love that! Very clever…
MCL
That picture of Kathy Kusner and Aberali is also
shown on her business webpage, and the caption
reads Aachen, Germany, wall 7’2" (!!!)
“Of course, that’s just my opinion. I could be wrong.” - Dennis Miller
[This message was edited by dublin on Jul. 08, 2001 at 03:57 PM.]
Now back to Off Course to look at the rest of Taryn’s photos…
I cut and pasted this from another topic on releases but it is an explanation of why an auto is a better release for control:
You can go a lot faster if you use an automaic release
because you can use a lot more leg
because you don’t have to drop your horse on takeoff,
which you have to do by definition if you lose contact with his mouth.
Thats why I do it anyway.
IF you lose the contact with your horse in the air you have to a) drop him in front of the fence (the bit where your instructor yelled -grab mane when you were a kid) and b)pick him up again on the other side.
This is good for a lot of hunters b/c being dropped backs the horse off the jump and also most horses go slower on a long rein (think about it). IF you watch the really good hunter riders though you’ll notice that they support the horse off the ground, with a following hand THEN throw the reins away giving the dramatic release that soo many try to imitate. Only they tragically do it a leetle too soon dropping their horse anywhere from a stride to a whole Zone away from the fence. Of course if you drop your horse in mid-air you will probably land in a heap on the other side but that actually seems to be the preferred method by some hunter riders so…
I know this b/c I had a very forward mare and I used to get busted all the time by my trainer for throwing her away in front of the fences so she would land in a pile and I didn’t have to do all the work of balancing her to get the strides. I didn’t even realise what I was doing really until he said he knew damn well I could jump the horse properly and that I was to “quit cheating like a half a$$ed hunter rider” or I would be jumping bounces for the rest of my life. It made a lot of sense though and it was a lightbulb moment for my friend who took lessons with me and was struggling with the concept.
And a very appropriate one to use to show off your nice hunter. The Automatic release being discussed is sometimes called a following release. Straight line from elbow to bit over the jump itself. Requires a very strong and correct leg and gives the rider more control which your hunter certainly doesn’t need at least in this picture. 
instead of competing against each other, equitation riders would compete against a standard…to qualify for advancement or for a notch on thier belt towards a finals or somesuch, they’d have to achieve a certain score, as opposed to a mediocre rider simply outplacing others in mediocre competition… this was put forward by someone at some point, but I’m not sure of the context. And since I’m not much good at cross discipline stuff–I have to ask an ignorant question: isn’t this what they do in dressage? Anyway, that would be one way to allow judges to encourage certain trends and discourage others…as it stands, I don’t think judges can be blamed for what shows up in front of us.
One explanation I can accept for why certain trends take hold so firmly is that when something different works for a really talented rider, whatever element trademarks this person’s “style” tends to be copied–if so and so won the eq finals standing up out of the saddle on landing with a perfectly straight leg, falling on the horse’s neck, then everyone copies it…if so and so’s perfect eq horse was the type that squats to the jumps and bellies his way over without moving his head and neck, suddenly, that is the kind of horse everyone wants…if so and so used a certain type of training bit on a horse that was winning, others suddenly want to buy that bit…same with pads…same with those icky green britches (hey, I have 3 pairs…)…etc, etc…
But…I was under the impression that the shows over there were starting to offer Hunter classes like our own.
Not just the big flat Hunter classes that were/are very competitive over there, but actual over fences with style type classes.
I read it was to promote selling Hunters to us, silly American’s, and like the German’s etc… are learning the horse’s who are not going to be impressive at Dressage or Jumpers are selling for a good price as the American Hunter.
I had such a hard time back in the late 70’s explaining the concept of the Hunter in the USA. haha 
It was like you say, over the jump. 
Form over Fences is a wonderful book. I also highly recommend School for Young Riders, also by Jane Marshall Dillon. Still relevant, even after 40-odd years. Riding the Show-Ring Hunter is not bad, but not as good as the other two.
Hallelujah, Amen! Release that horse’s head again!
ROTFL… sorry, couldn’t resist a little rhyme of encouragement.
-Amanda
What is the difference between a rotating release and an auto release?
I also started riding in the '70s and learned the automatic release first. Then, in the early '80s when I started showing at the bigger A shows I was taught the crest release was the only way to go if I wanted to get ribbons in the equitation.
But now I use both releases depending on what discipline I’m doing and what type of horse I’m riding. I have noticed that I tend to use a crest release on the hunters and in the equitation. But I guess I still revert to the automatic release when I’m in jump-offs or riding cross-country in eventing. I went through some old photos the other day when organizing my home office and noticed there was a distinct trend. Funny how when I don’t “think” about my ride and just ride on instincts and feel I go back to the auto release.
In this photo my hand should be lower so there’s a straighter line, but it’s quite different than the photo from the first round over the same jump where I’m doing a short crest release, my upper body is more upright and the horse is actually jumping flatter–just what many of today’s equitation riders strive for! I like this one better 
<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>but when I was a kid, everyone did the auto because there were no options, not because they were capable of keeping a delicate amount of tension on a horse’s mouth while jumping <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
But we were TAUGHT to ride, not to perch - form was not the be all and end all, it was taught to allow/increase the function. We paid our dues on the longe, without stirrups, on horses that, if we were to achieve the result, we HAD to ask correctly. “Equitation” was riding in such a way as to be safe and efficient, and one worked up through the ranks - it was THE division you rode in to show that you were learning/advancing - and when you could effectively ride 3’6", THEN and only then did you branch out to the hunter division, and from there, the jumpers (who by the way, also didn’t come in 2’6" - 3’ classes).
