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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?
Release!
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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!
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i could post some videos on this post?
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That would really help
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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 =]
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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!
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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.
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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:
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You are doing the opposite. You are dropping your hands, collapsing your shoulders and locking yourself in place.
Beautiful horses!
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:
You are doing the opposite. You are dropping your hands, collapsing your shoulders and locking yourself in place.
Beautiful horses!
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I'm not a jumper but I would like to say that I think your form is not that bad. I think you are a really cute rider, you have your horses under control the entire time you are riding (In both videos). Your hands are soft but low. I think if you breathe (you look like maybe you forget to breath about 2 strides from the jump until you clear the fence). Roll your shoulders back and maybe follow some of MIeventers advice. I think you look terrific and you are really headed in the right direction. I wish I could give you advice but as I sad... Flat is my specialty, not jumping.
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I know what you mean when your horse will take off if you have a loose rein. But if that is the case work a little morse on flat. I do jumping twice a week flatwork 5 days(if i get out there that much). Your horse obviously has the (major) skill to jump, now its just control. Also i think you should bring your hands back and then release. I dont like the holding the hands so high. But it is just a different way, i am not against it I just havent tried it. Also you need to RELAX! lol Take a breath. You are doing so great! keep up the amazing work!
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He's not suppose to be a horse that works on a "loose" rein. If we're walking and on trails he's fine, but he does get pumped up and worked up so jumping with a loose rein is not advisable for me.
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MIeventer :: those are older clips, I see what you're meaning. As soon as Diego is better I will take some more videos of my recent riding! Thanks for the tips!
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Your hands sit quite low and tucked in - agreed with MI eventer saying that that need to come up so you can work with them more - the braid trick will definitely help and even if you try saying it aloud as you go over... something like "and reach" or "and release" just to remind you until it becomes a habit
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I understand the release thing its just when I try to I over release and look like a fool. Maybe I should just work on an automatic release? I'm hoping Diego will be fit for riding again so I can make some new videos. Our riding has definitely changed since then. lol!
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The auto realese should not be attempted without a trainer and not until the rider has an very independent sear
I'm going to come at this from a slightly different direction.
I think your release problems come from the lack of a following hand and arm in your flat work. An earlier poster mentioned your locked elbow, another symptom of this is a little bit of pumping with the shoulders at the canter. The way you describe your horse, as unwilling to travel on loose reins, makes me think you've gotten so used to "holding" him that you've locked your elbow.
A release is a natural extension of a following contact in your flatwork. If your hand and arm doesn't follow the motion of the head and neck at the canter, you're not going to have a release. Work on unlocking your elbow and making sure your hand and arm follows at the walk. Start on loose rein and get a long swinging relaxed walk. Pay attention to the way his head and neck moves, even put a finger down on his neck to feel the motion. Gradually shorten your reins until you have a soft contact; concentrating on letting your hand and arm move back and forth following the motion of his head and neck. Pay attention to when he stops moving his neck, that's when you stopped following!
When you can carry this work over to the canter successfully, then go back to the walk and trot and practice releasing. Put a bit of ribbon in his mane half way up as a marker for where your hands should be at the top of a release. Get a good forward swinging walk, inside the following motion, reach up and press your knuckles in the neck for 1 -2 strides, then come back to your following motion. You'll feel goofy doing it, but you need to practice lots at the walk and trot to make a different habit or muscle memory. When you've mastered it at the walk and trot, practice on the flat at the canter. If you horse speeds up, just reestablish your following contact at the canter and do it again. Eventually he'll figure out to maintain a steady pace even if you've dropped the contact for a stride or two.
When you start to practice over fences, I'd strongly recommend grid work and riding into the grid on a loose rein (teaching your horse a little bit of independence at the same time), but practice leaving your knuckles pressed into his crest throughout the grid.
I think your release problems come from the lack of a following hand and arm in your flat work. An earlier poster mentioned your locked elbow, another symptom of this is a little bit of pumping with the shoulders at the canter. The way you describe your horse, as unwilling to travel on loose reins, makes me think you've gotten so used to "holding" him that you've locked your elbow.
A release is a natural extension of a following contact in your flatwork. If your hand and arm doesn't follow the motion of the head and neck at the canter, you're not going to have a release. Work on unlocking your elbow and making sure your hand and arm follows at the walk. Start on loose rein and get a long swinging relaxed walk. Pay attention to the way his head and neck moves, even put a finger down on his neck to feel the motion. Gradually shorten your reins until you have a soft contact; concentrating on letting your hand and arm move back and forth following the motion of his head and neck. Pay attention to when he stops moving his neck, that's when you stopped following!
When you can carry this work over to the canter successfully, then go back to the walk and trot and practice releasing. Put a bit of ribbon in his mane half way up as a marker for where your hands should be at the top of a release. Get a good forward swinging walk, inside the following motion, reach up and press your knuckles in the neck for 1 -2 strides, then come back to your following motion. You'll feel goofy doing it, but you need to practice lots at the walk and trot to make a different habit or muscle memory. When you've mastered it at the walk and trot, practice on the flat at the canter. If you horse speeds up, just reestablish your following contact at the canter and do it again. Eventually he'll figure out to maintain a steady pace even if you've dropped the contact for a stride or two.
When you start to practice over fences, I'd strongly recommend grid work and riding into the grid on a loose rein (teaching your horse a little bit of independence at the same time), but practice leaving your knuckles pressed into his crest throughout the grid.
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Excellant post Maura! You are correct, that the release must come from a soft, flexible arm - and that, I do not have. Huge crutch of mine.
My Coach will agree with you as well, I am told "If you cannot do it at a walk, you have no business doing it at the trot. If you cannot do it at the trot, you have no business doing it at the canter"
I can also apply your advice to myself, since my release is non existant - lol.
Riders of all stages of levels, use the Automatic, but they learn more solidity than we do - I believe.
George created the Crest to give Riders who cannot support their upper bodies through their lower bodies, a crutch to remain "solid" and out of their horses way while over the fence.
But the issue is, and even GM kicks himself for it periodically in his columns, is that the Crest has become a HUGE crutch in North America - where it is highly taught.
Yes, the Automatic is an advanced release - here in the U.S - meant for riders who can support their upper bodies through their lower. Strong core, strong lower leg, heels doing their job.
I like the braid in the mane idea - I might have to try that.
My Coach will agree with you as well, I am told "If you cannot do it at a walk, you have no business doing it at the trot. If you cannot do it at the trot, you have no business doing it at the canter"
And? What's the problem? So what if you think you look like a fool - it isn't about looking pretty, it is about being fair to your horse and being functional. I over exaggerate my release so that I can drill the movement into my head so it becomes 2nd nature - do you think I care how I look? No.....just so long as I am being fair to my horse, and doing what I need to be doing.
I can also apply your advice to myself, since my release is non existant - lol.
Mmmm, yes and no Hun. The Automatic Release is the oldest release out there today. It is highly done in European Countries, because the Crest is an American Creation - aka George Morris and quite a young creation at that.
Riders of all stages of levels, use the Automatic, but they learn more solidity than we do - I believe.
George created the Crest to give Riders who cannot support their upper bodies through their lower bodies, a crutch to remain "solid" and out of their horses way while over the fence.
But the issue is, and even GM kicks himself for it periodically in his columns, is that the Crest has become a HUGE crutch in North America - where it is highly taught.
Yes, the Automatic is an advanced release - here in the U.S - meant for riders who can support their upper bodies through their lower. Strong core, strong lower leg, heels doing their job.
I like the braid in the mane idea - I might have to try that.
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Hmmm yeah I didn't think of that!
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