Straighten your wrists with Popsicle sticks

Do you ride with flopped down 'puppy dog' wrists? Or do you cock your wrists in or out when holding the reins? Do you find that your contact to your horse's mouth is inconsistent or flimsy? Does your horse pull the reins out of your hands or pull you out of the saddle? Here's a quick tip to straighten out the kinks, remind you to keep your wrists straight and improve your communication from your seat to the horse's mouth.

Next time you ride notice what you do with your wrists. Do you cock one or both wrists? Do you collapse through your ribs on the same side as the cocked wrist? Do you roll your fists in towards your stomach when you ask your horse to halt thereby pulling back on the reins? Do you rest your wrists you your horse's neck when you jump?

Cocking the wrists when jumping creates a very insecure position. When the wrists rest on the horse's neck you can't keep your weight back or sit up easily after a jump. Therefore it is important to keep your wrists straight. Riding on the flat with piano hands or curled wrists drops your shoulders forward and effectively puts more weight on the horse's forehand. Rounding your wrists in towards your stomach also blocks the movement of your pelvis.

Breaking the line of your wrists stops the communication at your hands making your rein contact heavy and harsh. Cocking or curling only one wrist may indicate a weakness on that side of your back. Therefore keeping your wrists straight will help you determine where the true weakness is in your position.

But you probably already know if you cock one or both wrists. Most likely your instructor has pointed it out to you numerous times and yet you can't seem to remember to keep your wrists straight. A simple solution to those busy wrists is to give you a physical reminder of what you are doing. Go the local market, purchase some popsicles and eat them. Then let the Popsicle sticks dry before proceeding. You may want to find someone to help you with the next step, as it is a bit tricky to do this yourself.

Before you get on your horse tape two to four sticks around your wrists. Depending on whether you cock your wrists up or down, in or out or both will determine where you want to place the sticks. The sticks are serving as a reminder to you every time you try to break the straight wrist alignment. Place two sticks on the top and bottom and two on the front and back so that you have a frame around your wrist. Tape the sticks to your hand below your wrist and to the forearm above your wrist. You might want to use something less sticky that duck tape especially if you have a lot of hair on your arms. Otherwise removing the tape later might be a bit painful!

The sticks will let you know whenever you attempt to cock your wrist because they will limit your movement. Do not put any tape around the wrist itself. You are not trying to stop the wrists from moving, only provide you with sensory input when you do move your wrists.

Once you have attached the Popsicle sticks to your wrists go for a ride. Start at the walk and go slowly. At first you may find the sticks very distracting because you keep running into them. As you continue to get feedback from the sticks you might find that you feel restricted by them less and less. This is because you are beginning to change your habits, which you were unaware of until now. Riding with the Popsicle sticks over time will completely eliminate your desire to cock your wrists and you will find a new way to communicate with your horse through your seat instead of stopping the conversation at your hands.

Use this Murdoch Minute to improve your rein contact and maintain a straight wrist position. Remember that you can still use your fingers, elbows and arm without breaking the line through your wrists. Once you have ridden with the sticks for a while take them off and see if you can recall the feeling in your seat when you wrists were straight. And always remember to enjoy the ride!

Wendy Murdoch resides in Washington, VA and is an international riding instructor/clinician. She travels worldwide teaching riders of all levels and disciplines how to improve the horse's performance by improving their body position. Her book, Simplify Your Riding and DVDs Simplify Your Riding - Ride Like A Natural Part 1 -3 are available at www.murdochmethod.com.