It seems today that, for the most part, equitation is a warm up for the hunter division and the hunters … well, I won’t go into that. The litanies of “there are so few 3’6” horses" “I only ride a couple times a week - I can’t compete at 3’6” " make me want to retch. Perhaps if learning how were the goal, rather than showing 50 weeks a year, both horse and rider would be better off.
Given soundness (mental and physical) and appropriate training, 3’6" isn’t out of reach for any horse (and most ponies, for that matter!). Nor are pirouette and piaffe. Not every horse is going to be as tight with its knees as Rox Dene nor as cadenced with its piaffe as Gifted, but that’s not to say that it can’t be done effectively. To say/believe otherwise is to be led into the darkness by wannabes who don’t have the knowledge or ability themselves.
Flame away…
As I stated in my previous post, an auto release that is done well scores bonus points. I just do not want to see it done poorly.
I’d be happy to reward the well-executed auto release, but you can only judge what you see!
This is a lovely discussion. Here’s another perspective.
During the earlier heyday of the GM Medal/Maclay dominance, the crest release seemed pretty innocuous. His riders demonstrated very solid skills, with a great base and very “heads up” style, and a proper stirrup length for jumping.
The crest release, while a bit affected, was not IN ITSELF distorting the riders position.
Twenty or so years later, though, all hell has broken loose. We see stirrups Waaaaay too long for jumping, riders so far ahead of the motion that it is positively frightening, and a bunch of other nasty, scary, ineffective traits that have all evolved from over-use of the crest release.
What I want to know is, how did all of THAT come about? We can blame GM for making a fad of the crest release, but what about the acceptance of all the other garbage that now comes with it? Who on earth decided it was okay to ride with dressage-length stirrups? Can anyone out there (trainer/judge) possibly justify THAT abomination?
Recent discussions of the deterioration of basics in eq and hunter riding often site the fact that if you want to see a decent auto release and secure base, look at some combined training pictures. While you can get some pretty funky stylistic variations out cross country (read “survival skills”), you nearly always see an appropriate stirrup length and solid base of support in a cross country pic. And, some of these riders demonstrate a crest release that is neither restrictive nor compromising their position. So the crest release itself is only part of the problem.
What am I driving at? God knows. I just can’t get over how ugly and ineffective-looking those pictures I look at in the Chronicle every week have gotten to be. I renewed my subscription this year after being off it for several years, and the deterioration is both scary and depressing. And it’s NOT just because I am an old f*rt! I am NOT a “good old days” nostalgia type at all, but I sincerely hate to see riding get so damned ugly.
Thanks for the ranting opportunity! And it does my heart good to know that so many of you out there feel the same way!
by definition, is called for when the rider lacks sufficient security (ie a solid base, ie balance centered over his/her feet and lower leg) to maintain contact (ie CONTROL) in the air…riders who lack this security consistently, are overall riding at a less advanced level (and therefore have less control) than those who have it…A great way to display that security and show off an independent hand and arm, and the increased control over the horse that goes with this ability, is to display an automatic release when possible–is it possible over every jump? NO–even the best riders are flexible about the techniques they use–at the last fence in the jump-off, plenty of riders just throw away the reins (sometimes the rail drops as a result, sometimes not)–on a green, unpredictable jumper, I’ve seen plenty of Olympians grab mane–some hunters are so round-jumping that they challenge those with even the best balance to stay with the jumping effort–but hunter courses do not generally require the degree of control that jumper and equitation courses should demand. So when the situation allows for it (equitation), or calls for it (jumpers), the rewards for using it are the bonus points (equitation) and seconds gained (jumpers). The notion that the crest release is what “wins” and no one should try anything else in the eq ring is mistaken, big-time. Those without sufficient balance to try it can always IMPROVE their balance with the basic excercises that used to be taught to beginners, but apparently aren’t much used anymore…but to cling to a technique that screams out “I’m not that good!! I DON’T have independent balance!!” because someone has put out the line that big eq is for intermediate riders (as opposed to advanced) is nuts.
Splendid just reviewed a George Morris Clinic this week and I thought I would add what she wrote down about Auto Releases.
When moving on to jumping, he got on a horse to demonstrate the automatic release, then had everyone go through the gymnastic practicing the short release a couple times, finally finishing up with the auto release. He said “trainers, if your student (using an auto release) is in an equitation class and gets 2nd to someone with a short release, you should politely ask the judge why the rider with the short release was pinned higher when your student used a more advanced release. We need to educate judges.”
Love it, love it!
LINDA ALLEN: are you out there? Can’t wait for your comments on this one, too.
What is this release?
My butt is so close to the saddle because this was a large greenie with attitude and you just never knew what to expect.
A beautiful picture Bumpkin. You have the perfect AR that is a straight line between the horses mouth, elbow and knee
Being a slightly worn out Ammie, I too just want to get over the fence and around the course in the easiest, smoothest way possible.
Here’s a question, does the 2-point position accomodate a auto-release? 
OK, guess my theory on the dressage influence wasn’t quite there. 
So what is it that caused the change from that beautiful photo of the 70s to many of today’s riders? I remember riding and showing in the 70s (as a quite a youngster, mind you!) when we weren’t nearly as sophisticated in the flatwork. Now, almost every lesson I have with every trainer includes shoulder-in, leg yielding, counter canter and such. We seem to have come so far from just hacking around with the horse’s nose poked out, yet the horse’s jump and rider’s position seemed to evolve to be something other than what we want. Why is that? Could it be a change in the types of courses we ride and the control factor? Could it be that we now need to monitor the horse’s every stride so every line has the correct number of strides? Perhaps we’ve changed to accommodate the smaller rings, larger horses and 12’ stride?
Thanks for all the great comments. I’ve really enjoyed this thread.
