This was an original article designed especially for Heels Down Mag.
My instructor always says my horse is too heavy in the reins, but I don’t know how to get him lighter. How much weight should I have in my hands and how can I get him lighter?
“This is a question I get A LOT. When your horse is strong and leaning on your hands, it puts them on the forehand and they cannot correctly engage the hind end. Finding a steady, soft and supple contact with your horse’s mouth can be difficult.
It’s important to remember that the weight in our hands is less about our hands and arms themselves, but rather the connection we have throughout the horse’s body. To achieve a soft and steady contact, your horse must be moving from behind, and connected from inside leg to outside rein to create throughness.
Getting back to your original question, in an ideal world, we want about 12 ounces in each hand…for all of us out there that have little concept of what ounces are to the actual weight of objects we interact with- it’s about the same weight as a soda can! Keep in mind though, this is an IDEAL. Even on my FEI horses I don’t have this 100% of the time. Sometimes it’s a little heavier or softer, a good range to think about is like holding a toddler’s hand. You always hold it softly and with care, but sometimes you need to hold a little tighter if they are trying to run into traffic, but you never hang on so tightly as to hurt them. But again, you need to have the suppleness and connection within the horse’s body to have them stretching and reaching to your hands.
When you feel that your horse is too strong in your hand, first make sure you are sitting back and using your seat and core. Then think of connecting your horse from the inside leg to the outside rein. Riding transitions within the gait or between gaits is a really good way to help your horse engage the hind end and become lighter in the hand.
I have a great free mini-course that goes into more detail about contact and connection that I think you’ll enjoy. It’s a webinar & worksheet combo that teaches you how to assess your frame and learn the theory behind contact, connection, and roundness.”
