tips on teaching child on keeping hands still

[toffeeyummy]

can anyone give me any advice or tips. My daughter is 8 and is now riding nicely off the lead. She is doing well but I cannot get through to her about the importance of keeping her hands still and keeping a light steady contact on her ponies mouth. She is almost too soft handed (which i know is better than the other) but will ride along with quite loopy reins and her fingers almost open and will constantly move her hands iykwim?! if she does get a little bit of contact and squeezes the pony forward he really responds nicely and goes into a lovely outline but then she'll fiddle, lose the contact and back to how he was. we've tried neckstrap (she feels uncomfortable holding it), holding the mane, knots in the reins to hold...any tips? x
those who teach their own children will also appreciate how it also ends in a row....

 

[cptrayes]

First, get someone else to tell her - you're her mother, you must be wrong! I used to do this for a friend of mine. She told me what she wanted them told, and I told them!

A stick might work - you can use a riding whip. Get her to hold it under her thumbs on both hands. If she does wave her hands around, she'll drop the stick, or at the very least she'll be clearly able to see it waving about.

 

[Lolo]

Could you use one of those breastplates which goes around the front of the chest and over the withers instead of a neckstrap? Al used to really struggle with keeping her hands in the right place, and she held that too- it would allow enough upwards movement to let her hold her hands in the right place without fiddling?

 

[zoelouisem]

My daughter used to do this, i found it was her balancing herself. I did lots of work with no hands on the lunge to build up her core and not let her reley on her hands for balance and balance with her seat instead. did the trick for her she now canters with no stirrups and hands on the rein on the lunge and when shes riding normaly her hands stay still.

 

[copper100]

You're daughter is very young, never taught that young to be honest.

What I would try and explain though is that, the pony needs your legs to give him/her the energy to move forward but also needs your hands to be gentle, give a constant rein length in order for them to balance the power from the hind. Little ones are known for washing line reins though, it's the co-ordination at that age.

Good luck

 

[superted1989]

I've found, with kids, a strap from D ring to D ring is much easier for them. Also, whilst lead or on lunge, keeping their hands on the front of their thighs.
Many years ago, before health and safety and with 'proper' riding school ponies, quite often had them racing each other with paper cups of water on a tray. The winner had the most water in the cups at he finish!

 

[toffeeyummy]

Yes I agree on getting someone else to tell her as 'I know nothing'!! Perhaps I should leave it to her instructors and we'll concentrate on hacking out!
Interesting about the breastplate, we do have one, I will give it a go. or I will just bribe with sweets...

 

[toffeeyummy]

My daughter used to do this, i found it was her balancing herself. I did lots of work with no hands on the lunge to build up her core and not let her reley on her hands for balance and balance with her seat instead. did the trick for her she now canters with no stirrups and hands on the rein on the lunge and when shes riding normaly her hands stay still.

Yes I had thought about lunging with no reins, will certainly give that a go

 

[toffeeyummy]

I've found, with kids, a strap from D ring to D ring is much easier for them. Also, whilst lead or on lunge, keeping their hands on the front of their thighs.
Many years ago, before health and safety and with 'proper' riding school ponies, quite often had them racing each other with paper cups of water on a tray. The winner had the most water in the cups at he finish!

haha!! Cups of coca cola?! Now THERES an idea!!!!

 

[zoelouisem]

Yes I had thought about lunging with no reins, will certainly give that a go

I find it really usefull because they can learn and practise and also been somebody who teaches my own child!! You can make it less lesson like and more fun. I often use some Simon said when doing this using her shoulders hips ect. They think its a game then. I also used to do heads shoulder knees (and toes in walk) although at 8 your daughter maybe a bit old. I just found mine found it more fun this way and was more inclined to do what i wanted rathar than what she though was best!!

 

[Trolt]

Lots of work on the lunge so she learns to ride without reins. Lots of "arms out like an areoplane", "hands on your head" etc so they balance themselves without the reins. They'll do this in walk, rising and sitting trot, and at a canter.
Then they learn steering.

We also have those coloured reins (that have the sections) so we can say "hold the blue bit" or "hold the red bit" so they get a clear idea of what the ideal rein contact is. Saying shorten your reins doesn't mean much to them, but they can understand keeping their hands on a certain colour section.

Found that really helps

 

[Horses24-7]

I always tell my daughter to pretend she's holding glasses of water and if she spills them her legs will get wet! Works a treat she's only 4 though!

 

[Miss L Toe]

Is there another [plod] pony which will wander off in the wrong direction if not guided by its rider, this can be a bit of a wake up call.

