BASIC POSITION
BASIC RIDING POSITION
HANDS "HAND POSITION" Looking at the reins, each coming from a different side, but attached to the bit in the horse’s mouth, allow your reins to enter your hands from the ‘pinky’ end. I prefer to separate my ring finger and pinky with the reins, however, it is acceptable to hold the rein outside the pinky. Bring the reins in through your palms and up over your index fingers, resting on that knuckle and securing the reins by lightly pressing them down onto your knuckles with your thumbs. You will want to hold your hands angled slightly toward one another, not flat, nor radically upright. If you look at the photo above, you will see that although the reins are securely held between the fingers, with fists closed, there is no ‘death grip’ on them. Rather, the rider employing proper contact with the horse will hold the reins with a relaxed, ‘following’ contact, exhibited by this rider's right hand (To perfect the hand, the above rider should eliminate the break at the wrist). Remember that the horse must use its head and neck for balance and will move it forward and then back both at the walk and canter, as well as when jumping hurdles. The rider must learn to follow this movement in order to avoid punishing the horse’s mouth with a ‘fixed’ and rigid hand.
Hands should be over(that is, above)and in front of the horse's withers, rather than dropped on the neck as is the above rider's left hand), knuckles thirty degrees inside the vertical, hands slightly apart and making a straight line from horse's mouth to rider's elbow. Bight of reins may fall on either side.
"PACE"
The single most important lesson you can teach your horse or yourself, for that matter, is to never settle for the incorrect pace. A little too fast or a bit too slow is simply wrong and you are either traveling at the correct pace or you are not. It's like being a little pregnant. You either are or you're not! You can't be a little wrong about your pace. Everything you attempt to accomplish on your mount depends on it. Set your pace goals and acquire a "mental speedometer" to sound the alarm when you begin to exceed the speed limit or travel in an underanimated, dead pace.
"EYES"
Try to walk a straight line, looking at the ground. Don't peek, now, just look at the terrain. Tough, huh? You will soon be totally disoriented as to your location in the ring. Now, look at a point ahead, a tree branch, a standard, any object you can focus on. Stare at your focal point and then attempt to walk directly to it. No problem, right? Whether you do this exercise on your own two feet or mounted on your horse, it will work in the same way.
Now, see if you can find an assistant to help you with the following exercise
....Take a position riding along the rail of your ring with your helper in the center.Look directly ahead of you. Wait for the assistant to cue you and then ride in to him/her. Your helper will keep track of the number of times he/she spots you looking away from him or her. From the time that your assistant calls you to ride in, you must concentrate on just your destination, or your helper, and not take your eyes off this person till you have arrived and are standing in front of him/her.
Repeat this exercise until you are able to accomplish this with no sneaky glances at the footing, jumps in the ring, trees, dogs or other people and can perform it at all three gaits, walk, trot and canter.
"CONTINUING TO USE THE EYES!"
"The judge said I was 'ducking.' How do I fix this?" A 'duck' is the act of jumping for or ahead of the horse and is caused by 'anticipation.' If you can train yourself to look up and over the jump, refraining from moving and rather, asking the 'horse' to do the work by simply squeezing, while maintaining your position, you will have conquered 'ducking.' Easier said than done! One exercise I have found to be successful is to ride through a low gymnastic, with distances set properly for your mount.
Once your horse has jumped through this grid, ask a friend to position his or herself toward the end of the line and a bit to the side and approach the gymnastic bridging both reins in your outside hand and taking a hunk of mane with your inside hand (this hand ahead of the one holding the reins, to maintain control) immediately upon acquiring straightness to the entire line of fences. At this point, look at your ground person, who may hold up his/her hand for you to focus on. From this time until you have completed the entire line of jumps, do not take your eyes off of your friends hand, not even for a second. Just concentrate on doing absolutely nothing but staying still and staring at that hand. Because you cannot see the upcoming jump, this exercise will help you 'feel' take-off, rather than moving or 'ducking' to ask your horse to leave the ground. If you feel your horse hesitate at any point during this exercise, resist the urge to move or take your eyes off of that hand and simply squeeze with your leg. It works!
