Bobbing hands in rising trot?

[delbino7]

Help please, my instructor keeps getting at me for the position of my hands and how they bob around in front of me in rising trot.
Walk-fine!
Sitting trot- fine!
Canter- fine!

Rising trot? I can't help but lifting my hands when I rise? If I sat and held a strap on my saddle it's no problem obviously-but I want to be able to hold myself properly in front of me? How can I keep them still while rising? I've been out of the saddle for a while happy hacking etc but I want to enter low level dressage etc but can I help keep my hands still which is obviously interfering with my horses mouth!

Any help welcome!

 

[SpringArising]

Do lots of exercises without the reins - hands on hips, head, out in front of you in a straight line etc. It sounds like a balance thing so that will help.

You need elasticity and movement to some extent, but no so much so that you're jabbing the mouth or interfering with the movement.

 

[LeannePip]

Still hands come from an independent hand/ seat and leg the art of riding is learning to use each aid individually and independantly of each other.

it may help to try and think of your 'rise' as your hips/pelvis going forward not up and down this shouldn't make your hands go up and down. has your instructor not given you any ideas of how to improve it? obviously she sees you ride and knows your weakness' better than any of us here

 

[Cortez]

Lunge lessons, lots of. Riding without reins will help you to disassociate your upper body from what your lower body is doing, which is essential if you are to have the independant seat that is the goal of all riders. See if your instructor can lunge you and concentrate on all the exercises that help to develop this.

 

[Tyssandi]

Help please, my instructor keeps getting at me for the position of my hands and how they bob around in front of me in rising trot.
Walk-fine!
Sitting trot- fine!
Canter- fine!

Rising trot? I can't help but lifting my hands when I rise? If I sat and held a strap on my saddle it's no problem obviously-but I want to be able to hold myself properly in front of me? How can I keep them still while rising? I've been out of the saddle for a while happy hacking etc but I want to enter low level dressage etc but can I help keep my hands still which is obviously interfering with my horses mouth!

Any help welcome!

Two ways I teach this

1. on a lunge lesson no reins hold your wrists upper most in the correct position and balance a whip there it is hard but you can succeed
2. plastic beaker with water in each hand

you may get wet but it works these both do

 

[Goldenstar]

Stop thinking about keeping your hand still and think about your elbows.
It's moving your elbow joint ( and shoulder ) that keeps your hands steady with the horses mouth .
At first you will have to force this by thinking open as you rise and opening the angle of the elbow joint slightly as you sit close it .
At first you are likely to over exaggerate do open to much but in time you will find the way and develop your feel .

It won't feel natural at first but if you plug away at it you will get it .

 

[gunnergundog]

As above, MOVE your elbows! Until you learn to move this joint in your body your hands will move and cause problems. If you are really struggling, tie a piece of baling twine from one D ring on your saddle to the other and hook your little fingers of each hand under the baling twine, then start posting to the trot. If you can relax your upper body/arms this should give you the idea of how your elbows need to move in order to sort of maintain a steady contact.

 

[JennBags]

Yes, move your elbows, think of opening the inside bend of your elbow as you rise rather than thinking of keeping your hands still (which always makes them move more ime)

 

[Batgirl]

As above, MOVE your elbows! Until you learn to move this joint in your body your hands will move and cause problems. If you are really struggling, tie a piece of baling twine from one D ring on your saddle to the other and hook your little fingers of each hand under the baling twine, then start posting to the trot. If you can relax your upper body/arms this should give you the idea of how your elbows need to move in order to sort of maintain a steady contact.

This!

 

[Silver]

As mentioned above. Lunge lessons without reins and without stirrups to gain independent leg, seat and hand. Ride with stick across both hands (with no reins) so some weight in your hand go up and down to the rise do not think of keeping hand still think of opening and closing your elbow.

Hope this helps.

 

[1life]

As above, MOVE your elbows! Until you learn to move this joint in your body your hands will move and cause problems. If you are really struggling, tie a piece of baling twine from one D ring on your saddle to the other and hook your little fingers of each hand under the baling twine, then start posting to the trot. If you can relax your upper body/arms this should give you the idea of how your elbows need to move in order to sort of maintain a steady contact.

This! I have a couple of younger clients with hands that 'bob' and the problem is usually locked/rigid elbows. Elbows need to be 'elastic' so that the rein contact and hand can stay steady

 

[Jenni_]

Stop thinking about keeping your hand still and think about your elbows.
It's moving your elbow joint ( and shoulder ) that keeps your hands steady with the horses mouth .
At first you will have to force this by thinking open as you rise and opening the angle of the elbow joint slightly as you sit close it .
At first you are likely to over exaggerate do open to much but in time you will find the way and develop your feel .

It won't feel natural at first but if you plug away at it you will get it .

As above, MOVE your elbows! Until you learn to move this joint in your body your hands will move and cause problems. If you are really struggling, tie a piece of baling twine from one D ring on your saddle to the other and hook your little fingers of each hand under the baling twine, then start posting to the trot. If you can relax your upper body/arms this should give you the idea of how your elbows need to move in order to sort of maintain a steady contact.

This!

The way I teach people how this should 'feel' is to have them rest their hands on either side of the horses withers, and rise - they cannot move their hands, So to accommodate this they have to open their elbow!

Then they can progress to recreating that holding their hands independently. They get a bit jerky, hands back on the neck.

 

[Tnavas]

What is happening is that you are locking your elbows. To keep your hands still you need to allow your elbows to open as you rise, and close as you sit.

Put a loose neck strap on the horse that allows your hands to be in the correct place, then hook your little fingers under the strap and focus what happens to your elbows as you rise and sit.

Then practise and checking and correcting all the time you ride.

It wouldn't hurt to be using the neck strap when you ride for several months. A thin old martingale neck strap is ideal.