, or to go back to the pole? ,,,, answered " The pole!" so i started walking back when again felt her panting!, then lowered her.
      It's not very satisfying to have an unwilling rider :-|  , for both our sakes.
     Another platonic female friend has explained her fear of SR'ing before we have even tried it!,.she suggested that she could sit on me on all4s, as she pointed to the lounge carpet, so that her feet could stay on the ground! I'd already said goodbye from the doorstep - so agreed, & reserved this for next time.
So from this, have learned that people with fear should be offered a couple stages of trial lessons;
1) the above, sit on while on all4's so they might feel trust in supporting them safely, and then to sit there a while so for any feeling of being a burden, dissipates!
2) next time - kneeling beside something for them to hold onto with the promise of no standing today.
. Once this becomes sustainable suggest they grip their legs around and attempt leaning sideways a little so as to feel the stability/ rigidity of their mount.
3) a separate day to do this again, when trust is established- try the lift, and standing!
Walk, leaving the security of holding onto some structure. Let them know they have control - to say stop/ down/ etc

I shall try teaching trust with these methods on the two potential riders and report back.