[EquitationRider]

When on course I have a really hard time letting go with my elbows I like to brace and pull to every jump. My horse just gets faster and pulls against me of course! How do I stop pulling and just follow??

[blackcat95]

Grab mane! That way you have to follow the motion or your whole body gets yanked.

[supernova]

Grab mane, and if you can get up into a two point, shorten your reins A LOT and keep your knuckles on the horses neck, literally pushing them with the motion of your horses neck. Thats what my trainer tells me to do!

[EquitationRider]

Grab mane! That way you have to follow the motion or your whole body gets yanked.

I should say its not in the air of the jump its in between them and on the approach.

[Eventer13]

Think about opening and closing your elbows and shoulder angles as you canter. Make sure you relax your arms. Focus on those muscles- the softer your arms, the softer you contact will be. Think about your hand getting pulled by the horse's mouth. In other words, its his mouth that is controlling where your hands are.

Also, you can try riding with a driving hold just to get the feeling of softness in your brain, since its so much harder to resist the horse this way.

And I agree with shortening your reins a bit. I find that helps me be more elastic in my contact.

[flopsaut]

Think more about telling your horse to slow & stay quiet to the jumps using your upper body and shoulders rather than your reins. Correcting your arms/elbows alone by grabbing the mane or shortening the reins isn't going to help anything. Try to relax and ride a little behind the motion. Also figure out what it is that makes the brace & pull instinct kick in while you're on course--panic/fear of getting a huge or awkward distance? Sometimes it helps to figure out what's going on in your head that makes you fight or resist your horse so that you can remind yourself there's really nothing to worry about and go with it.

[EiRide]

The horse's head is a shopping cart and you have to push it to the base of the fence--that visualization helped me tons with my fast girl!

[KateKat]

Think more about telling your horse to slow & stay quiet to the jumps using your upper body and shoulders rather than your reins. Correcting your arms/elbows alone by grabbing the mane or shortening the reins isn't going to help anything. Try to relax and ride a little behind the motion. Also figure out what it is that makes the brace & pull instinct kick in while you're on course--panic/fear of getting a huge or awkward distance? Sometimes it helps to figure out what's going on in your head that makes you fight or resist your horse so that you can remind yourself there's really nothing to worry about and go with it.

I agree, why are you bracing in the first place? Since you have this cycle of brace/rush at fences, maybe you don't really trust your horse?

I think one of the hardest things in the world is to just sit there and let your horse do his/her job. My trainer had us working this this exercise the other day, where all she wanted us to do was support the horse, but otherwise stay out of their way. Its definitely an eye opening exercise, our horses don't need our guidance as much as we like to think they do! (this is assuming you aren't riding a greenie). You can also try riding with no reins, to take away the bracing "crutch". That way you have to use your body more instead of relying on your hands.

[indygirl2560]

You have to learn to trust your horse. I used to ride a horse that I didn't completely trust so i'd end up tightening my reins without thinking about it and holding his face. My trainer would yell at me to let go and let the horse get down the lines. When I finally did, everything worked out and the horse quit fighting me. It scared me at first because it felt like we were flying down some of the lines but we actually weren't and I just had to trust him and get used to it. Maybe lower some jumps and try really letting your horse have some freedom(ie you stop trying to intensely hold) and see what happens. Have you talked to your trainer about this?

[goeslikestink]

When on course I have a really hard time letting go with my elbows I like to brace and pull to every jump. My horse just gets faster and pulls against me of course! How do I stop pulling and just follow??

its not your elbows but your hands
so move your hands up the neck and let the horse have his head to jump
once you land pick him up and look for the next jump

you need to practice with ground poles building up into small grids then small courses so your in tune with your horses movements over th jumps

but before you should be working on your flat work to school the horse in basic dressage movements as they are used in jumping so you would be working the horse from butt to poll to a relaxed yaw
this why you wouldnt fnd yourself pulling thehorse round the course of jumps

learning to see your stride and distances plus where to take off and land
ideal you should think about a eventer trianer so you ccan cover all three displines and be in control of your horse when on a course

[medical mike]

could be contributing to the problem.

What is your off horse exercise program like?

Regards,
medical Mike
equestrian medical researcher
www.equicision.com