The rider's hands: Avoid pulling back on the reins

This article was originally written in Danish by Mille Christophersen.

Do you want to prevent your hands from behaving incorrectly while riding? We've gathered a series highlighting the most common mistakes riders make with their hands. The goal is to help your hands work with the horse rather than against it. The other articles cover how to prevent reins from slipping, avoid incorrect hand angles, and stop having restless hands.

A steady hand with elastic contact is the best way to encourage the horse to work softly in your hands, seeking forward and down toward the bit. Unfortunately, it can be a significant challenge to get your hands to work independently of the rest of your body. It may take years of training, and even top riders continue working on improving their contact with the horse, whether they are dressage or showjumping riders. This article focuses on avoiding pulling back or relying too much on the reins for support.

READ ALSO: The rider's hands: Get the right angle on your wrist

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When you pull back on the reins

Pulling back on the reins can simply be compared to a person trying to stop a strong horse in the wrong way, or when a rider leans too eagerly on the reins for balance. This prevents the horse from seeking contact on its own. Instead, the rider holds onto the contact – a bit too tightly.

Many might think that this habit is limited to riders on cheeky, strong, or hot horses. However, this isn't always the case. While it is often seen with those riding a particularly strong or downward-moving horse—or those who expect the horse to be difficult—even very competent riders on relaxed, well-trained horses can be guilty of "thinking backward" with their hands.

Tip: Put it into perspective and think forward

Your contact with the horse should be purely guiding. It's helpful to put this into perspective: think about how you would hold a child's hand when crossing the street. It's a combination of softness and firmness. Now, think about pushing a shopping cart. Your hands remain in front of you as you move forward. If you unconsciously pull backward on the cart while trying to navigate the store, it becomes quite difficult for you! Likewise, if you want to stop the cart, you wouldn’t suddenly yank it backward. That would throw off your feet and/or upper body and probably wouldn’t stop the cart effectively anyway.

You can probably guess where we're going with this. When you're riding, imagine the horse's head and neck are like the shopping cart. Think about how you always move forward with your hands in front of you, without ever pulling back. This encourages the horse to work from behind. Perhaps it will help you remember this by telling yourself that your hand and forearm belong to the horse, not to you.

One thing at a time

Of course, our advice is only meant to help you find the right feel when riding. It's entirely up to you and your horse to figure out what works best. However, it’s worth mentioning that the more you train your hand position, the better it will become, and the easier your riding will often feel. If you have several hand position issues, don’t worry – we’ll provide advice and guidance on those soon. This was just the third of four articles, all focusing on proper hand use. But we recommend concentrating on one thing at a time so that you don't overwhelm yourself with too many focus points. If you tend to pull back on the reins, you might want to start with the tips we've provided here.

Do you have any tips or tricks to correct other hand position mistakes? We'd love to hear from you!

You may also like to read: Do you lead or walk with your horse?