This week in lessons

I am thinking lessons will be inside all week; it will take a while to dry up and more rain is in the forecast. So this week we are going to work on different releases. The three we will work on are short, long and (for advanced riders) in hand releases.

The short crest release puts the riders hands up on the horse's crest, just enough that their hands are about 1/4-1/3 up the neck. This gives the horse the freedom to jump the jump, but still leaves the rider some control. With the short crest release, the rider uses the neck for balance.

The long crest release requires the rider to reach further up the neck; 1/2 way or more. This release gives the horse complete freedom over the jump, and is mostly used to show off fancy hunters, or to give a horse complete freedom over a wide oxer or drop fence. It is important that the rider moves their hands forward, and not their entire body!

The in-hand release requires to the rider to have complete control over their body and hands in the air as they cannot use their hands for balance with this release; instead their hands reach down and forward towards the horse's mouth, following the horse's stretch over the jump. The goal is to maintain a light, following contact, without restricting the horse mid air. This type of release is for advanced riders, but is also useful for less experienced riders when learning to guide the horse into a turn mid-air.

To this end, I will have some sort of grid, as well as an inside turn option, so we can practice how to do the various release types.

Karen