# Tips for how to get your hands more steady?



## Thelma (Jun 22, 2009)

I'm trying so hard to get my hands really steady on trot but it's like I always loosen up. do you have any tips for me, how I can train myself, what muscles do I have to train and what do I have to keep in mind?


----------



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

My understanding is that hands will move unsteadily if the body IS stiff. There is a lot of motion that must move throught the body of the rider, like a wave on energy moves through water or, like the way you might swing a towel like a whip, to make it "crack".
A rider must absorb the energy in their body and let it come "through" and out of them somewhere. This should be their hip/pelvis. If they are stiff there, then the energy travels further through the body and comes out the hands, making them move up and down. Instead, absorb the energy in the hips AND the elbows. The elbows must be loose enought to move in order for the hands to stay still.

another thing that some people do is work on training that stillness into the hands by holding a string, tied to the D ring of the saddle, which is about 25cm long or so, while trotting. This helps the rider keep their hand in one place.


----------



## raywonk (Jan 9, 2011)

If You Have a steady horse. Put a tray in your hands with something on it and see how long you can hold it. Or hold two glasses of water trying not to spill.


----------



## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

Put your hands where they are supposed to be, (at or in front of the saddle pad) and then use your pinky fingers to keep constant contact with the front of the saddle pad. Be careful to keep your elbows and shoulders soft, but using a frame of reference like that will help keep your hands parked where they should be.


----------

