Hands Up!

[carol machulski]

My hands are bouncing! NOT good! The videos from yesterday's lesson shoed intermittent problems with keeping my hands down and steady. when I come back from Japan, I'll have to work at keeping them in a steady position and also on not dropping contact when at the halt. Thankfully no shows on the horizon so I still have time to work on these things plus keeping him round. 

[Angharad]

Yup, Carol. Hands are one of the most pervasive problems among riders. Or perhaps I should say elbows and wrists, because that's really where the problems spring from (or don't "spring" which is the problem).

Once you're sure your seat is independent and is not where the work really has to be done (this is important because "bouncing" hands most often indicate that you're relying on the reins for balance), try to figure out where you're holding the tension.

Elbows and wrists are the main suspects, with elbows being number 1--your hands will bounce if your elbows are locked. An easy way to determine whether your elbows are opening and closing in the same rhythm and to the same degree as your hips is to place, and notice if you can easily keep, both pinkie fingers on the horse's neck as you ride the sitting and posting trots and the canter. It'll only take a couple of trips around the arena to tell if your elbow joints are relaxed or locked.

There are lots of exercises to help develop the feel of opening and closing your elbows while following motion. Your trainer probably knows a bunch, or you can find them online.

Good luck.

And, hey...how about this trip to Japan? Is it work or play or both? Wooooooooooooowhoooooooooo. Either way it's great! When do you go and when do you get back, Carol?

[carol machulski]

Play...I'm done with work for pay. Leave on tuesday morning at 6AM (ugh!) and come back on May 22nd. Today's temperature in Tokyo my first stop is 73 degrees...nice!

[Angharad]

Have FUN!!! See you when you get back.

[carol machulski]

Postscript...my trainer sent me 6 videos of friday's lesson. They are only about 1 minute each & highlight some of my errors plus a few of the good riding. Haven't watched them all as I'll only have to review them when I return to refresh my memory...just glad that I have no shows on the horizon!