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Expert
Posts: 2685
   
| Has anyone ever rubber banded hands to the horn/ swells of a saddle to keep hands down? My hands are atrocious and embarrassing and I'm not leaving the house until I fix this. I try to be very forward up the neck to stay out of my horses face and I end up sky high and don't realize it. I have heard of this but want opinions. I have heard big rubber band around elbows behind your back, big rubber bands that go around each arm and under the gullet up over the horn. |
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Blessed 
Location: Here | Please dont do this |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | My thoughts on this too, not a good ideal  |
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 Don't Wanna Make This Awkward
Posts: 3106
Location: Texas | My trainer broke my habit...
Took 3 rides with her constantly yelling at me to keep my hands down and look up and I'm still not looking up enough but my hands are down! |
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 Expert
Posts: 1718
Location: Southeast Louisiana | Have you tried videoing your practices, or runs? Just concentrate on getting your hands where you want to see them. Maybe do some repetitive daily work where you concentrate on placement of your hands to get the muscle memory working for you. You can even do that at a walk. If you repeat it enough to yourself, you will start to do it as a force of habit. I would be very hesitant to tie my hands and arms like you're describing. |
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Hungarian Midget Woman
Location: Midwest | SG. - 2014-09-21 10:40 PM Please dont do this
Agree
This is dangerous |
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 Good Grief!
Posts: 6343
Location: Cap'n Joan Rotgut.....alberta | stop tryin to fit your self to "what it should" look like and ride how your comfortable and what works for your horse.....if you really feel your hands are to high, shorten you reins........
m |
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 Own It and Move On
Location: The edge of no where | mruggles - 2014-09-22 11:15 AM stop tryin to fit your self to "what it should" look like and ride how your comfortable and what works for your horse.....if you really feel your hands are to high, shorten you reins........
m I have to disagree with you here. I see girls with their hands high all the time, I don't mean high as in up the horse's neck but close to the neck....but way too freakin high. Often the girls I see riding like this are randomly misdirecting their horses because of their hand position. It's the most ineffective place for your hands that there is. When your hands are up in the air, you lose the ability to really guide your horse and stay in sync.
KUDOS to the OP for knowing it's an issue that needs fixed!!! I would be hesistant to try rubber banding anything. I think a video camera is your friend. Try to think about your hands constantly. Practice trotting and loping circles correctly. If you've got a friend that rides well, tell them what you're trying to fix and ask them to remind you.
Edited by MS2011 2014-09-22 11:38 AM
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Good Grief!
Posts: 6343
Location: Cap'n Joan Rotgut.....alberta | MS2011 - 2014-09-23 10:36 AM mruggles - 2014-09-22 11:15 AM stop tryin to fit your self to "what it should" look like and ride how your comfortable and what works for your horse.....if you really feel your hands are to high, shorten you reins........
m I have to disagree with you here. I see girls with their hands high all the time, I don't mean high as in up the horse's neck but close to the neck....but way too freakin high. Often the girls I see riding like this are randomly misdirecting their horses because of their hand position. It's the most ineffective place for your hands that there is. When your hands are up in the air, you lose the ability to really guide your horse and stay in sync.
KUDOS to the OP for knowing it's an issue that needs fixed!!! I would be hesistant to try rubber banding anything. I think a video camera is your friend. Try to think about your hands constantly. Practice trotting and loping circles correctly. If you've got a friend that rides well, tell them what you're trying to fix and ask them to remind you.
yes but if its working for her and her horse then its fine, but if she is wanting to fix it because it doesn't fit "the norm".... then im not for that......i consider my self a high handed rider (my hands are up towards my horses ears but on their neck in a turn) and i lean forward more than back......i have wrecked a love of victoria secrets...lol
m |
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Expert
Posts: 2685
| I think there has been a misunderstanding lol. I'm not rubber banding my hands to my horn and making a run LOL. I'm talking about the giant rubber bands that are long as my elbow to my wrist and thin. A family friend did this to her teen kid a few years ago. The kid broke several rubber bands but it definitely helped her. I have LOTS of video of both runs and just riding and I do it all the time. I'm not like pulling to my chest but I'm big on keeping my hands forward to I'm literally pulling up lol. It's nauseating to watch. I was going to post a lope through of my 3yo on here because I am so proud of her but when I watched it I knew I couldn't because of where my hands were. |
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Don't Wanna Make This Awkward
Posts: 3106
Location: Texas | RoaniePonie11 - 2014-09-22 10:01 PM I think there has been a misunderstanding lol. I'm not rubber banding my hands to my horn and making a run LOL. I'm talking about the giant rubber bands that are long as my elbow to my wrist and thin. A family friend did this to her teen kid a few years ago. The kid broke several rubber bands but it definitely helped her. I have LOTS of video of both runs and just riding and I do it all the time. I'm not like pulling to my chest but I'm big on keeping my hands forward to I'm literally pulling up lol. It's nauseating to watch. I was going to post a lope through of my 3yo on here because I am so proud of her but when I watched it I knew I couldn't because of where my hands were.
Split reins and never bring your hands behind your horn. Focus on keeping them down on the horses neck. If you really focus it will work. |
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Expert
Posts: 1718
Location: Southeast Louisiana | Use your video more. While you're riding, concentrate on how you want the video to look. |
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 Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| Slow your competitive runs down until you can get your hands right. I'm not happy with my hands either, but until I can haul more and get the stress and excitement that makes them lose their mind back in my life, I'm just working on them slowly in the practice pen. Haul as much as you can, even if it's just to exhibition. Focus on nothing but your hands. |
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 Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9991
Location: Kansas | no that is extremely dangerous and I know several of us BB's do not and will not encourage this.
You need to work drills on YOU, not just your horse, but YOUR body and keeping your hands low. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 621
Location: Arkansas | I took the large colored skinny rubber bands that you get at Office Depot and secured one to each D ring on the front of my saddle where the breast collar would normally attach, then i put my hand thru the rubber band and make one wrap around my thumb. Kinda hard to explain. I would ride like that at home until i was comfortable and then started making runs like that. My mare never hits the 2nd as long as my hands are down and boy does it work. I have broken the right one several times because i use a quirt coming out...lol...i showed the Reinhardt's the last time i was there for a lesson and Vicki said "how did you think of that"....i said "the Lord gave me the idea." I continue to make runs with my hands in the rubber bands because i have been winning money or at least having great runs. So why change. 
Edited by moorehorses 2014-09-23 4:33 PM
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 507
Location: Lost in the corn of Iowa. | outrundaizy - 2014-09-22 10:19 PM
RoaniePonie11 - 2014-09-22 10:01 PM I think there has been a misunderstanding lol. I'm not rubber banding my hands to my horn and making a run LOL. I'm talking about the giant rubber bands that are long as my elbow to my wrist and thin. A family friend did this to her teen kid a few years ago. The kid broke several rubber bands but it definitely helped her. I have LOTS of video of both runs and just riding and I do it all the time. I'm not like pulling to my chest but I'm big on keeping my hands forward to I'm literally pulling up lol. It's nauseating to watch. I was going to post a lope through of my 3yo on here because I am so proud of her but when I watched it I knew I couldn't because of where my hands were.
Split reins and never bring your hands behind your horn. Focus on keeping them down on the horses neck. If you really focus it will work.
^^THIS!! This is what has helped me with my atrocious hands. Doing slow work with the split reins. Use your normal reins to make a run in, but at home or practice use split reins. It helped me to learn to keep my hands down because it should keep them at a decent length that when you straighten out you don't have an atrocious amount of rein length to re-configure before the next turn. |
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