I like this!! I’ll remember shoulders!! I’ll practice this even st home
Have you ever tried using a ‘driving rein’ … holding the rein so that it comes through your thumb and fingers first . Backwards as it were. That’s always helped people in my experience. It tends to relax your arm. Sometimes thinking about your elbows or shoulders makes it very artificial, forced and therefore stiff.
Interesting. You’re the second person to mention driving reins. I think I understand the concept–I would imagine it would allow a better feel of “giving” while maintaining contact better than the traditional way of carrying reins?
I’m eager to try this!!!
For soft hands my first instructor told me to imagine I’m holding an egg in each hand. If I hold too hard I’m going to crack it and get yolk all over. If I’m loose in my hands and my fingers aren’t closed I’m going to drop it and get yolk all over my horse. If I have “soft” hands then nobody gets yolked on. Every instructor has different ways of creating a visual for keeping hands soft, but this one has stuck with me.
[QUOTE=Zeidant2;8949380]
So recently my trainer has been working to soften my hands at the canter. My confusion falls in–how do you keep contact and allow the horse freedom to move head while cantering for instance at the same time?
My trainer says I often lock my arms especially in half seat. But then when I “give” with the strides my contact breaks and it results in a “loop” or “bend” in my reins breaking that straight line from bit. To wrist. To elbow.
So I’m told to keep that nice bend in my elbow. But softening my hands. So how do I “give” and allow my arms to
Move with motion of the horse without straightening out my elbows is my biggest battle?!! I’m an overthinker clearly.
So do I give with my upper body so my arms don’t straighten out or lock with every stride? I try to look for videos but can’t find any that really visualizes it[/QUOTE]
try flipping your hands over one the reins so you hold the rain with all four fingers and your thumb is on top. I think it’s called a driving reing?? you can’t really stiffen your arm in this position. It will give you the feel that you want to replicate when you have your hands in a normal position.
see number two here for what i mean
https://domvetlabs.wordpress.com/2014/03/09/6-weird-ways-to-ride-better/
[QUOTE=rockonxox;8951384]
For soft hands my first instructor told me to imagine I’m holding an egg in each hand. If I hold too hard I’m going to crack it and get yolk all over. If I’m loose in my hands and my fingers aren’t closed I’m going to drop it and get yolk all over my horse. If I have “soft” hands then nobody gets yolked on. Every instructor has different ways of creating a visual for keeping hands soft, but this one has stuck with me.[/QUOTE]
I did that once, actually went and found some small raw eggs because teen did not realize how much tension she carried in her hands. The minute she had the raw eggs in her hands she realized she had been clenching. You also need to learn to carry your hands, and I’ve used small coffee cups for that. No break in your wrists, no puppy paws.
And that line from your hand through your wrist, without break, goes to your elbow and yes I second, and third, the use of the shoulder vs the elbow behind the body which breaks the connection. So the elbow hangs soft also and you use your shoulder down into your core and seat. Once you sit up and use your shoulder to seat connection the rest will soften because you’re not really using it. Stand and hold your hands and play with the movements to feel the physics of it. Clench your fingers, break at the wrist, pull your elbow behind your body - feel any connection? Then carry your hands and pull your shoulder back down into your seat. Feel it?
Also when that instructor yells out soft elbows take a deep breath and exhale. Feel your body drop and relax.
Great responses here already. My take on this/these questions is this… The riders hands are part of the horse, not part of the rider. They operate separate from the rider’s body. This is an “independent seat”, the seat, balance and security of the rider does not depend on the hands. Long ago, a coach told me that should a horse trip or lurch over a jump, the hands should automatically release the rein so as not to interfere with the horse attempting to regain his balance. As humans, we tend to grab onto things with our hands, especially when insecure. While this may not ALWAYS be the best advice (sometimes a horse may actually be held up from falling by the reins- which will benefit both horse and rider) it is key to having control of letting go with the hands rather than grabbing onto them when the rider loses his balance in the saddle. If you are a jump rider, try “letting go”. Letting go of the reins, letting go of constant contact, letting the horse find his own balance without relying on constant contact with his mouth. It is “letting go” of some of the “control”, and giving that responsibility to the horse instead. Take contact when you need to, and let it go again, let the horse carry himself without contact, when he doesn’t need contact. Ride off your leg and seat instead. With a schooled horse, when you take the contact, the response is immediate and correct, and when you let it go, the horse will hold that balance. Teach him to do that, it makes riding him, and jumping him, so much easier.
To me, that is “soft hands”. The ability to let go, and let the horse do his job without a lot of input from the rider’s hands. Steer, and let go. Balance, and let go. Focus, and let go. The hands are passive most of the time, not active.
I will also say driving rein is SUPER helpful in learning the feel of following the canter. It’s always a work in progress!
Could also try posting your canter sometimes, and see if you’re able to follow the motion better when your body’s loose and moving. If your elbows lock in a half-seat and your rein loops in a full seat, it may be that when you set your body in a given position (even if you’re fairly relaxed and balanced in that position), your arms naturally want to also be fairly still. If you can do it while you’re posting (as some people can a bit better), you can use that motion to find your way to a complete half-seat or full-seat with good contact in your own time.
