Soft Giving Hands
by Kim Baker
A rider that balances with their hands can create a high headed horse and/or a horse that is dull in the mouth. For many riders when the horse gets nervous so does the rider, and we tend to tense up and grip the reins even tighter, which feeds back to our horse and their only release on the mouth is to raise their head even higher.
We can break this pattern by learning to give and take with the reins. As soon as the horse wants to relax their head, feed out more rein and allow him to lower his head. You don’t need to drape the reins on the ground, as this compromises safety and should something startle your horse you will need to communicate with him quickly. Learn to feed out and gather your reins in a soft flowing manner without jerking or bumping your horse’s mouth.
Soft giving hands start with relaxed shoulders. The softness then runs down the arm with an open elbow (greater than 90 degrees) and then feeds into your hands and directly to your horse’s mouth. Gently close your fingers, instead of making a tight fist (holding on for dear life), and reach down and out for your horse’s mouth. You can practice at home by placing the bridle over the back of a chair and work on your body position, and gathering and feeding out your rein while watching TV. Once you get good at home, then practice on your horse at the walk and watch your horse’s
reaction, he will tell you if you’re being too rough and jerky, or if you’re being soft. If you’re soft your horse will be soft.
Photo Details:
Credit = Julia Johnson
Caption = Shoulders are relaxed flowing down into the arms with a greater than 90 degree angle feeding into my open fingers to the horse’s mouth…horse is relaxed.
