Badly uneven rein contact - has anyone overcome it?

[FestiveSpirit]

Although I am right handed my left hand is far too strong when I ride, and insists on taking the rein back towards my stomach and holding a really strong contact rather than giving and allowing the horse to seek the contact forwards

Tabledancer has been getting me to work on this in our lessons, but it is really starting to annoy me as I am finding it so hard to overcome

Has anyone had this in the past and successfully managed to overcome it? I am worrying now that I will never get it sorted

At the moment I am riding circles on the left rein (so strong hand on the inside) with my left hand tucked under a breastplate, which is tremendously difficult as Bob is used to me dragging him around the circle using the inside hand

Has anyone got any other exercises I could try in addition to this please? Or better still, any success stories to encourage me

 

[kit279]

Try riding a 20m circle on the left rein with Bob flexed to the outside - that shakes them off your strong hand and makes you use your seat and legs to turn instead of the hand.

 

[TheMule]

How's your left leg? You may need to work it extra hard to compensate!
I have a big problem with my left hand too as it turns over and my elbow then sticks out a bit and it becomes fixed.
I just have to keep telling myself to keep a soft elbow, that usually works- it's all a mind game with yourself though and you must be strict on yourself.

 

[_jetset_]

Try thinking about keeping your hand by the pommel of your saddle to start with. I know this is not the perfect position but it you keep it touching the leather you will soon realise when you are drawing it back.

I used to with my left hand and it was something I have worked really really hard to stop myself doing. The other thing you can use to give a more natural hand position than under the breast plate is a balance strap and tuck your little finger underneath it.

It sounds as though your horse may be the cause and the effect. If he is used to you being strong with that rein, perhaps you were originally forced to be strong with it by him. So lots of getting him to come through with that shoulder when on the right rein (so the left shoulder is having to come around first which will then make him lift through the shoulder and carry himself thus allowing you to lighten your contact). You could also try laying a whip down the left shoulder just to show him what it is you mean

 

[louisevictoria]

I do the same - doesn't help I am a lot stronger with my left hand than my right.

I used to have lessons ages ago with a dressage rider and to stop me being so strong with my left hand she used to make me do 20m circles on left rein but I had to hold left rein upside down - rather than holding the rein as normal (through gap between little finger and thumbs on top, hold rein very gently between left thrumb and forefinger. I found this helped loads as I couldn't get too strong with the contact on one side.

also it will help you ride into the outside rein a bit more

hope this makes sense

 

[Supanova]

I have pretty much the same problem! I have lessons with a lady who teaches Mary Wanless Ride with your Mind techniques and she says that most of our issues with the hand actually originate from the seat, therefore my left hand pulls back because of my left seat bone. What I find really helpful is to think about putting weight down into left knee and almost thinking of lifting right knee. This helps to get a better seat bone position (i.e. you are not tipping backwards on the left side). The first time I tried this, I was amazed as I could actually give my left hand away, when previously no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop pulling back.

 

[seabiscuit]

I have had the same problem- and I've worked out that you have to do the exact opposite of what you think you should do!

If he is strong in the left rein, you use your right leg and the right seatbone to straighten the horse up , this seems to really encourage them taking up the right rein contact correctly, a 'true' contact rather than a 'fixed' contact on the left rein. You also do some leg yield from right to left. You then find that they start to offer a truer contact on the right rein and soften on their left side.

Pushing with the left leg into the right hand thing always seems to make things worse if they are strong on their left, but if you do the opposite, it really does seem to work, try it! Really feel the horse on the right hand side with the seatbone, a bit of leg and right hand side stomach muscle.

Well I dont know if it would work for others, but it worked for me- it made me realise that I wasnt using my right side enough at all and I had been using my left leg and left seatbone to correct the problem which had in fact made the horse even stiffer on that side- because remember there is a v.fine line with their reaction to pressure- they fall *into* pressure rather than fall *away* from pressure- hence why you have to do things the other way round.

 

[peanut]

Have you tried riding carrying a short stick horizontally under your two thumbs? I've found this very good for keeping my hands steady and even.

 

[hedgehog1]

omg supanova you have just explained something to me!
i was just about to say that i used to be much stronger with my right hand.
Now i have one horse who goes better on the flat if i ride without stirrups as sometimes i sit slightly squiffy and then get stronger with the right hand, and she is so sensitive that it gets hard to ride even a canter circle as im confusing her sharp little mind with crazy aids.

