>>> What is lightness in regard to hands on the reins? what are soft hands?
Soft hands will continuously move very lightly in time with the horse's gait - I've always heard them called "following hands." When someone on the list told me that some Icelander trainer told them that their hands should never move when the horse moves, the lightbulb came on for me. I'd always noticed how stiff the shoulders of most Icelandic show riders are, but hadn't really paid attention to the hands before. Since then, I see it - they often "plant" their hands very rigidly, which creates tension throughout their upper body. If we believe that our bodies' mirror our horses' bodies, and vice versa (and I do) then that creates a huge brace in the horse's front end. Couple these non-following hands with the hard rein contact and you have real problems. I know...I had two TWH that were started in long-shanked bits that I had to re-train. I'd love to redo my early years with both of those horses. If you have soft hands and lightness, you shouldn't have bulging forearms...not unless you got them in the gym. if you can see the forearm muscles bulging while the rider is riding, I think there's most likely a big problem with lightness. Karen Thomas, NC
