Release!
 

i need help on my release! i need to release more, but when i try to release more i over release! What should I do to work on this?

Do you havea trainer or an experainced rider who can watcha nd maybe coach you to help? maybevideo tape yourself and find you happy medium. Really try relaxing your arms but keeping the contact so your not "Throwing the rains away" and giving the horse a free out. But alot of it is how you jump, the height of the jump, how the horse jumps, really verires. Thats just what I think. Good luck!

i could post some videos on this post?

That would really help:)

The 1st and second video, for one , sit up take a deep breath roll your shoulders back. your leaning foward at the canter. and you have a VERY tight rein. RELAX =]. Do some flat work , hold your two point at a trot, put your hands foward and back to where they should be. hold your two point when you get a stride or two away from the jump, if you have a trustworthy horse, get in your 2 point and put your hands/arms foward. feel where you should be and do that a few times then do it one stride away and then do it automatically. put a braid in the spot where your hands should go and when you jump, reach for that braid. hope that helps i kind of suck at explaining. Overall though your position isnt too bad =]

Im leaning forward cuz I'm working in half seat (may not look the best, its getting better), my reins have to be tight or my horse will run away! haha that is not very much fun. And if i release too much then we really have a bad time coming back into check. I also cannot hold two point a stride before the jump because my horse will either take off right there or refuse because he knows thats not right. He was not just a learning horse he doesn't find his own distances, you have to help him find them by keeping your position upright until you HAVE to take off. I found that out the hard way when I wasn't riding well at ALL! He was an amazing horse in his prime, he still is!

then you and that horse shouldent be jumping =/ if hes taking off on a loose rein you should be working on lots and lots of flat work.

Since this thread isn't about giving the OP a critique on her riding - and helping her with her release - I'll stick with that.

Releases are my crutch. One of my Coaches who is a Hunter/Jumper cringes at mine and is trying to work on fixing it. He says that my release is a "Typical Eventers Release" which means - non existant.

I do this stupid "rowing" effect when we are at the take off point. I don't get it, but yet there it is.

Right now, your hands are a HUGE issue. You say you are holding onto his face so he doesn't take off - but that's not aiding either of you what-so-ever. To fix the "taking off" you do need to focus alot on Dressage, for the both of you. Learn to ride Seat Into Legs Into Hands, instead of how you are riding now "Hands First, Seat Last"

So, he goes around flat and heavy on the front. Not his fault.

Right now, your hands are far too low and too much on your horses neck. They are just locked there - not doing their job at all, so in turn, you have no release.

You need to get your hands off of his neck/withers, and bring your elbows back to your side and properly carry them so that they can be a functional aid in your riding.

Right now, you have no where to give, no where to take. No where to ask, nor aid your horse.

I am going to suggest that you focus on Dressage Work to help the both of you, so that you can be more functional in the sadde through your seat, your legs and your upper body to rebalance your horse, bring him under you and learn to ride back to front, instead of front to back.

When I am going over the fence, what my Coach has me do - is stretch my arms right out infront of me. So that I get into the habit of opening my elbow angle to release.

This is where I am at the base of the fence:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...604-181712.jpg

You are doing the opposite. You are dropping your hands, collapsing your shoulders and locking yourself in place.


Beautiful horses!