Anyway, now every time i ride her on the flat i do so without stirrups, and my evil right hand has got a million times better, which i think is probably due to sitting 100% square, which Supanova just said in a more comprehensive way!

 

[FestiveSpirit]

Oooh thanks everyone, lots of ideas to try

Except it is pouring with rain at the mo, so perhaps not straight away

TD please feel free to comment (in fact it would be really useful if you did

) if I have got the explanation of what I do wrong

I think as far as Bob being stiff is concerned then once again he and I have got into a vicious circle - I have ALWAYS been too strong with the left hand, and he is stiff on the left rein and finds it hard to flex.... instant downwards spiral where I pull and pull

Aaaaaargh!!!!

 

[tigers_eye]

Some great ideas above, would also add that a real eye opener is to swap your reins over, so put your right rein in your left hand and vice versa, then often really basic stuff goes haywire! Doesn't really cure much, but does show up all the inconsistencies.

 

[milliepops]

Lol T_E, that sounds fun

 

[TheMule]

[ QUOTE ]
Some great ideas above, would also add that a real eye opener is to swap your reins over, so put your right rein in your left hand and vice versa, then often really basic stuff goes haywire! Doesn't really cure much, but does show up all the inconsistencies.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thats a brilliant exercise- does help to get them more into the outside rein.
Also holding the reins upside down- thats good for stabilising the hand

 

[peanut]

[ QUOTE ]
Some great ideas above, would also add that a real eye opener is to swap your reins over, so put your right rein in your left hand and vice versa, then often really basic stuff goes haywire! Doesn't really cure much, but does show up all the inconsistencies.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm going to try that one day when I'm feeling brave

 

[tinkerbell88]

Another one in favour of turning you left rein over so your thumb points down the rein like you are holding a saucepan-it really helps!! Also make sure that on the right rein you are strong enough with your right leg to push the horse up to the right rein. If your left rein is compensating because your right rein is weak then riding the horse up to your right rein will start to make the reins feel more even. A strong contact isn't necessarily a bad one as long as the contact is even.
Good luck with whatever you choose to try!!

 

[seabiscuit]

Yes thats another point- on the right rein, make sure that the left rein doesnt dominate and that they dont lean on the outside rein too much and completly drop the right rein contact. This causes the left hand shoulder to completly fall out. On the right rein direction, you have to make sure that they really take up that inside rein, and almost be looking a fraction to the outside rather than round to the inside( while they are learning to straighten up ) then gradually let them look a little to the inside again but be quick not to let them take advantage of the outside rein, and lean on it.

 

[jumptoit]

I have/had exactly the same problem it was highlighted to me in my lessons about 5 months ago and I think I am getting much better with it the key thing is to make sure you know when you are doing it and then try to solve it. To start with I had no idea I had different lengths of reins but now I think about it a lot and that's helped.

I've also done a lot of changing flexion and having the reins up side down, although I can't for the life of me remember how you hold them upside down having not done it for a bit

, too

.

 

[TableDancer]

Really good ideas and input on here!

What Splotchy has a tendency to do is swivel her upper body, with her hands a little wide, so her left hand draws back towards her thigh (sometimes almost touching it), while the right (outside) hand pushes forward, losing the contact on the outside rein. So it's a bit of a double whammy, and of course it's no good me getting her to soften her inside contact unless she takes up her outside one to support Bob around the circle...

Getting Splotchy to feel just how much she has been pulling and relying on the left rein was my first aim, as it's impossible to correct something if you aren't aware you are doing it. So yesterday we were, in the absence of a breastplate, balance strap or anything else, trying to ride around the school holding onto the mane with the left hand. Splotchy found this incredibly difficult, not just because of the absence of steering, but because of how much her hand wanted to constantly draw back. So now she appreciates the problem. Curing it is step two!

There are a number of useful suggestions on this thread. Turning the hands over is a good one, and I like T_E's suggestion although I've never tried it

I think I'll be watching carefully to see if it stems from Splotchy sliding her seat to the outside on the circle, although I don't think so as she is inclined to do it on the other rein too (the same way) although it doesn't have such an impact as the left rein is the outside rein so provides the necessary support, albeit a little too firmly.

