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