Hands at Trot

[Nazdaq]

How should I carry my hands when doing rising trot? I keep getting told that my hands are too low, and to bring them up and forward, but then the reins are too long so I have to shorten them more....maybe I am just not used to it yet I don't know, but if someone could advise me I would be grateful....how do you have your hands in rising trot? :D

[Sammii]

I'm not much of an expert but I shall pass on what I have always been told. Make sure that your palms are facing eachother and your thumbs are the highest point on your hand. There should also be a straight line from the point of your elbow to the horses mouth .. hope that helps :)

[Nazdaq]

Thanks alot, that makes alot of sense, I shall have to try that out next lesson! :D

[Sammii]

:) If you can get pictures and/or videos of you riding it helps to analyse the problem aswell!

[Nazdaq]

Will try and drag the parents to a lesson when they come to visit so they can take some pics for me....I normally go by myself so can't get any pics.
:D

[SarahC]

Also make sure your arms aren't straight. There should be a bend in the elbow. As sammii said, there then should be a straight line from your elbow to hands to the bit.

S

[Nazdaq]

Yeah, my arms are bent at the elbow, but the RI keeps saying to bring my hands up and forward more, so then there is less of a bend at my elbows and feels like I am stretching towards the horse's head, so I dunno what she wants lol! Thanks for trying to help though, will have to question her more on Wednesday! :D

[Nimbus65]

Well, I'm constantly being shouted at to "carry" my hands b/c they have a tendency to be either too close to my body or down on the horse's whithers. If you think of actively carrying your hands . . . thumbs on top with a slight, soft, inwards flex to the wrists (as though you're carrying too beer mugs and are going to chink them together), keeping your elbows soft and relaxed but with your hands out in front of you. As soon as I carry my hands properly, my contact is soft and elastic and the horse goes more forward . . . when I "fix" my hands (so that the back of my hand is in alignment with my wrists) or flatten them, I create tension in down the rein to the horse's mouth, which inhibits him.

If my hands are too low, I'm effectively blocking the horse's shoulder (and breaking the conversation b/w the horse's mouth and my hands) . . . if they're too high they're interfering with my balance (and probably uncomfortable for the horse). I think it's hard to comprehend how far forward our hands actually need to be . . . what feels REALLY far out in front of us is actually not that far (and correct).

Also, remember that if you have your hands too close to your body then they have nowhere to go if and when you suddenly need brakes. One other tip my instructor gave me is that my hands should generally be about as far apart as the bit is wide (unless I'm opening one rein or another for some reason, or encouraging the horse to work long and low).

I don't think I'd worry too much about the line from the horse's mouth through your elbows . . . if you carry your hands properly, you'll create that line.

Hope that helps.

N

[Nazdaq]

Ohhh thanks very much for that explaination, I have a very clear picture of what my hands should look like now, thank you so much. Will try it out on Friday (my lesson got moved lol!) :D