Riding instructors sometimes fail to think beyond the scope of a single lesson or rider. They see a student ripping the bit against her horse’s mouth and think, “Dang, that kid’s got rough hands. But there’s so much else to work on, I’ll get to it later.”
Big mistake.
Soft hands is one of those equestrian concepts that must be reinforced during every lesson. If a student continues to be rough with his hands, it is the instructor’s job to find a new way to emphasize the importance of soft hands.
From the Business Angle
It only takes one man-handling student to ruin a perfectly good school horse. Walking ’round and ’round the arena with a large piece of metal brutalizing his teeth, a horse is bound to figure out that he’s getting the short end of the stick. And he will fight back.
Horses don’t like to be abused. They don’t appreciate rough hands, and they’re going to get desensitized one way or another.
School horses are a riding instructor’s biggest investment. Never mind the cruelty; failing to teach students soft hands is just a bad business decision.
If all your school horses develop hard mouths because their riders can’t keep out of their faces, every riding lesson from here to eternity is going to suffer. Kids might get hurt because they can’t stop their horses and they will certainly become frustrated because their aids become useless.
The Pinky Test
One of the most effective methods of teaching students soft hands is the pinky test:
Step One: Bring the horse and rider into the center of the arena at a halt.
Step Two: Discuss the sensitivity of the horse to the reins. Talk about the weight and density of the bit, and how rough hands can damage the horse’s mouth and deaden it to cues.
Step Three: Ask the student to gather the reins with a firm but gentle grasp in normal riding position. Make sure there is no slack in the reins between the rider’s hands and the bit.
Step Four: Instruct the rider to close her left fist on the reins, tightening the pinky against the other fingers of her hand. The horse’s head will move slightly to the left (or more than slightly, depending on his sensitivity.)
The pinky test demonstrates why soft hands are sufficient to control the horse. The rider will see that simply by closing her fist, and without hauling back or jerking on the reins, she elicits a response.
Once the student has done the pinky test, put her back on the rail and have her practice 20-meter circles using as little pressure as possible. Get her to change directions and practice the exercise going both ways around the arena until she can turn her horse with soft hands.
The Big Guns
Some riders are more resistant to soft hands than others. These are the students who are physical in other aspects of their lives, who use their body weight and strength rather than their minds and technique.
It is up to the riding instructor to instill in these students a respect for the horse and for the power of the bit. If your students aren’t using soft hands, you haven’t made your case clearly or loudly enough.
After a reasonable number of lessons, students who are rough with their horses in my class dismount. They spend their riding lessons cleaning tack, mucking stalls or sweeping the barn aisle instead of riding horses. Period.
This approach might be too rich for your blood, but every riding instructor must draw a line. You must draw a line of tolerance for rough hands (and for other unacceptable behavior in the saddle), and establish consequences for students who cross it.
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About the Author: Laura Jane Thompson is the Chief Equestrian Officer of Riding Instructor University and the Feature writer for the horses section at Suite101. She believes that any horse business can succeed provided its owner practices smart strategy.
