1lb weights to build up my fingers and wrists, per new riding paradigm [MSSP]. Riding does not require brute strength. I don’t wish to yank on the horse’s mouth with Hulk-like fists of doom. Riding requires endurance. The longer I can survive making subtle adjustments, the less likely I will be to start waving my flippers about.
No, I did not need to buy something to achieve this. A soup can would have done just fine. However, they are cute, colorful, and confer a sense of progress.
Virtual Brush Box 
Ah yes … Flashback of Alec Ramsay squeezing the ball in The Black Stallion!
Don’t you weightlift or am I making that up? Any advice? My triceps are so sore from my last lesson. More weights? More stretching? Take up Tiddlywinks?
Yes, I lift weights. Soreness is to be expected. Be sure to give yourself enough time between workouts to recover. Soreness (or DOMS in gym-speak) isn’t really an indicator of much, good, bad or otherwise. It’s always been thought to be related to a buildup of lactic acid, which is a by-product of exercise. The longer you stay with a program the less sore you usually get afterwards. Kind of like riding! All the more reason not to stop once you’ve started back up! 🙂
10q.