The Rider’s Hands

May 23, 2025May 23, 2025 ~ claire ballardie

The Rider’s hands

Our hands are so important when we ride. Your hands are a direct link to your horse’s mouth Paying attention to the feel of the horse’s mouth in our fingers is key to understanding him.

What do our hands tell us?

Feel through your fingers if he is relaxed, or tense.
Notice if he calmly mouthing the bit or resisting.
Resistence in his mouth indicstes tension in his body. A tense horse will not relax his back and work through to the bit.
If your horse is unsettled to the contact, firstly check your hand position is steady with supple wrists.

Check for tension in your hands

Are your fingers relaxed, and able to hoild the reins without gripping.
Tension in your hands can also transfer to your forearms and shoulders.
Maintaining a steady, elastic contact is very dependent on your hand position, and awareness of each finger.

Hand stretches to do before you ride

With your hands in riding position, clench your fists, and release again. As you do this, you may feel your shoulders and forearms tighten. Release the tension in your hands and feel your shoulders and arms relax.
Circle your wrists in both directions. Notice if you have one wrist more stiff than the other. Repeat a few times.
Press the palms of your the hands together, and then your fingers, giving them a good stretch. Peel your hands away again. Repeat a few times.
Clench your fists tightly with your fingers pressed together. Then open your hand and spread your fingers wide apart to give them a really good stretch.
To finish, stand in riding position with your hands correctly placed in front of you with your elbows by your sides.

Finally, breath calmly, and imagne the feel that you want to give to the horse, and how your horse would ideally feel in your hands.

Then take this feeling with you on to your horse.

For further details on looking closely at the rider’s position and aids, go to:

Stop, Go, Turn Book and Training Programme DVD by Claire Lilley

On-Line Horse and Rider Training

April 16, 2025April 16, 2025 ~ claire ballardie

On-line Horse and Rider Training

Schedule a live session with me on Zoom.

Book a coaching session (no horse required) to talk through training issues. If you have a film of you and your horse in action (15 mins max), please send it to me beforehand and we can plan your future progress.

Book a ridden lesson via Zoom. I will send you a link so I can teach you live with your horse. You will need to film your lesson via your phone/iPad. (You will require a clear internet signal.)

Contact me to arrange your training session.

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Which bit is right for my horse?

February 17, 2025February 17, 2025 ~ claire ballardie

Which bit is right for my horse?

This is a question I get asked so many times over the years, a real dilemma for riders, with an overwhelming choice of bits available. Then there is the choice of needing a bit at all? What about bitless bridles? How do you know which is best for your horse?

My own journey into experimenting with bits started with my first horse capable of jumping a course of show jumps. I had dreamt of sailing round the Hickstead Derby on a floaty Arab, his mane flying as we sailed over the fences, and down the infamous bank. In reality, I had Bobby, an Irish hunter type, far to big for me at 16.2 hands, and I had no brakes. Yes, we could sail around a course of show jumps, but though I could steer him around the turns, I had no say on the speed at which we would launch over everything.

Advice covered gadgets galore, but sticking with bits, I borrowed a pelham resulted in him grabbing the bit and charging with his head in the air, a hackamore resulted in him pulling like a train. And in a snaffle? well, where do I start. Bearing in mind this was in the early 80s, the main choices were a straight bar, French link, or double-jointed bit, perhaps a D ring, eggbutt, or loose ring snaffle. Mouthpieces were thick, or thin, depending on how fleshy your horse’s tongue was.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, after he galloped off with me, jumping a five bar gate, depositing me head-long into a barbed wire fence, something needed to change.

Understanding contact is key to choosing the right bit

So, now I was scared of being charged off with. I would be tense, my fingers clinging onto the reins. I met a wonderful instructor, who took me back to the beginning, and taught me to walk and halt with out using the reins. yes, I had to leave my reins loose, and stop. This challenged every fibre in my body. My mind was screaming, ‘He will run away, how can I possible let go?’ I learnt to trust my seat, I experienced for the first time what a half-halt was- not tweaking the reins, but bracing my back, closing my legs.

Gradually, I understood what Bobby needed from me – not a rider who was a bag of nerves, hanging onto his mouth, but a rider who sits tall, aware of their body, and developing a sense of feel for the whole horse, not just his mouth but his back, his neck, and his mind. His response to the discomfort and fear I put him in caused him to react as any horse would – to run away.

Two years later, I could ride him. We reached an accord. I would not say we truly trusted each other all the time, but we were generally safe together. My fear subsided, though I was always aware to pre-empt his tendency to dash off if I lost focus. I trained my mind to hone in like a laser beam to keep him with me.

Providing I kept my nerve, we jumped affiliated at Foxhunter level with some success. I rode him in control, a steady canter, in a double-jointed snaffle. I controlled him with my body, I no longer hung into the reins with my heart in my mouth.. OK, he was not my dream of a floaty Arab, but Bobby taught me so much. I was a proper show jumper.

