Following Elbows
I remember when I was first learning Dressage and trying to figure out how to get my horse round and connected. I kept hearing from my trainer that I needed to follow the motion with my elbows in order to establish a steady contact.
I was pretty confused and frustrated at first!
The elbows are a very important but tricky to master part of your rider position, so this week’s video is all about how to have good “following elbows.” This is most important at the walk and canter, so they’re the gaits we’ll be focusing on!
The Walk: Firstly, you need to establish a good walk! We want our horses to walk with activity and purpose. I like to see horses walking like runway models! Swinging their hips and moving through their body and topline. We want them to walk the way they do on the way BACK from a trail ride, ALL the time.
When you let your reins out to the buckle you can see the natural nod of your horse’s head. So when you take the contact back you want to keep this activity in the head and body, and this is where the elbows come in!
Every time a front foot goes forward in the walk, your elbows should allow the hands to move forward simultaneously. If your horse has come above the bit and you need to supple them, you do this with your fingers and continue with the following motion.
If you lock your elbows, one of two things will happen. They’ll either just stop, or else they’ll continue walking, but you’ll be in a rhythmic tug-o-war where their head is moving in time with the walk, but you’re not giving with your hands.
The Canter: The canter is a 3-beat motion, and each stride has an up-, level-, and down-beat. Your seat follows a swishing motion from back to front, and their neck and head also nod in accordance with this motion. When the horse is on the up-beat, your elbows are bending slightly and when they’re on the downbeat, your elbows are giving. You can also get the timing of this bending right by watching your horse’s mane. When the mane comes up, they’re on the upbeat!
It’s almost a guarantee that if you’re having trouble getting your horse on the bit in the canter, your elbows probably aren’t following.
Also, sometimes, if you’re only learning how to have following elbows, carrying a whip can impede this, so it’s good to try riding without the whip just while you’re getting used to this.
Have a look at the video where I demonstrate with Natasha and let me know in the comments if you find it helpful!
Thanks for watching and happy riding!