Since you mentioned that you have no problems sitting balanced at the canter with the hands on you hip/lunge line torture, I am guessing you need to work on your base of support in the half seat. If you are bracing your leg in the half seat/two point, you are probably also bracing your elbows. Maybe some two point work at the trot with your hands hovering above your horses neck? And work on letting your legs keep you in place and not your hands. Two point on the lunge with your hands on your hips is also a really good exercise if you have a friend you trust to lunge you 
And a horse that is good on the line always helps.
The thought of hands on my hips while sitting the canter is easy/-
The thought of no hands in half seat scares me! Ha
One of our exercises when I was learning was going through a grid with hands out to the side.
[QUOTE=Zeidant2;8952638]
The thought of hands on my hips while sitting the canter is easy/-
The thought of no hands in half seat scares me! Ha[/QUOTE]
LOL it’s not so bad! You don’t have to do it at a canter. You can totally use it in the trot or even harder on your leg muscles…the walk. If you fall forward or fall backwards, you know that your half seat is the part that needs work, not your hands. I would bet that you are more bracing in your stirrups to get your half seat and when you are cantering, you are relying in either the reins or the horses neck (too much hand or loopy rein). Posting without stirrups might help build your base of support too…sorry 
I know that no stirrups kind of blows But it will also point out some of your weak spots. I know I need a whole lot more of it :winkgrin:
I like to think of train wheels motion as a visual for a following hand at the canter.
Watch this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACUPIyUhlXc
Think of the wheel as being the horse cantering under you, and the the point where the wheel arm connects to the wheel as the bit, with the wheel arm extending back being representative of the rider’s arm.
The up part of the canter stride is similar to the rotation of the wheel - your arm needs to follow the head up and forward and then down and back, just as the arm of the wheel goes up and forward and then down and back.
If you watch the horse’s mane as it canters, it will lift up and go down, and you can get a sense of what to do with your arms if you follow the mane.
Also agree that the driving reins are the best way to get this feel - it is impossible to lock your elbow and not follow the motion with driving reins. Do a few laps with driving reins to get the feel, and then switch over to regular reins. You will find that you will have to use your core to stabilize your body in order for your arms to follow. Think of lifting up from the ribcage and pulling your belly button in.
[QUOTE=SendenHorse;8949390]
That is the million dollar question…
The walk and canter bascule and follow, the trot doesn’t open and close to that degree but still needs to account for posting.
Unstable hands often come as a result of a rider either not having a good base or understanding how to ride off the seat, or trusting the seat to be effective.
Anchoring the pelvis and elbows helps create a proper contact.
Its a learning process, I’ve been doing dressage for many many years and I still don’t feel I fully understand this…
My best advice is try to ride a really solid training- second level dressage horse and see what that feels like and how to start to recreate that feeling. its honestly THE best investment if you ask me. Feeling is worth a thousand forum posts![/QUOTE]
elbows and closed fingers!
[QUOTE=Brooke;8951118]
Have you ever tried using a ‘driving rein’ … holding the rein so that it comes through your thumb and fingers first . Backwards as it were. That’s always helped people in my experience. It tends to relax your arm. Sometimes thinking about your elbows or shoulders makes it very artificial, forced and therefore stiff.[/QUOTE]
I second this. I had a trainer once have me do this for an entire lesson and it did wonders for me. I used to have a very stiff elbow - particularly at the canter. The driving rein really helped me understand the feeling of following the mouth and not locking my elbow.
[QUOTE=rockonxox;8951384]
For soft hands my first instructor told me to imagine I’m holding an egg in each hand. If I hold too hard I’m going to crack it and get yolk all over. If I’m loose in my hands and my fingers aren’t closed I’m going to drop it and get yolk all over my horse. If I have “soft” hands then nobody gets yolked on. Every instructor has different ways of creating a visual for keeping hands soft, but this one has stuck with me.[/QUOTE]
Can you explain this another way? Soft hands come from your elbow/shoulder. This makes absolutely no sense to me.
[QUOTE=jr;8953873]
Can you explain this another way? Soft hands come from your elbow/shoulder. This makes absolutely no sense to me.[/QUOTE]
Clenched fingers, of course that stiffens the whole arm, but it is a major place to start to unravel the problem by getting the rider to have a revelation ah-ha moment. People have no idea how much they are riding on their hands, especially when they panic. It sure helps when they have a self-realization moment. Kind of like standing on a scale - no denial there, it’s a fact.
So I did the driving reins and wow did I notice a huge difference.
I definitely felt my elbows following the motion that it became a rhythm of my arms in which case allowed me to translate that into a better ride in the traditional way to carry reins. It was funny I really enjoyed the feel of driving reins and got used to it after a half hour that when it was time to switch to the regular way it felt funny and it took me s good thirty seconds to remember. Lol
Thanks for your suggestions everyone. We also worked on hands on hips and out so it really helped me think of my seat.
The best thing about horseback riding is the “feel”. When you finally get the feel–nothing feels better.