Signs that your horse is not happy in his mouth

Problems in the mouth have a knock-on effect on the horse as a whole: his state of mind, his willingness to be ridden, his ability to bend equally in both directions, and so on. Tension in the jaw, difficulty in working through his back, reluctance to flex at the poll are all indicators of discomfort in the mouth. Other signs of discomfort in the mouth are avoidance of the contact by overbending, or being above the bit, hollowing the back. Your horse is trying to let you know what the problem is.

Identifying the cause

So, if you asked me which bit was right for your horse, prioritising what is most important is key. Good dentistry is essential to identify and correct any sharpness of the teeth affecting the way your horse uses his jaw. Physical interventions, such as chiropractic, or physiotherapy would be advisable to correct long-term imbalance in the horse’s structure, in my experience namely issues in the TMJ( jaw) joint, poll, and the lumbar back. Treatment can be costly, so I would look closer to home for a long-term solution.

Finding a solution

Once your horse’s physical issues have been dealt with, the rest is down to you, as a rider. The choice of bit is down to budget, so it may be wise to borrow bits to try, to see what works for your horse. But, fundamentally, no bit will be right for any horse if we, as riders, do not fully understand concept of contact.

What is Contact?

Contact is not just about focusing on the horse’s mouth and holding the reins.

Contact is part of The Scales of Training, which refer to the basic schooling of every horse whether you wish to concentrate on dressage, jumping or eventing. A correct understanding of contact is essential to your horse’s physical and mental development, at all levels from novice upwards. If the contact is not correct, whether you are at novice level or advanced, then it is unlikely that you will be able to maintain a consistent level of progress.

For me, contact with the horse involves any part of us which is in contact with the horse: our seat, legs and hands. All three parts of the body are essential to maintaining the horse’s balance so he is able to work into a supporting rein. The rein contact should never be stronger than the seat and leg aids and The reins should never give an aid in isolation without the backup of seat and leg aids.

Signs of a happy mouth

Signs of a correct contact are that the the horse turns easily in both directions, transitions work, and he feels balanced to ride.
The horse should appear to be working the same with its hind legs as its front legs, and not looking ‘flashy’ in front and trailing behind.
A novice horse will need more support from your back, legs and reins while it learns to balance, and work in self-carriage, that is not relying on the bit to hold him up.
Your horse should appear curved through its top line from ears to tail and the neck should not be be in a lower carriage, but on no account should it be behind the bit.
His mouth should be quietly chewing the bit, not gnashing at it, or ducking behind the contact (overbent).

So, which bit suits your horse?

Your horse will let you know which bit is most comfortable, which suits his mouth, and how much contact he needs at any one time, not just from your hands, but your seat and legs too. Let the horse show you the amount of contact he needs. If he is heavy on your reins, increase your seat and leg aids to support him, then lighten the rein contact.

If your contact is correct, the horse works through his back correctly. This is as a result of the way the bit is used, rather than the type of bit, or whether you ride with a bit or chose a bitless option.

They key aspect for me is to have a happy, relaxed horse, with a comfortable mouth, with a good understanding of contact. Riding should be fun, not a fight.

The Psychology of Horsemanship Book by Claire Lilley

January 12, 2025June 25, 2025 ~ claire ballardie

The Psychology of Horsemanship Book by Claire Lilley

Gaining insight from my own real-life experience, I look at the relationship between the horse and their human partner, and how it impacts on both mental and physical development. This book aims to help horse owners, riders, coaches and therapists alike, exploring how both can benefit from a depth of understanding with each other, with a focus on how fear affects riders and horses. My hope is this book unravels some of the intricacies of the human/horse bond.

My experience as a riding coach for over 40 years informs my practice as a psychotherapist (Claire Ballardie MBACP), working with all aspects life, and the trauma associated with impactful life experiences. I keep my 3 horses at home, a great benefit to spending time with them. I still ride, and the horses assist me in therapy sessions, should they choose to!

How I work with my horses in therapy

Price £18.99 plus P&P

Buy The Psychology of Horsemanship by Claire Lilley:

from Crowood Press

or on the Paypal link below:

Or contact me to pay by bank transfer.

Claire Lilley Interview The Psychology of Horsemanship

Out-take Claire Lilley talking about her latest book

Hartpury PRE Show 2024

August 1, 2024August 2, 2024 ~ claire ballardie

This year, I entered Perdido for the GBPRE Show at Hartpury. I have always dreamed of riding a Spanish horse in Spanish costume in classical dressage, so I was determined to make a return to competition after many years out of the scene, but my aim was to have fun!

Show Preparation

As I have not competed for a few years, I took time preparing- a whole year, in fact, working with Perdido, gradually improving his trust in me, his relaxation, and my own fitness. We have both been stymied by niggling injuries over the last couple of years, so this was about slowly piecing ourselves together as a riding partnership. I had not planned on a competitive career again, having retired myself from dressage shows after losing my dear Lipizzaner/TB, Amadeus.

But along came Perdido. He is such a lovely horse, I felt I owned it to him to show him off. He has such presence, I felt I had to up my game and get back out there!

