Thank you.

Hi Amy,
Thank you for your comment.Not knowing the level rider you refer to makes my answer a bit more general. Often riders who hold their reins in their fingers think they are being gentle. A fist sounds tougher than fingers. Perhaps it stems from past riding levels where they have struggled with keeping their hands still. As I mention in the article, good hands stem from a good seat. They also require a good base of support, so anything you can do to strengthen seat and legs should help the rider’s hands.

It sounds as though some of the riders have a fixed picture of how to carry the reins. I might be inclined to make a game of things and have them hold two marbles in their hands and have a reward for who has them left at the end of a lesson or exercise. Or some variation on this with something small that takes an effort to hold in each hand. Or something of value they may keep if they still have it at the end of the lesson -Stickers, a horse charm, or lip gloss, small bells, a dollar bill, change? – all depending on the age etc of your student. Have you tried your idea of holding a small crop? Did it help?

To keep riders from grabbing the inside rein for turns you can follow the tradition method of working through weaving poles to practice turning with seat and legs. Or you could try having your riders carry a foam ball between their elbow and rib cage. If they pull they will lose the ball. (and then they have to dismount to retrieve their own ball) Until riders grasp and own the concept of using the outside rein for support to the horse they will allow the horse to run through the shoulder. Teach the concept that a horse’s body doesn’t necessarily follow where his nose leads.

This also works as an exercise for working with outside rein control. (don’t frustrate your riders by doing both in one lesson!) The soft foam ball between the elbow and ribs requires just the right amount of support to hold it. That will keep the rider from giving the hand forward. I would teach that they are to support the horse with the outside rein with about the same amount of tension it takes to keep the ball in place at the trot but be sure they aren’t clamping the ball to their side! (dare I say if I needed to really drive home that clamping isn’t what we are after, I might use a soft squeaky toy? But don’t ever try this with a horse that will react to the noise or you may have an even bigger problem)

Reverse the thought process- not so much the straight line from the elbow through the hands to the bit but rather the horse communicates from his mouth through your hands to a soft elbow. What is he saying?

Most riders with hand problems view control of the horse as hands first, seat and legs second. See if this is the issue with your riders by asking random questions during their lesson about how to make a turn or how to get from point a to point b. Then change the thought process. From Hands first to seat and legs first with hands last.

Let them ride through a trot poles chute while tying knots in bailing string. Ride without reins. Strengthen the base of support. Any thing that will help riders to achieve independent aids.

I hope my off-the-cuff thoughts give you some ideas. We really get to use our imaginations as riding instructors. But always remember- Safety First.

Thanks again for your comments,
Barbara

Hi Jennifer
Thank you for your question. I’m a little lost picturing soft floppy fingers but I can picture lazy arms, stiff arms, hands that alternate between resting on the neck and moving, no contact to sudden contact so I think we are in the same vicinity for the problem. These are issues that are apparent before the rider has developed independent aids and an independent seat which is exactly the riding stage you have described. School horses know these riders so well and also know how to take advantage of the weakness. Unfortunately, we can not teach, describe, or show feel very well. This is not to buy into the phrase that you can’t teach feel, because I think you can, but it’s more you can develop feel a student. School horses are perfect for this whether it is a group lesson or a single student.

Rather than an exercise that makes the rider think about how much weight to put into reins or how to feel the reins I might choose to give them activities that make them use the reins. I would be creative and get them off the steady rail work as much as possible with weaving, serpentines, circles in corners, changing the rein on the diagonal, changing down both the short and long center lines, circles against the rail, alternating circles off the center line. I’d do these at the walk for starters (your level group will get bored fast) then I’d move it up to the trot. And I’d emphasize the coordinating hand and leg. Once they had that down I’d probably tighten up anything they were weaving through, requiring them to be more precise with the hand leg coordination. I find that most students begun to develop a basic feel this way. The situation necessitates action which practiced enough becomes automatic reaction.

The trot is a great gate for this because it’s quick and you can increase the difficulty or change the activity from sitting to posting to without stirrups, and if you teach jumping the exercises can be done in two point (without leaning on the neck). And all the while that you’re helping riders develop better hand coordination they are developing seat, legs, and balance.

I hope this helps. I’m so glad you read The Riding Instructor. And thank you for telling me the site is helpful. That’s so encouraging to read.

Barbara Ellin Fox

Hi Kassie,
Hands that are too low also cause problems for the horse. For one, they pull a snaffle bit down on to the horse’s bars when’s intended to work on the lips. This can cause the horse to raise it’s head from discomfort. Often riders with low hands think the position will cause the horse to lower its head, but it doesn’t work that way. Hands too low becomes more a matter of lack of understanding of the action of the bit and hands and also the rider not understanding that they need to carry their hands. Another poor hand position is the ones that are too wide apart. You see this more frequently in trainers who are trying to make the horse flex at the pole. But you’re right- we need a hands article to address some of these problems, too. I’ll work on it. Thanks Barbara

Dear Michelle Haseltine

Thank you for taking the time to comment. Yours is an interesting solution for rider hand position. I’m glad you mention a quiet steady horse. I’m averse any sort of tying with riders because of the potential danger to the rider. Even a quiet horse can stumble, trip, or spook. Baling string/hay string is particularly strong and would not allow for breaking in an emergency. Perhaps a person could do this with thread, receiving the same pressures but minimizing the risk to the thumbs. I also do not go for tying the elbows, putting whips behind elbows or tying stirrups to girths (you did not suggest any of these). I would only use these methods with someone who is not on a live horse. They might safely give the rider a sense of feel on a mechanical horse, a saw more or a saddle rack but are too risky for me to suggest on a live animal. I appreciate your comment. Barbara