OK - so, if I don't carry a stick, i can keep my thumbs very firmly on the rein and thus give/take with teh fingers effectively.
But if she then stops answering the leg (which sometimes happens) i'm stuck - i either get off and go get it, or sit there unti someone turns up to give me it, or give up for the day.
However, if I DO carry a stick, she moves off the leg very quickly, very rarely gets to the point of not doing so .... but I can't keep the thumb firmly on the rein the relevant hand (the one carrying the stick).
so a bit of a dilemma there, since I want to ensure that Moly can't pull the rein out of my hand and at the same time want her to be forwards, not standing still sticking her (metaphorical) tongue out at me! and, apart from the fact that I don't want to go back to "kick kick" - if she's not answering the leg, she's not answering a kick either!
plus - RI wants me to ride with my hand lower ATM, essentially treating Molly as a young horse, (fair enough given her lack of training in the past, LOL) BUT if i also carry a stick (my schooling whip) i find that the hand position is all wrong and i can find myself connecting with her with the stick when i didn't want to.
having said all that, she's starting to get to the point where I can get her forward and into a sensible nice contact with a higher hand, but not very often...
so some of it was good, and some of it was bad.
the walk's still good though!
But if she then stops answering the leg (which sometimes happens) i'm stuck - i either get off and go get it, or sit there unti someone turns up to give me it, or give up for the day.
However, if I DO carry a stick, she moves off the leg very quickly, very rarely gets to the point of not doing so .... but I can't keep the thumb firmly on the rein the relevant hand (the one carrying the stick).
so a bit of a dilemma there, since I want to ensure that Moly can't pull the rein out of my hand and at the same time want her to be forwards, not standing still sticking her (metaphorical) tongue out at me! and, apart from the fact that I don't want to go back to "kick kick" - if she's not answering the leg, she's not answering a kick either!
plus - RI wants me to ride with my hand lower ATM, essentially treating Molly as a young horse, (fair enough given her lack of training in the past, LOL) BUT if i also carry a stick (my schooling whip) i find that the hand position is all wrong and i can find myself connecting with her with the stick when i didn't want to.
having said all that, she's starting to get to the point where I can get her forward and into a sensible nice contact with a higher hand, but not very often...
so some of it was good, and some of it was bad.
the walk's still good though!
3 comments:
Can you shove a short crop into your boot, or even down the back of your breeches, so as to have it available if needed? (Over the shoulder with a strap?) Someone, somewhere has probably invented a telescopic version. Just trying to think outside the box.
Riding with a stick just takes practice. And yes, you can put it in your boot until you really need it. But you are far better off carrying it than not.
Right now, the forward part is essential to the "on the bit," so you can't have one without the other. You will get better with your hands as you practice.
Do you have reins with rein stops on them? I find them the easiest to hold. And once you pick the stop where your hand needs to be, you will be much more aware of when and if it starts to slip.
If not rein stops as Jean suggests then get some coloured elastic bands or hair bands and use them on the reins as markers.
One of the joys of riding a forward horse is not needing a whip but if it helps, try holding the whip not so much on the end but more in the middle, generally it's slimmer further down and it's easier to balance.
Post a Comment