"The Release"
Beginners, Level 1
The beginner must not be overfaced. At this very early stage of jumping fences, there is no substitute for an angelic, safe mount. The first school horse or pony must be well trained and obedient, a model "baby sitter," who can be trusted not to misbehave.
In return, we must reward this trooper's kindness and teach the new rider to depend on the mane, not the mouth!
Begin with ground rails or cavalletti and have this rider learn to approach these obstacles on a straight line, using the "ride in eye" system we learned on the flat to:
Teach the new rider to bridge the reins at the stand still, so that after executing the turn onto the line, the beginner will be comfortable bridging both reins and the crop, if holding one, in the outside hand, and grabbing a chunk of mane with the inside hand. The rein holding hand must be free to be used to steady the horse if needed, therefore, the hand holding the mane will be ahead (closer to the horses ears) than the outside hand.
Teach this student to look up at a point ahead and beyond the cavaletti and to ride to this point, maintaining the two point position, with bridged reins and the mane held as described.
As the rider progresses and gains confidence, the cavaletti may be replaced by a cross rail.
Now the rider may unbridge the reins and begin to use the beginner release, 1/2 way up the crest of the neck,
taking a fistfull of mane with both hands. As with all lessons, this is best learned through "demonstration, explanation and then repetition."
In contrast to the beginner, grabbing mane 1/2 way up the neck on the approach to the jump and several strides before taking flight,
the crest release, used by the intermediate level rider will strive to release on the crest at "take off."
A confidence building exercise I've used in training the rider to rest and press, is to stand at the take off spot and allow the student to approach
the jump in a slightly forward seat or two point position. At the moment I would like my student to begin the crest release, I would say "begin" or use a similar
instructive signal, at which point the student is to execute the crest release.
When comfortable releasing on the crest, next step is to coordinate leg and release. It is important to establish that the release of the horse's mouth must come before the driving aids. Much like driving a car,
the brake must be released before before adding gas.
An automatic release, when done properly, follows the horses mouth, head & neck from take off, through the bascule of the jump and into the landing. Just as you follow the horses movement in his head and neck at the walk and the canter, you follow the head and neck as the horse uses it over the fence. Horses use their head & neck for balance at the walk, canter and while jumping.
Only an experienced, independent rider, has the balance necessary to release out of hand. A rider not yet ready to perform this release, will tend to rely on the horses mouth for balance and will rotate the hands backward in the air. This, to me, is a cardinal sin! Don't attempt to use this release before you are really ready. Even an advanced rider should never be reluctant to use the crest release or even grab a handful of mane, when necessary.
The competitor, correctly releasing out of hand, has excellent balance, carrying his/her weight in his/her heel. Approaching the jump, following the stride and rythym of the canter with hands and arms, the rider must now keep a light contact at take off and follow the horses mouth in the air, maintaining contact during the flight and landing stages of the jump. The hand of this experienced rider, now can be used to support the horses movement in the air as well as on the ground. A good trainer will teach the automatic release to his/her top students, when they show complete independence in their positions over fences and when they do not find the use of hands, necessary for their own balance. Only then, can the rider help the horse balance through this release.
Exercises that improve balance over jumps and independence of hands, seat and leg are a good way to study the automatic release. Gymnastics, in an enclosed arena can enhance the riders confidence in gaining independent hand use in the air. One exercise I have found helpful in teaching this is to fasten the reins to the mane, or wrap them around a martingale, always being certain that the reins can still be used should that become necessary for safety. Be sure to take the crop from your student before commencing. Then have the rider approach the gymnastic in a jumping position or two point, placing hands on the mane. After repeating this several times, I would ask the rider to take various different hand and arm positions on command, mixing up the commands, so that neither the horse nor rider could anticipate the next exercise. We'd do hands on head, hand behind back, arms out to side, etc. This can be done with and without stirrups. When a rider can do these exercises without losing his or her balance over the jumps, he or she is ready to learn the automatic release. "SHOWING OVER FENCES"
Turn on that "mental speedometer" and calibrate the canter pace in your opening circle to be precisely, 10 to 12 miles per hour. Ride the first line of fences on course and then return to that ideal canter pace, increasing your seat contact a bit for the end of the ring. Now you are ready to ride the next line of jumps. Focus on the next jump. Soften your seat to a slightly forward one, relax your contact with his mouth a little and ride the line. With your second line completed, once again, tune in to your "mental speedometer" and establish an ideal canter of 10 to 12 miles per hour. Continue to repeat these steps throughout the entire course. Put a punctuation mark on your efforts with a smooth closing circle that brings you back down from the canter to the trot, then walk and exit the ring. A job well done. Give him a nice pat. "DISOBEDIENCES"
.....Punish or Pat?
