I talked with my riding teacher about this yesterday. Last week she asked if I had any suggestions for dealing with one of her college team students who was “strangling” the horse and got all upset because she did not score well.
This thread contributed to my reply, thank you all.
I showed my teacher the difference when I hold my fingers loose and relaxed as in my normal riding hand, then with my fist closed in a hard HOLD, and with my hands as if I held a driving rein. She could move my arm easily with my normal contact and the driving rein, and it was much harder to move it with my hand in a hard HOLD.
I told her to teach this rider the driving rein and require it for riding my riding teacher’s lesson horses. The horses this student rides have started showing their displeasure, one on the verge of being vehement while he is usually pretty pleasant for his other lesson riders.
I hope this student listens. Fortunately for me my lesson horse he is 30 years old, has controlled navicular disease (finally got a better farrier) and is no longer allowed to jump, so this student would not be interested in riding him.
I am a decade older than my riding teacher. She was taught in the George Morris hunt seat way while I learned Forward Seat. Since I have been into horses for decades and because I read a lot of books by former great equestrians she occasionally asks me questions.
A Forward Seat rider is taught to ride BOLDLY and to have both an independent seat and an independent brain that does not readily panic. A lot of us are also taught that our hands belong to the horse’s mouth, as in be considerate and as gentle as possible. Without this type of training riders often subconsciously get scared by a truly forward horse and grab onto the reins with the hard HOLD as contact. This irritates horses to no end.
Relax your elbows by relaxing your fingers, your horse will enjoy you riding him MUCH more and many problems can just disappear–until the next time there is a death grip on the reins.
