Gravity Issues

[SharerSarah]

I seem to lose all control over my head and hands when I'm riding!

My arms resemble chicken wings (elbows out and hands wide) and my hands sit just above my knees and i constantly look down. The only solution so far is to have someone constantly telling me too look up and lift my hands and bring my elbows in. Unfortunately when i do have something to ride there is rarely anyone else around.

Has anyone else had this problem and how did they fix it?

 

[Tickles]

Find something in the distance to focus on - align a few poles or jumps in front and practice looking at your tree/mark on arena wall/whatever as you go over - once you relaise how much more stable you feel you should 'want' to look up!

Also - off-horse execises will help, try ballet/pilates/anything else requiring good posture. You can get videos to use at home but do try a class or two if you can.

 

[Erehwemos]

There are several remedies!

Ride with a whip behind your back and hooked through your arms - this will help you to sit up straighter as well as keeping your elbows in and your arms still. It hurts like hell, but it does work!

The second thing you can try is the handcuff method. When I started doing a bit of dressage after having done nothing but show jump for years and years, my instructor was horrified at my hand position and made me wear a figure of 8 of baler twine to keep my hands still and up. Again, it was horrible but it really taught me to use my seat to better advantage - its scary how much we can rely on our hands to steer when really it should be our legs and seat!

Good luck!

 

[curio]

put a whip across your hands and hold it with your thumbs then your hands cant go wide or down and its more comfortable than behind your elbows

 

[indiat]

I have the same problem but I ride with a dressage whip and my instructor said to keep it across my thigh the whole time - if it moves off my thigh, I know my hands are going haywire.

 

[SharerSarah]

Haha i just watched a video of me riding, im pretty sure my whip was off my leg the whole time, i'll try the whip under my thumbs before the baler twine i think! im scared of broken wrists!!

I've tried the whip behind the elbows, my whip snapped!!! haha