When is the correct hand position wrong?

From the moment we first begin our riding instruction the fundamental of the properly placed, giving hand is stressed. The reins must be held loosely but firm between the fingers so that the thumb pressing gently on the rein tops to prevent slipping and with the tips of the fingers just touching the palm. A rein that touches the palm is gripped too tightly as the fingers, squeezed closed, causes tension in the reins.

The neutral arm position sets the hands at a 45 degree angle and allows the hands to fall somewhere over the withers forming a straight line from the bit, through the hand, to the elbow. The spacing between the hands should be about the width of the horse’s mouth to prevent seesawing on the bars of the mouth with the bit. The hand should be straight from the wrist along the back of the hands and flex towards the area just below the rider’s navel. Also, in the neutral position the arms and elbows line up along the centre of the body so that a straight line can be drawn through them from the shoulder through to the hip.

The Shire in this photo is at a walk without ventroflextion. This head position does not require the hands to be raised. The shoulder elbow, hip and foot line up if you were to draw a line through them. The rider's heels are giving an aid so they are slightly turned in. The hands are checking so they are also slightly turned in. However, the rider needs to straighten his neck.

When we learn to jump we learn that the neutral hand position must change to accommodate the addition movement of the horse and rider. So, are there other times that the neutral position must change to accommodate the horse? The answer is yes, and the time to change the neutral position is when the horse is moving with a high head set as is seen in the gaited horse, the Saddlebred, the Friesian, and the Draft. Contrary to what Fugly may say, the saddle seat position is not silly or pointless, rather it is necessary to the well being of the horse.

In the high head set, the horse’s mouth moves above the withers which requires the hand to move higher to accommodate the change in the position of the bit and to keep the direct line of contact through to the mouth. If the hands remain in the old neutral position, at the withers, the hands will be below the mouth. The hands will no longer have a direct line of contact from the elbow, to the hands, through to the bit. As a result the bit will pull down on the mouth and head.

The downward pulling of the bit will stress the horse’s mouth, neck, back, and shoulder causing the horse to be uncomfortable, stiff, and out of balance. The resulting stiffness will interfere with the horse’s movement in such away as to stop the horse from performing any quality action and to cause excessive ventroflextion. Also, the horse, now unwillingly give to the bit, will fight the bit and rider in one of two ways. Firstly, the horse maybe forced bend the head downwards in an unnatural and stiff position. Secondly, the horse may fight the bit by throwing the head up in avoidance. In both cases the hand position has caused the horse to fight the rider and has broken the horse’s connection to the rider. In fact, many gaited horses, if ridden in a low hand position, will lose their gait and may start performing a hard trot.

The best position for a high neck set is the saddle seat position where the hands are held high. In this way, the hands cease to pull down on the bit and the neutral position of elbow, to hand, through to the bit contact is resumed. This position allows the arm to hang relaxed from the shoulder, puts no excess pressure on your wrist and allows instant, clear signals to pass from the horse's mouth to your fingers and from your fingers to his mouth.

The Saddlebred in this picture is showing correctly ventroflexed spine. When correctly ventroflexed the spine will remain straight thus producing a strong bridge to support the rider. The ventroflexing occurs in the loin and shoulder area, yet it does not interfere with the with the powerful impulsion from the hind quarters. In the correct ventroflex the whole shoulder area rises above the spine. This intern places the neck further back on the shoulder and straightens it upright. A straight line, parallel to the ground, runs from the mouth to the riders hand. The hind and fore legs are squarely under the horse and the joints are highly flexed giving the horse impulsion.

The above horse is moving correctly, however, the rider's position needs adjustment. The riders elbows are stuck out and too far ahead. Her stirrups are too short causing the rider to over bend the knees and forcing the rider too far back in the saddle. The rider needs to straighten her neck by stretching her upper sternum, ribs, collar bone, and neck muscles at the front.

In the above photo the Saddlebred is beginning to learn the high step. The horse is still too heavy on the fore which results in the hind legs being pushed out behind the horse. When the hind is pushed out behind the hind become disengaged and lacks power (Compare the hind to the first Saddlebred photo). A horse in this position can not flex it's hip, hock, and ankle joints which are the mechanism of impulsion. Notice that the front leg does not run straight to the ground but is slightly set back.