This rider uses invisible aids. He/she is straight without being stiff. There should be a straight line from the back of your helmet, through the hips and into your heels, which are depressed in a natural way, with body weight being supported by that heel depression.
Often, in an effort to create that secure, tight leg, so illusive to the novice rider, I will observe riders gripping, rather than allowing their weight to depress into the heel. This inexperienced rider will squeeze tightly with the knee in a vain effort towards security. Rather than achieving the tighter leg he or she is striving for, the leg gripping tightly at the knee will create a loose lower leg, with the knee acting like a pivot point and the lower leg swinging from that point, much like a pendelum on a clock. The forced grip squeezes the body upward, having much the same effect a vice like grip would have on a tube of toothpaste, just the opposite of what the rider is hoping to accomplish. The "ideal" equitator will sink deeper into his leg and heel, rather than perching above his base of support.
The upper body is ideally, slightly, almost inperceptibly, in front of the vertical at the walk, sitting trot and the canter and about 20% more forward at the rising trot and hand gallop. At the hand gallop, this rider will elevate his weight out of the saddle into a 2 point position, where contact is made with his/her two legs and no longer in the seat(3 point).
A knowledgable equitation rider establishes a straight line from his/her elbow, through forearms and reins to the horses mouth. When his mount raises his head, the rider will raise his/her hands as well, maintaining that straight line. The same is done when the horse lowers his head, i.e. the rider will lower the hands to keep the same contact and line to the mouth.
A polished equitation rider possesses an independent seat. By that, I mean that his/her position is not dependent on what the horse does, that he/she doesn't need to grab the horses mouth for balance when an awkward situation arises. I know I'm leaving a great deal out, because describing the "ideal" rider would take much more room than I am permitted on this page. A good book to read to further your education on this subject is "Hunter Seat Equitation" by George H. Morris. I like Anna Jane White Mullin's book on Judging as well.
Basic Judging Criteria in Equitation Classes
Many riders compete without having consulted the A.H.S.A. Rule Book about the judging criteria for each kind of class. Since judges constantly refer to these rules, it is important for competitors to also be aware of them.
Position In Motion:
Hands:
Basic Position:
General:
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These speed guidelines will help you both under saddle and while on course.
Educate your eyes for jumping. Train yourself to trust peripheral vision, rather than depending on direct vision for anything other than to focus on your destination point.
The brain operates like a computer, measuring the distance from where you first look at a jump, to where you see your "distance", from the moment you start looking at that jump. Every time you take your eyes off this jump, the computer must begin again. You will not see many distances with a sneaky eye. Train yourself to concentrate and to look at nothing but your next jump while on course.
When you can do this, successfully, you will be so much better equipped to finding nice take off spots over hurdles. Combine this talent with attention to pace and you have the makings of a winning rider over fences.
"CORRECT POSITION" "EQUITATION"
Beauty Is As Beauty Does!
To Be Effective, You Must Learn To Be Quiet
"Sitting The Trot:"
To get snug at the sitting trot, ask your trainer to help you ride without stirrups, on the longe line and on the rail. If in his or her judgement, it is safe to do so, ride without them daily, about 15 - 20 minutes, when riding on your own. Let your leg hang down as far as you can stretch. Then turn your toe up and ride like that with no irons. You will find yourself getting the feel of sitting "into" your horse, rather than "on" him. That's what you want. Resist the urge to try to be tight by squeezing with your legs. Relax in your lower back, allowing your abdomen to undulate forward, toward the front of the saddle. While riding without your stirrups, try bridging your reins in your outside hand. Take a hold of the pommel of your saddle with your inside hand and use it to pull yourself forward and down into the saddle. Don't allow your upper body to go forward, just the seat. At the same time, pretend there is a string in the center of your chest, pulling you upward, like a puppet being held aloft by this string, so that you are stretching upward with your upper body, from the waist, through your helmet.
