Soft hands?

[cosmo_sam]

I'm just interested what people think is the route to soft hands?

I read a Spencer Wilton comment where he said the secret to soft hands doesn't lie in the fingers or the wrist. Soft hands come from the elbow.

What does everyone else think?

 

[Bossanova]

I find it very hard to pin-point what makes hands soft.
Some people think that a still hand is a soft hand but in fact, a still hand could be pulling so is that really soft?
I think a soft hand is one that gives when the horse softens, allows forwards when the horse needs to open its neck out and yet maintains a consistant contact. I believe you can acheive a lot of this through the fingers and a slight change in angle of the wrist but ultimately if the elbow is fixed, so is the overall contact.

 

[Sparklet]

I'd agree with elbow but it is also in rider attitude - giving hands, offering hands requires the rider to think forward.

 

[siennamum]

Couldn't agree more.

 

[cosmo_sam]

I really agree with that attitude point

I've recently studied the video I have of me, and noticed that very often I'm concentrating that hard and am quite introverted. Although George was being reactive and forward to an extent I could see just my mental attitude seemed to be dulling him down if that makes sense?

Recently I've gone out and tried to THINK more energetically if that makes sense and it's somehow transfered to him (he now thinks he's a lippizanner stallion!

)

Probably as you say I was physically allowing him, but not mentally and that's transferred via the hands?

 

[KatB]

IMO its the whole arm, right from the shoulders downwards. A soft contact is one that follows the horses every movement, but doesnt pull back, is just there, holding the bit in the horses mouth, and absorbing any movement made by the horse, and also giving support to flex etc etc. If the whole arm is flexible then contact can be consistant because you can take a grip on the reins so keeping the "feel" consistant, but the whole arm can follow the horses movement, and be soft!

 

[Sparklet]

Several different trainers have likened it to:

- offering a tray of drinks to someone
- using a large joystick (push forward for forward)

and the old

- pushing a wheelbarrow up a hill

 

[Weezy]

Unless you have elastic elbows your hand can never be soft - thats my opinion anyway

 

[Tempi]

i agree with Spencer in that if the arm/elbow is tight then so will the hands be. The elbow should give with the movement and act like a hinge (which it is), this should in turn help the hands/wrists to stay soft and giving down the reins.

 

[burtie]

[ QUOTE ]
Unless you have elastic elbows your hand can never be soft - thats my opinion anyway

[/ QUOTE ]

Briliant quote, This is something I'm always drumming into pupils, quite a common fault when starting to work a horse on the contact is to end up with straight arms, or a fixed bend in the elbow. Your hands cannot possible remain soft and following the horse if your elbows are not acting as a fulcrum to follow the movement and be giving.

Also loose soft elbows generally means loose shoulders amd wrists, try tensing and softening your elbow right now sat at your puter and see what happens to your wrist and shoulder!

P.s That last comment is aimed at anyone trying to understand the principle rather then you Weezy as you clearly know already

 

[Weezy]

hehe - I KNOW but I do actually find it VERY hard to put in practise especially with something fiesty - I blame too many mental ponies LOL! However I am fast at realising that they are fixing and so can yield, but what you say about elbow/shoulder/wrist is absolutely spot on and usually then travels down the back trans mslces, sets and hollows the back and then you are REALLY stuffed!

 

[cosmo_sam]

[ QUOTE ]
I find it very hard to pin-point what makes hands soft.
Some people think that a still hand is a soft hand but in fact, a still hand could be pulling so is that really soft?

[/ QUOTE ]

I think this vid shows a fixed hand with a horse rolling around the hand.

rolling around the hand

 

[Tierra]

I love that site!

Anyway.. to the point of the post.. I echo what Weezy said that without soft elbows, you cant achieve soft hands. The elbow should be like a pulley system and should keep a nice soft bend. Although I think "good" hands is one of those things most of us can spend a life time focussing on

 

[vicijp]

IMO 'soft hands' is another way to describe exceptional balance. That is born and not made.

 

[cosmo_sam]

[ QUOTE ]
IMO 'soft hands' is another way to describe exceptional balance. That is born and not made.

[/ QUOTE ]

No hope for me then!!!

 

[Tia]

My turn to be a sheep.......

Very well said Vici.

 

[BBs]

To me, if you have a still hand, without being relaxed through the shoulder/elbow you will create resistance - thats my theory.....

Basically, you have to be moving the whole time - if you move with the horse, you create a picture of sitting still and in harmony with your horse - its the ones that try and sit still end up tensing and making the picture look

So in what Vic has said I agree, although, I am hoping that (as I wasnt born with it) that I am making some impresssion on improving.

 

[burtie]

[ QUOTE ]
IMO 'soft hands' is another way to describe exceptional balance. That is born and not made.



[/ QUOTE ]

Truley naturally talented riders are pretty much born with this, but some training will always help them become amazing riders, those not born with this can still become good riders with hard work and correct training, but may stuggle to become amazing riders, but like all things requiring talent there is a balance between talent and training, There also many degrees of talent IMO I don't think it's simply a case of having it or not.

 

[Rambo]

Those riders that I have seen that I would consider to have truly soft hands, appear to ride from the finger tips. Obviously elbows and wrists also play a part and shouldn't be set but the ultimate 'shock absorbers' are the fingers imo. Clearly natural balance is important too....as is a co-operative horse ! Not every horse allows every rider to ride in the ideal way...

 

[Sparklet]

As an aside - my instructor had advised me to train with brightly coloured gloves as a visual reminder to keep my hands soft and 'offering'. I must admit it has worked a treat - I will of course return to the darker more invisable gloves when competing though

...........at least for now anyway

 

[burtie]

Natural balance is helpful, but it's balance that is important. Clearly some people have more natural balance than others, but we all have some level of natural balance otherwise we'd just fall over everytime we tried to stand up!

Seriously though I fully accept some riders have much more natural talent than others and some people just will never make riders however hard they try, but I like to hope that for most us mere mortals, what natural talent we do have can be nutured and trained so that we can become good riders!

 

[Patchwork]

This may be true with a highly schooled horse in some disciplines but there is no way you can absorb all the head and neck movement on a galloping horse using only the fingers.

 

[racingdemon]

i was about to suggest Nivea hand cream..... then realised it wasn't that sort of soft hands!!

 

[vic07]

How can anyone have soft hands without an established and secure seat?

 

[Baggybreeches]

I think that they are either naturally soft, as this is instinctive or take a hell of a lot of practice (I mean lots of years). I still see people who have been riding for 20 years with horrible hands, I always feel sorry for their horse, although they probably don't know any different. I think bad hands is partly down to a lack of decent coaching.