tips for keeping hands still?
- Thread starter juliecwuk
- Start date
yeh...i've never been told anything about my hands in lessons, but watching a vid back they seem to move up/down and cause movement on the reins to Moet.
Use a balance strap on the D rings of the saddle. Hold that as well as the reins and get used to the feel of opening and closing at the elbow so that your hands stay still. Not rising too upright will also help with this.
Yes, I've been told to hold them with the elbows closed and bent at right angles and not too low on the neck otherwise my hands tend to bend inwards so my thumbs are facing each other and I look like I'm pouring tea out of two mugs, not holding them upright:redcarded:
My RI got me to hold two cups of water while moving up and down by bending knees pretending to trot while on the ground. I was to practice this between lessons and it has def made me more aware of my hands and keeping them still while trotting.
If they are "bouncing" up and down with the movement of the trot it is probably not your hands/arms themselves that are the problem - it's more likely to stem from tension in the shoulders. Generally with riding things "bounce" when you are tense somewhere, and are still when you're relaxed How is your upper body posture, do you hunch your shoulders / roll them forwards? - rolling back your shoulders and opening them up should help your arms relax. IMO having your fingers on a balance strap, neckstrap etc will just help you "control" the problem rather than sorting it out.
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Y
Yann
Guest
Agree, I think it can be a balance and movement issue, making sure your rise is no higher than it needs to be, and more forwards than upwards. The Heather Moffet tip about inclining your torso slightly forwards also helps.
Put a long piece of bale twine between the D rings and hook it under your little fingers, try to get it so that with your hands in the correct position you have a slight tension and keep that tension while you rise. Drop your elbows and concentrate on weight down into them. Shake shoulders and elbows before riding to release tension. Also ensure that you are rising softly and forward not rising from a locked knee using thigh or back muscles.
Still hands is one of the first things I teach, I have been known to make kids carry McD milkshake trays with polestyrene lumps in for practice, used to use cups of water until the ponies objected!!
Still hands is one of the first things I teach, I have been known to make kids carry McD milkshake trays with polestyrene lumps in for practice, used to use cups of water until the ponies objected!!
I've had a poor lesson today. The horse I was riding definately has a mind of her own and a tendency to fall in. My goals were to focus on steering when maintaining rising trot. I completely understand inside leg on out side hand slightly raised but have a tendency to also lift up my inside hand slightly and move it a little towards the outside hand this turns the horse in. Other than strapping it to my thigh does any one have any tips please?
If you can, spend time standing in your stirrups without holding onto reins or neck strap. Do this first in walk (or even halt), then trot, and finally in canter (on the lunge, of course!) Being able to keep your balance easily while standing in the stirrups and not 'plopping' back down in the saddle is the first step towards quiet hands on the reins.
Once you can do this, then you need to be able to learn how to 'swing' your pelvis forward/touch, forward/touch (forward being the 'rise' and touch being the 'sit'. Inclining the upper body forward in rising trot is perfectly correct. Rising straight up will always result in getting left behind the movement. The main movement in the trot, both rising and sitting is through the pelvis, which follows the movement of the horse.
When the movement of the rider is in perfect synchronisation with that of the horse, then the rider will have quiet hands.
I could get really boring on the whole subject of rider issues by answering every single question the same way "Spend time on improving the seat". There are no short cuts to this one - but at least make sure that you are practicing sitting correctly in the first place!
www.themodernhorse.co.uk
Once you can do this, then you need to be able to learn how to 'swing' your pelvis forward/touch, forward/touch (forward being the 'rise' and touch being the 'sit'. Inclining the upper body forward in rising trot is perfectly correct. Rising straight up will always result in getting left behind the movement. The main movement in the trot, both rising and sitting is through the pelvis, which follows the movement of the horse.
When the movement of the rider is in perfect synchronisation with that of the horse, then the rider will have quiet hands.
I could get really boring on the whole subject of rider issues by answering every single question the same way "Spend time on improving the seat". There are no short cuts to this one - but at least make sure that you are practicing sitting correctly in the first place!
www.themodernhorse.co.uk
newrider.com