Sometimes, though, in my experience, it is simply a case of first becoming aware of a bad habit we may have developed, and then being very single-minded about addressing it - not rocket science!! When I've been ages without a lesson, I have to be very careful about my hands and will ride around the school holding onto breastplates/saddlepads to ensure they are quite still. When I find this easy I'm allowed to move them again as appropriate

I think I should add that Splotchy is being very self-critical as she and Bob are coming on in leaps and bounds (imho

) Overall, the work is tons better and hopefully this will be reflected in the marks, if Bob can contain his spook

 

[millitiger]

[ QUOTE ]
Some great ideas above, would also add that a real eye opener is to swap your reins over, so put your right rein in your left hand and vice versa, then often really basic stuff goes haywire! Doesn't really cure much, but does show up all the inconsistencies.

[/ QUOTE ]

i do this sometimes and it is very, very useful!

also i put a neckstrap on all of mine for flatwork as it sits exactly level with where my hands need to be if i am carrying them properly.

 

[tigers_eye]

Is Bob familiar yet with lateral work? If him not accepting the right rein is part of the problem do a very straight right leg-yield (think towards half pass, or "leg-yield with counter flexion!) with a very firm right rein contact (if necessary held away from the horses neck) and kick damn hard with the right leg until they have to take it.

Swapping reins is something I tend to do when no-one is looking.... although I have no mercy when it comes to my pupils *evil cackle*

.

 

[TableDancer]

[ QUOTE ]
Is Bob familiar yet with lateral work? If him not accepting the right rein is part of the problem do a very straight right leg-yield

.

[/ QUOTE ]

PMSL - guess what we spent the second half of the lesson doing?!

 

[JessPickle]

What about buying flexi rein inserts, and in your case just putting one on your "strong side" should force you to compensate with legs/seat.

 

[jumptoit]

I've just remembered I've spent a few lessons with my hands on my breastplate, it really helped to show me how my horse could go if I wasn't making such a mess of it all

!

 

[FestiveSpirit]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Is Bob familiar yet with lateral work? If him not accepting the right rein is part of the problem do a very straight right leg-yield

.

[/ QUOTE ]

PMSL - guess what we spent the second half of the lesson doing?!

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah and flipping hard work it was too

I have obviously never been doing leg yield properly (now there is a surprise, NOT

) and TD is a hard task master and makes me do things properly

It is now another thing I have added to my practice sesssions between lessons

 

[FestiveSpirit]

I started at the end and went backwards when I came back to this thread - thank you so much TD, that is really nice of you to say that

I shall keep practising, even though I feel so frustrated with my hopelessness sometimes

 

[Bert&Maud]

I have the same problem but with my right hand. Previous trainer had an exercise making me ride a right circle, with my right ("naughty") hand behind my back. This helped to get my right shoulder back, my right hip forward, and ensured that I could only use my seat, legs and outside rein to ride around a circle. Had to do it in walk, trot and canter. VERY hard work, but it worked! Still have to practice it regularly though, as it's so easy to revert to form!

 

[deskbound]

Splotchy, it sounds like you're doing a far better job than you give yourself credit for - but FWIW, what about riding with the buckle end of your reins under the horses' neck - if you try and set one hand into your thigh, the other will end up around Bob's ears because you'll simply run out of rein length..... Not so helpful!! Quite a useful one for awareness though - which as TD rightly says, is more than half the battle won.....

 

[UncleJr]

Making a “bridge” with reins (see pictures at the end) is a good exercise and has advantages:
1. It keeps hands’ position in the right place
2. It corrects hands’ position
3. It gives an even contact to the horse’s mouth with both reins, providing confidence to horse
4. It limits the abusing of the inside rein
5. Particularly beneficial to young horses; it teaches them to take an even and steady contact on both reins

My experience has been very productive. Sometimes I have jumped a whole SJ course like that, and have done it during xc on many fences as well.
This “bridge” has been suggested on a book I read two weeks ago; “The new basic training of the young horse”, by Ingrid and Reiner Klimke.

My dirty nails are not part of the exercise

 

[Azabache]

I had a really heavy left hand and struggled to have any sort of a contact in my right hand. I could feel how uneven I was and would get so frustrated as no matter what I tried, I just couldn't sort it. It turns out I have a twisted pelvis such that my right side is further forward then my left, ie my lhs is further back, hence a stronger contact as my left hand is further from my horses mouth. Hope that made sense. I came off my pony several years ago but my right foot got caught in the stirrup and I got dragged at a gallop for a fair stretch, hence my pelvis now being twisted. I went to an Oesteopath and could immediately feel the difference, and after a few sessions I was completely even in my hands. Now as soon as my left hand gets heavy, I'm off to the oesteopath.

This might not be your problem at all, but I thought I would throw it in to the pot so to speak, as you never know!