But What does it mean?
I’ve found that dressage is full of A-Ha moments that may last only a few seconds but take hours to learn. Once executed these moves can fall apart in an instance and sometimes you can spend the rest of your ride trying to put it back together. One part of this that I have struggled with imparticular is that I think I can rush through the movements. Not the case! If the horse is not calm and supple and relaxed at the walk, he will not be at the trot, or canter. His back will ultimately hollow leaving both horse and rider with an uncomfortable, choppy ride. Dressage training requires the horse to seek out the bridle, the foundation is for the horse to be reaching into the bridle to feel your aids. If the horse is not truly supple and relaxed and balanced, the horse will not respond to rein aids. It’s very unproductive to constantly be fidgety with your reins. This only works to dull the horse to the aid, causing him to ignore it over time.
So…how to achieve good hands? Here it is, I suggest everyone out here reading this go out and purchase a stress reliever ball. The kind that fits in the palm of your hand that you can squeeze when you are very angry or upset… yep that’s the one. After you get one, your new job is walk around with it everywhere and constantly massage it with your fingers while holding it in your hand. I cannot stress how important it is to exercise your finger muscles. You need to work both hands out equally and do it while your bored, while you’re on a conference call at work, while you’re watching tv, every spare second you have you should work with it. Hold the ball like you would hold reins in your hand thumb on top and closed fingers. Massage you fingers on the ball to build up strength. This may seem tedious and even pointless but your hands will become very strong and also, very sensitive. You will be surprised how keen your hands will become to the horse, you will feel his mouth in the reins overtime. You will learn the difference between pulling and guiding the horse. You will learn how to not wrestle with the reins and you will learn to give short clear rein aids. Dressage rein aids are about flexion, extension, and elasticity. There is an immense give and take that occurs while riding and it is your job as the rider and leader of the partnership between you and your horse to control the handshake that occurs between your hands and the horses mouth. As a rider you can never throw your reins away, but you also can’t always be fidgeting in the horses mouth every step of the way, elasticity and quiet hands are two of the biggest lessons in dressage and perhaps hardest.
I think Erik Herbermann put it best in his book ” Dressage Formula” “…In’ its function as regulator of the pace, the hand can be compared to the nozzle on the end of the garden hose. When the rider does not take up the contact ( loose, given rein), it would be the same as completely removing the nozzle from the hose; the water, not being restricted, just falls out. When the contact is taken up, the nozzle now starts to play the role of accurately controlling the amount of water ( Forward energy) leaving the hose. When the nozzle is shut the water ( horse) stops. When the nozzle opens more or less, and depending on the amount of pressure generated by the pump ( driving aids), the result is either a fine, powerful mist ( collected trot) , or a strong, forceful jet of water ( extended trot). If there is no pressure control on the pump ( ruthless, insensitive use of driving aids), and should the nozzle be shut ( hard, resisting hands), the hose would rupture somewhere along its length. ( The horse first becomes excited, then if pressure isn’t released, the horse would explode by rearing, bucking, or kicking out behind….in order to relieve the overload of pressure in his body.)” Now go buy some stress reliever balls!