If your horse is not spooky, slowly let go of the pommel and drop that arm down, relaxing it at your side. Now, slowly begin to rotate the arm forward until you are reaching straight up with it, keeping your elbow and entire arm straight. Reach for the sky or ceiling and feel the stretch in your upper body, while the area from your waist to knee relaxes and softly moves with the horse's motion. When riding your horse, in the future, remember the feel you had when performing this exercise. Recreating that same position in your body, with both hands on the reins, will continue to serve your purpose in aiding you toward a quiet, effective position in which to train your horse and/or show him. These exercises work equally well to help you learn to sit the canter.
"JUMPING"
If you can post to the trot, you can jump! The trick is to allow the horses thrust to push you up over the jump, as it should push you up out of the saddle at the posting trot.
Find a line with the eye.
Ride the line.
Stop on a line.
Riders secure enough in the leg to prevent loss of balance over the jump, may now move to level 2, the crest.
The intermediate rider has developed the timing necessary to rest and press 1/3 to 1/2 way up the mane at take off.
Jim Kohn, demonstrating a lovely automatic release. (photo by Budd)
Note the nearly perfectly straight line from elbow to mouth.
Patting a horse, in an attempt to comfort one who has refused a jump, is inappropriate training. We don't want to see abuse employed after a stop, but realize that the horse learns his behavior through a system of reward and/or punishment. To his way of thinking, you are pleased with the most recent thing he has done, when you pat him. By the same token, you are less than satisfied with his most recent move, when it is immediately followed by a tap on the flank. (One or two, never exhibiting a loss of temper).
If a horse is stopping because he is afraid, he is more than likely being overfaced. You will be doing your mount a disservice, continuing to show at a level, higher than he is ready for. Take him home and bring him along more slowly. Your patience will be rewarded with success, in time. George Morris says, "The slow way is the fast way."
What do I consider to be the worst riding error? That would be bad hands. Hands that are constantly causing pain for the horse due to a dependent seat, one where a rider has not developed balance and a secure enough position and is therefore, literally, holding on for dear life. This rider, does not have the security needed to direct his horse with finesse, rather will inflict discomfort to his/her mount in a feeble effort to stay astride. In order to gain the security necessary to ride with good hands, a rider must study the basics for a long time and patiently perform exercises to instill the deep heel, relaxed but secure seat, the erect, but not stiff upper body and independent, soft hands and arms. A sound riding foundation will come to those who want it badly enough to work long and hard, to study with a good trainer, ride as many mounts as his trainer will permit. This equestrian will do anything to ride. His love of the horse and the sport is near an obsession. He will muck stalls, groom, braid almost anything that will enable him/her to have one more ride. "Give me a rider with 90% talent and 10% desire and I may have a difficult time creating a star, but if I can have a rider with 90% dedication and 10% talent, that rider will win in the show ring".
Jill Sternberg Demonstrates A Winning Equitation Position
Below is a summary of some of the important guidelines on equitation classes:
At the walk, sitting trot, and canter, body should be a couple of degrees in front of the vertical; posting trot, inclined forward; galloping and jumping, same inclination as the posting trot.
(Note: This description clearly specifies that in equitation classes on the flat, the rider should be in three-point position at the canter, not leaning forward and raised out of the saddle in two-point position.)
Hands should be over (that is, above) and in front of the horse's withers, knuckles thirty degrees inside the vertical, hands slightly apart and making a straight line from horse's mouth to rider's elbow. Bight of reins may fall on either side.
The eyes should be up and the shoulders back. Toes should be at an angle best suited to rider's conformation: ankles flexed in, heels down, calf of leg in contact with horse and slightly behind girth. Iron should be on ball of foot.
Rider should have a workmanlike appearance with seat and hands light and supple, conveying the impression of complete control should any emergency arise.
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