Hands too light- help

H

happy_talk

Well-Known Member
Joined
27 August 2007
Messages
521
Visit site
I'm struggling to take more of a contact and find that I ride very lightly. I don’t ride around with washing lines, but I seem to have picked up riding on a very light contact. When the horse is in the correct outline I will hardly have any weight in my hand (if outline is broken then I will firmly correct that)- how I would imagine a show hack to go/feel. I hope this makes sense!
My instructor wants me to take have more weight/contact so when i ask for something/correct things when riding I don’t get so much of a "reaction". When I try to do this I have ended up riding in an elem/collected outline, but I’m aiming at a novice test. She tends to throw her head in trot/canter transitions in a collected outline, so need to go back a bit. My instructor rode her and when I got back on she was “heavier” in the contact but within a few minutes I managed to get her back to being very light (so it’s an issue with me). Any hints/tips/advice at getting her firmer in the contact and, most importantly, getting me used to that?
 
Practice, its dificult as its changing the usual. I know u say she was heavier after your instructor but maybe thats what u need to work towards
 
yes, after instructor rode her she felt different and how she needs to /should be. I just can;t get used to riding her like that and before I could get used to it I had going in the very light contact again. doh!
 
i ride very soft handed, which i am told is a good thing, but i need to ride with a contact, especially with my left rein (obv. my weaker side) and im finding it hard as i feel like i am pulling.

My instructor is also telling me to put more "pressure" down the rein and then soften as soon as he does but i couldnt get a reaction for ages last time!! i felt incredibly cr*p.

She says i need to get him working into a contact and not let him get light...
 
franA - i think we both may have the same problem. i soften (to virtually no contact) as soon as she's in correct outline. When she was stronger in the contact it feels to me like she's mildly hanging- but that, apparently, is what I need to try and get! I guess it's what you get used to and you ride to achieve that feel.
forward into a contact is lost on me - i can do forward with a very light hand! wish i could blame the horse! ;o)
 
when he works nciely he doesnt feel "strong", thing is i have a new youngster so im basically startoing again.

What i found with my last horse is that i spent so much time trying to get her rounder (and she could be awkward until she settled) that when she was responsive to me and i should have been bringing her up i was trying to get her rounder still, until i realised what i as doing. The correct feel is very difficult
 
You are correct to be riding with a light hand, and if your reins are not getting longer as you go around, then the problem is not with the front end, it;s behind the saddle. As long as your not throwing your reins away, keep a light contact, and ride more positively forwards. This is prob why u have the head throwing in trot/canter transitions.
grin.gif
 
totally agree with SAMgirl. a light contact is what you want, although it should feel secure, not tentative/intermittent, if that makes sense. ride forward into the soft light absorbing hand, was the best advice i've been given... think of energising from behind and then softly catching/absorbing that energy, containing it very lightly with the hands.
if they're strong in the hand, they're often not in self-carriage...
 
I wont have my horses any other way- they should be light at the end of the rein and willing. Hate having a too much in the hand- demonstrates too much reliance on the hand imho. Obviously you need to tweak when a correction needs to be made but if the horse is connected and working well from behind, you really shoudlnt have much in the hand.
 
yes i know what you mean, had a lesson tonight and in the end he went great (again once i had gotton a hold of him) then it didnt feel strong, but there was something there, he just didnt feel like he was pulling/leaning into my hands.
we spent a lot of time getting him to bend with big spongy feels down the rein (quite firm i think) and then giving, then once he has given in completly relax and just hold it nicely, not fixing the rein.

I think its a matter of time to know what is "correct"
 
I ride with very light hands with my mare who i've only had for a month because as soon as she feels my presence, even if i give with my hands and don't restrict her, she becomes very hot and starts to be obnoxious.
When my instructor rides her with a real contact (hand to mouth) she controls the excitement by sitting very firmly so stella just tosses her head a little bit and swishes her tail & her performance becomes a lot more "alive" but i'm not a good enough rider to cope effectively with my horse when she steps "up a gear" so i prefer to go for the very light, very responsive & well-balanced minimal contact approach as she naturally works in an outline...
phew.
didn't realise that reply came out so long.
 
[ QUOTE ]
yes i know what you mean, had a lesson tonight and in the end he went great (again once i had gotton a hold of him) then it didnt feel strong, but there was something there, he just didnt feel like he was pulling/leaning into my hands.
we spent a lot of time getting him to bend with big spongy feels down the rein (quite firm i think) and then giving, then once he has given in completly relax and just hold it nicely, not fixing the rein.

I think its a matter of time to know what is "correct"

[/ QUOTE ]

It definately takes time (everything takes sooo much time in dressage grr) lol, and it's important to remember when talking about contact that it will be different from one horse to the next! Some horses will never be feather light, it doesn't mean they're heavy or leaning, as long as they are soft. Others will be really subtle and very light (although there is a delicate contact there).

IMO the most important thing with contact, the rein should always be given forward, and the horse allowed to stretch. This will be useful if your unsure the amount of contact your getting is correct, as the result of doing this will be indicitive; but really should be done as a matter of course every time you ride
grin.gif


AnnaandStella - a really good rider (that trains horses) will ride how you describe yourself 95% of the time, and only pick them up rarely. So i'm sure your horse will go beautifully
grin.gif
 
Some people would disagree with your instructor! Surely if your horse is going correctly then it should have a light contact, the weight of the reins should be enough.
 
Wow- thanks for all the comments. TBH i'm still confused over how much contact I should have.

SAMgirl- your comment about reins getting longer is interesting, I do sometimes find they are. I have changed to grippier reins recently, but I think my problem is when she is light I ride with a very relax, almost open hand. My 3 middle fingers will stretch open as I'm giving and come back to a fist shape when to correct, but when they're open I think my rein may slide through my hand (naughty rein!). I iwll see if this still happens with grippier reins.
 
As I'm still confused as to how much contact I need i think i will question my instructor again- it made sense when she said it. I need more contact now and work in novice outline more, but when we (eventually) start to work at higher levels then the contact will/should be very light. consistency and trot/canter transitions are our/my pitfalls, but when instructor rode her she went really well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top