 

[peaceandquiet1]

My daughter is also eight and tends to ride with longish reins. She does not really have the core strength necessary to ride with a contact but it will come in time. Daughters tend not to listen to their mothers hence the need to pay someone else to tell them

 

[Queenbee]

I've found, with kids, a strap from D ring to D ring is much easier for them. Also, whilst lead or on lunge, keeping their hands on the front of their thighs.
Many years ago, before health and safety and with 'proper' riding school ponies, quite often had them racing each other with paper cups of water on a tray. The winner had the most water in the cups at he finish!

we had paper cups with water in, one in each hand, and a series of bounces whoever had the most water left after jumping the bounces won It was ace

 

[Tinsel Trouble]

When I teach kids about their hands I put their hands too high, this means they can ride to their hands and it's easier to keep them still, and it creates a bend in the elbow that never goes. After a few strides the hands naturally drop to the correct height and the hands automatically stay still. (learnt that one off a dutch instructor!) You need to repeat raising the hands a lot for the first few lessons, but after a while the rider is able to develop a soft contact and balance the horse between seat, leg and hand without the wrists bending in.

 

[Colline]

When I taught my daughter to ride I used to say to her "pretend the bit is a piece of barbed wire and any movement will hurt Sox, Bella, Herbie, Letty* (* delete as appropriate!!)" - this is how I was taught and it really seemed to work! Friends are alway commenting on what soft hands she has!

 

[Once was lost]

This is a problem with my daughter who is 6.5 years old, She is just coming off the lead in lessons and can keep a nice enough contact at walk but in trot well, the hands go up and lop sided and her elbows, god help her elbows, she is apt to look like a chicken trying to take off! This is all very well with the riding school ponies, they are used to it but it means I have yet to let her off the lead on her pony (complicated, not actually her pony, belongs to a friend of mine but daughter has full use and I am bring him on) who is a very green youngster, I ask her to hold on to the saddle (we have a d ring to d ring strap) with her inside hand for trot as pony has a lovely mouth and I wont have her ruin it!
I can't wait to get her on the lunge without rains as I think this is the best way to sort her out but pony is not ready for that yet, (as I said VERY green and while it would be fine on the left rein I wouldn't want to risk it on the right). In her lessons her instructor has tried all sorts to try and keep her elbows in including sticking a pair of gloves between her elbow and boy telling her not to drop them, didn't work, gloves were gone in seconds lol! I remember the whip trick being used on myself when I learnt and I know it helped me but I was older, pony is scared of whips so not an option at home but will try that in lessons. I seem to remember having a lead rope tied around my body to keep my elbows in but her instructor can't do this due to healh and safety (they aren't even allowed to do round the worlds at the riding school these days!!! ), I wonder if I could try this at home, would I be mad??
I would go for lunge though, I am working hard with pony to achieve that for us just now, you can focus on her hands while safe in the knowledge the poor pony isn't going to get jabbed in the mouth!
(sorry for wittering on, suffering from some sort of internet based verbal diarrhea!

 

[Clannad48]

When my daughter was learning to ride her instructor told her to pretend she was holding a baby rabbit in her hands and that she had to be gentle or she would drop/squash it.

 

[fatpiggy]

I'm teaching a 7 year old girl at the moment and this is something we are now starting to face as she can trot around the field off the lunge. The cure for it is definitely work on the lunge with hands not holding the reins. On the head, hanging down by the sides, aeroplanes etc etc. If she can't keep her hands level or at the correct height then stick a crop under the thumbs. Having the correct rein length when doing rising trot is vital -too long and the shoulders go back, rider gets behind the movement and the only support they are left with is to hold on with the reins.

 

[toffeeyummy]

Hmmm yes I think lunging is definately the way forward. She doesn't hang on to his mouth at all, she's almost the opposite. I will also try the d-ring strap thing as well. Now if I could just have some help with my 4 year old daughter who thinks she's riding in some sort of chariot race "let go mum I don't need leading" and "can I do a jump". Oh Lordy, why is it the second ones who have no fear!!!!

 

[toffeeyummy]

And no round the world anymore in riding schools? What!!! I teach mine back flips off the saddle :-/

 

[FMM]

My son's instructor makes him balance a wooden spoon on his hands - this keeps them level and even. I also had some reins made for him (as I couldn't find them anywhere) which have leather notches every 6 inches or so.

The spoon (or threat of the spoon) has improved his rein contact 100%.

 

[MinnieDuke]

Angel wings ... I teach my kids to tuck their angel wings down - if you think about your scappula (the bones that look like wings on your back where if you had wings they would be, behind the shoulder) if you tell them to hide / tuck / flatten their angel wings it gives them stiller hands and is a way to teach them to keep their shoulders back without hollowing the small of their backs! and its fun ... good luck