u/CombinationHonest207

I’ve been moved to a new horse for my lessons as my instructor wants me to experience a variety of horses rather than just be comfortable with one and not learn anything new. This is about my fourth horse that I’ve been on now and first impression is she’s all go-go-go. Basically, for the entire lesson I felt like I was constantly pulling the reins, and I’d love for some advice on how to work with this horse that doesn’t require so much strong contact with her. If the advice is to work the horse out of the arena or try to train it some other way, it’s not going to be of any help really for me. I just show up to the lessons, and need to work with what I’m given I suppose!

For context, She’s not strong as such, but within only a half hour lesson slot, I honestly never stopped holding tight contact to rein her in. No kicking her to move forward at all - a bigger squeeze of the leg and she would move on immediately. If I didn’t hold her in walk, she would have went to trot. If I let go in trot, I felt she would have been straight into a canter. Trying to slow her out of a canter back to trot was so difficult. My instructor told me to “sponge” the reins as I went, and she immediately responded with pulling her head back down, which helped with the pacing a bit. My instructor told me I had good posture, only for to sit back and use my body rather than my hands when going from canter to trot. Regardless of that, I had a constant hold on her by the reins.

By the end of the lesson, I had literally no outer skin on my ring fingers from rein blisters. Now - I am not posting to complain about sore fingers. I would just love some advice on if there is any way for me to learn to ride a horse like this, WITHOUT relying on the reins so much. I feel The sore fingers will go away if I can learn to ride without needing so much strong contact. I am looking forward to continuing to work with this horse, and I want to make it as comfortable of an experience as possible for the BOTH of us, as I’m sure it could be more comfortable for her too!

I’ve been moved to a new horse for my lessons as my instructor wants me to experience a variety of horses rather than just be comfortable with one and not learn anything new. This is about my fourth horse that I’ve been on now and first impression is she’s all go-go-go. Basically, for the entire lesson I felt like I was constantly pulling the reins, and I’d love for some advice on how to work with this horse that doesn’t require so much strong contact with her. If the advice is to work the horse out of the arena or try to train it some other way, it’s not going to be of any help really for me. I just show up to the lessons, and need to work with what I’m given I suppose!

For context, She’s not strong as such, but within only a half hour lesson slot, I honestly never stopped holding tight contact to rein her in. No kicking her to move forward at all - a bigger squeeze of the leg and she would move on immediately. If I didn’t hold her in walk, she would have went to trot. If I let go in trot, I felt she would have been straight into a canter. Trying to slow her out of a canter back to trot was so difficult. My instructor told me to “sponge” the reins as I went, and she immediately responded with pulling her head back down, which helped with the pacing a bit. My instructor told me I had good posture, only for to sit back and use my body rather than my hands when going from canter to trot. Regardless of that, I had a constant hold on her by the reins.

By the end of the lesson, I had literally no outer skin on my ring fingers from rein blisters. Now - I am not posting to complain about sore fingers. I would just love some advice on if there is any way for me to learn to ride a horse like this, WITHOUT relying on the reins so much. I feel The sore fingers will go away if I can learn to ride without needing so much strong contact. I am looking forward to continuing to work with this horse, and I want to make it as comfortable of an experience as possible for the BOTH of us, as I’m sure it could be more comfortable for her too!