So off we set in our thirty-year-old lorry to Hartpury. My husband would be joining us the folowing day, complete with more food supples, and wine, of course.

Day One: Thursday

I allowed plenty of time to off-load horse and all that goes with him, before transforming the lorry into my bedroom. I brought along creature comforts such as a cosy duvet, pillows, gin and nibbles. I used to get very nervous at shows, never performing at my best, so my goal for the weekend was to stay calm and focused, and give Perdido a positive experience of his first foray into dressage.

Day Two: Friday

The following morning, the nerves kicked in. The advantage of being a psychotherapist is awareness of my nervous system. As my heart thumped in my chest, and my breathing became fast, I felt myself ‘losing it’. I knew I needed something to focus on to calm me down, so I plaited Perdido’s mane, brushed him till he shone, and I felt calm again. I went off to get myself ready, and was delighted to see my husband arrive as ‘team support’. By the time I mounted Perdido for his first test, my old ‘confident self’ had returned. I told Perdido I had done this hundreds of times, and calmly familarised him with the warm-up arena. We have trained on our own, but this was his first dressage warm-up, which he coped with admirably.

Getting used to the Show

We were familiar with the main arena at Hartpury, having done a dressage to music clinic there the year before. Circunmstances prevented us from entering this show last year, so it was a real joy to finally ride down the centre line. I was delighted that we calmly completed the Sevilla test. I rode him in his snaffle bit to see how he accepted the contact. Sure, there is room for improvement in the future, Perdido coped brilliantly with the going in and out of the arenas, with other horses, and on his own, and walking to and from the stables. For me, this was just the best start to the weekend.

Bitless Dressage

A couple of hours later, we rode the same test, but in a hackamore in the bitless dressage class. Having had previous issues with his mouth in Spain, I have ridden Perdido without a bit quite often, as he is more relaxed through his poll, which impacts on the relaxation of his whole body.. With some wizard dentistry and chiropractic treatment from our vet, he was ace- really relaxed, and I was delighted we came third.

Dressage to Music

This experience did him the world of good. In the evening, we donned our Spanish gear in preparation for the Flamenca class to music. It took me ages to do up shirt and jacket buttons, and strap on my chaps. I gave up with pinning on my Catite hat, plumping for my crash hat, seeing as I was riding bitless: just in case!

My husband was amazed how heavy the saddle was, and how long it took to tack up! It was lovely to have a second pair of hands, with strong fingers to do up the buckles!

I rode Perdido in his double bridle, and he was pretty calm and relaxed throughout.I am sure doing the previous test bitless really helped him to relax in the arena. True to my old ways, I was having so much fun that I forgot the test half-way through, but, diffently to past experiences, I didn’t panic. A bit of ad-libbing got us through, though the judge noticed the movements were ‘not clear at times’, a very valid observation! Next time, I will adapt the movements to simplify the routine, and make the elements more obvious. I did enjoy dressing up in our Spanish gear, and have waited a long time to ride to music again. I think Perdido enjoyed it too!

Day Three: Saturday

The next day, after a reasonable sleep, we were up early to prepare for the ANCCE stallion class, in-hand Morphology, where conformation and movement are judged. . This was new to me, so though I had practised a bit, I was rather un-prepared for the standard of the others , making a mess of the trot-up. I obviously needed to work on my own ‘way of going’ as well as Perdido’s!

But in the standing still bit, we managed to seem proficient, and learned a lot from watching the professionals do it. I was so glad the in-hand outfit was comfortable, and way quicker to put on that the Alter Esquela get up.

Though we were last in the line-up, I was not disappointed. Perdido behaved so well, and I know we can perfect the show for next time.

In the evening, I was the only competitor in the Alter Esquela class, another occasion to dress up in costume. I worked out that I could get my Spanish trousers on and off without undoing all the buttons, so this saved ages, especially when going to the loo!

I felt confident with this test , as classical dressage is my passion, though this was our first attempt at Spanish Walk. Bless Perdido, he gave it a go at the end of the test, but it was ‘rather modest’ (non-existent). It was a real treat to perform in front of a Spanish judge, and we gave it all we had. We were presented with a rosette and a medal, and had our own lap of honour- a really special ‘show off’ moment.

Day Four: Sunday

On the final morning, I rode Perdido in the dressage test required for the Functionality part of the showing class. We were both a bit tired, but I felt the test was competent enough. Having made a hash of the trot-up the day before, I was determined to show the judge I could ride, at least. Anyway, he did smile at us at the end of the test, so don’t think it was that bad.

Going into the arena for the final prize-giving entailed another change into my in-hand outfit. By this time, I had got ‘doing the buttons up on the trousers’ to a fine art, even managing a loo- trip, in record time, just before the class.

I really enjoyed the show, and my husband did too. It has been many years since we went to a weekend horse show, and by the end we slotted back into our old routine.

I am so pleased for Perdido, having a good experience bodes well for future shows. I may even venture out again soon for the odd dressage test!

Here’s looking forwards to going to Hartpury again next year: it was such a well-organised show, and so lovely to part of the Spanish vibe!