Developing better elasticity in elbows?

[BroncoMo]

Things that did not work for me:
-soften your elbows.
-think of your arm as a rubber band.
-shoulders back.
-touch your shoulder blades together.

Things that DID work for me:
-upper arms by your sides.
-then “pushing” my hands forward did work because as the horse gestures it’s head (walk and canter) my hands go forward a little, then return to “upper arms by my sides” as the home base.
-a riding crop held on top of my hands, under my thumbs so that my thumbs stay on top; trying to do so without a crop just made my whole arm stiff. The crop allowed my hands to develop muscle memory while I focused on the rest of my arm.
-strong shoulder rather than shoulders back; total game changer.

I discovered pushing my hands forward by myself. I always thought of softness as being my hands come back as the neck gestures up. When really it’s much more pushing forward as they gesture down, then passively come back to neutral as they gesture up.

I agree with the counter top exercise listed above for the trot. The trot has always been an easy one for my elbows as I just visualize keeping my hands in one place, so my elbows must pivot as I post.

[Bogey2]

Have the student put their knuckles together with thumbs on top until the elbow is looser…this can be done in all gates. Then have them separate the hands and do some steps with that contact. Eventually it teaches the rider use their core more. I also like the exercise that has the rider stand a few strides and post a few strides with the knuckles together.

[SweetestDownfall]

Haven’t had a chance to read through the entire thread yet but just wanted to say a quick thank you! There is a LOT of good stuff here and I appreciate you all taking the time to help.

[jellybean2]

This is my biggest struggle riding! I feel like I just have short arms! Thanks for all the tips.

[gardenie]

Try all the above and Correct Connect Aaron Vale reins

[Nick_of_Thyme]

Have you tried videotaping them ride and watching with them? It was eye opening for me to see how stiff I was through the arms and realize that what it felt like to me versus how it actually was were two very different things.

[Training_Cupid]

Same, though just because I saw how bad it looked video didn’t mean I was able to change it. It’s been a work in progress for a pretty long time for me It’s an ingrained muscle memory that is soo hard to change!

[mst]

Yes. Driving rein is perfect for elbows

[danhelm441]

@Alterration

As a short-armed person, one of the things that helped me was constantly thinking of pushing the horse forward like I was pushing a grocery cart and not like I was holding the leash of a dog.

I love this analogy because I agree it’s a similar feeling, but then find I end up with piano hands/puppy paws! Only at canter. At trot where you can just hold still, it’s a lot easier to keep contact.

[Alterration]

@danhelm441

I love this analogy because I agree it’s a similar feeling, but then find I end up with piano hands/puppy paws! Only at canter. At trot where you can just hold still, it’s a lot easier to keep contact.

Another analogy if you end up with puppy paws at the canter, is to think of your arms as being really really really long, and reaching the bit rings directly. Obviously your hands couldn’t be piano playing to hold the rings

The canter is hard because the horse has a lot of motion with the head (depending on the horse and the canter, of course).

[Jackie_Cochran]

This is probably just me since I have a neurological disease.

I find that when I close my fingers to take stronger contact that my elbows lose their elasticity.

[greysfordays]

@gardenie

Correct Connect Aaron Vale reins

This happens to me to. What one trainer had me do is to hold my reins between my thumb and first finger. It is SUPER hard. You want to strengthen the muscle that holds your thumb down on the rein and not the ring fingers that take the initial contact.

If you flex that part of your hand, your forearm and elbow stiffen, but you can press your thumb down pretty hard without it reverberating as much up your arm and through your elbow. I’m not sure that makes sense.

That and loop reins honestly were a game changer for me.

[Janet]

Just want to point out that it is movement of your shoulders that makes elastic (or stiff) elbows. The elbows are moving, but it is the rotation in the shoulder that makes the elbows move.

[luvmyhackney]

I have super stiff shoulders from being a desk jockey. My PT had me do an exercise that clicked a light bulb in my riding.

A. Hold arms out to side level with shoulders, palms facing forward, thumbs on top.
B. Rotate palms counter clockwise until palms face toward the ceiling and thumbs face behind you
C. Push shoulder blades together and then apart keeping thumbs facing behind you and palms up to the ceiling.

That stretch is using the part of your body that gives you elasticity you want. It feels crazy weird if you have cement shoulders like I do but worked for me to get the feeling and open up my shoulders.

[awaywego]

@Janet

Just want to point out that it is movement of your shoulders that makes elastic (or stiff) elbows. The elbows are moving, but it is the rotation in the shoulder that makes the elbows move.

Hadn’t thought about it this way but now I realize that I never heard anything about locking my elbows until after I had shoulder surgery - and continue to have shoulder issues.

Everything I’ve read about how to work on my elbows seems to work best with a horse who is not trying to run off - probably another reason why it is hard for me to fight the urge to lock my elbows

[Words_of_Wisdom]

Lower body and core stability-- stiff arms come from bracing with your hands. If your lower body and core aren’t stable, the body tries to use the arms to compensate. And, as some have noted already-- hands up! If your arms are straight, they’re not moving. I like to use the martingale neck strap as a guide for where my hands should be (I am also someone of shorter stature).
For what it’s worth, I also find it easier when I have the horse marching up into the bridle properly.

[Bristol_Bay]

I tried this today. Good stretch!

[BITSA]

So I continue to struggle with this 10 years on, I am 100% certain I have watched every video made on the subject at least twice. My first advice is to take a few dressage lessons, the stiffness can come from the hips and gripping. The other thing that has helped my is flatting with a grab strap (or martingale) and hooking my pinkies around it. It amazes me every time how much I can do with so little movement. If you are tall like I am raising your hands puts you out of balance easily, so keeping my hands low helps that too. Good luck and let us know if you find something that really works for you.

[BITSA]

@Janet

Just want to point out that it is movement of your shoulders that makes elastic (or stiff) elbows. The elbows are moving, but it is the rotation in the shoulder that makes the elbows move.

and why years of being told to arch your back with stiff shoulders is not good

[BITSA]

@Jackie_Cochran

I find that when I close my fingers to take stronger contact that my elbows lose their elasticity.

I also have this problem