Although the above rider has not risen her hands, she is in a better saddle seat position than the first Saddlebred photo. Notice that her arms are at her side so a straight line can be drawn from the ear, through the should and elbow, and to the hip. This rider shows an excellent sitting position with her seat slightly back to accommodate the risen shoulder and the new centre of gravity the risen shoulder produces. Her stirrups are at the proper length and she has the correct bend in the knee. However, this rider could straighten the neck area.

This photo is of Percherons high stepping. Notice that the spine is straight, the shoulder area has risen, the joints are flexed, and the head is set high. The lines are attached the top of the hames high over the withers so a direct line, parallel to the ground, runs to the bit. When riding a draft horse in the high step the riders hands must be raised high so that a straight line runs from the bit to the hands.
This photo of Percherons ventroflexing at a halt shows how high the horse's mouth has risen above the withers and how high the lines are attached to the hames. The position of the line attachment on the hames gives the rider an indication of the height of correctly placed hands.



These Shires are not ventroflexing at the trot so there is not need for the riders to raise their hands.



Friesians, during high stepping, straighten and ventroflex the spine, rise the shoulders, and set the neck back and over the shoulder. A Friesian moving in this way needs the rider to raise her hands to form a line directly from the horse's mouth to the hands. The line between the rider's hands and the bit should run parallel to the ground.



This Shire is ventroflexing at a halt. Notice how the reins, held in the standard position over the withers, is to low. As a result the reins slope downwards from the bit to the hand. If the horse continues to move in this way the downwards pulling on the bars of the mouth would interfere with the horse's movement.


A Shire, shown in harness, will have the lines placed high on the hames to accommodate the hight head set.



The Gypsy is another breed that high steps. The horse will ventroflex, straighten the spine, raise the shoulder area, and raise the head. The Gypsy in this picture would need to be ridden with the hand placed high in the saddle seat position.

This is a beautiful example of a powerful high step. Note how flexed the joints are and how straight the spine is. The high set of the mouth over the withers would demand that the rider raise her hands.

Introduction

To preface this entry I will say, that although it’s not my intention, I will probably offend everyone, their beliefs, and their favorite breed be it Draft horses, Warmbloods, Spanish breeds or Baroque horses. Offence is not the focus of this article; however I will make a radical departure from many equestrian norms. These articles will focus on examining the function of the horse and dressage through an analysis of draft horse conformation and movement. Please feel free to correct my grammar and spelling and check back regularly for new additions to this article.

(Article under construction)

The Belgian Draft

I had to cut myself out of the picture because I was covered in dirt and very messy. This shows Trooper with his winter woolies. He's wet because I just rinsed the mud off him. In this photo you can see his front muscles and his back connection to the withers and neck. The angle of the photo makes his neck look short but he has a long neck.

This is Trooper when I first got him. He needed work on his top line and that hay belly, oh dear.

Does My Bum Make My Bum Look Fat?

These photos are the worst conformation shots ever. They are taken downward so it makes Trooper look short and squat. Trooper isn't clipped, he wearing an old fabric halter that I use when bathing him, and T. has decided to roll so he covered in white, wet sand. Although not perfect, this photo is useful to examine the hip area. To me the hip looks muscular and along the top line there a bit of a bump where the point of his hip joins with the loin. It this good or bad?...maybe ok? To me the loin looks connected and muscular are there any opinions? At the bottom of his shoulder and chest area it looks well muscled. Along the bottom line there's a slight bulg in the middle. I think this will tighten up and smooth out the more I work his back and body muscles...any opinions?

Hey You, Stop neck Reining That Draft Horse!
Just stop it! Get off that draft horse or he'll explode!...The style of Doma Vaquera or western riding, as it is known today, has been around for thousands of years. Originally, the style evolved to allow one free arm to carry a sword or spear in war or in the hunt, but later found an application in the herding of cattle. This style was used exclusively on a horse with a sloped croup, powerfully muscled hind quarters, up hill build, high set neck, and occasionally gaited. Examples of neck reining horses are Classical and Baroque horses such as the Andalusian or the Friesian, draft horses, high stepping and/or gaited horses like the Saddlebred or Florida Cracker, and Latin horses like the Criolla and the Paso Fino. These horses shared a common build with the war horse as both were bred to preform agile tight turns in confined spaces. The quarter horse, most commonly associated with western riding, is a creation of the late nineteenth century. However, outside the US and Canada the old style horse is still used.