Q: My right wrist twists slightly when I’m riding. How can I train myself to stop this, and how will it affect my horse?

A: Many people struggle with uneven hands, so you’re not alone in this. When riding, twisting your wrist can cause problems ranging from heaviness of contact for the horse to avoidance of the contact entirely by the horse, so it is definitely worth correcting.

Bridging your reins is a great exercise to help correct this. This is where the loop of the reins is put across the horse’s neck, and each end is held with the opposite hand, effectively joining the hands together with a gap in between. The same effect can be gained from holding a short piece of baling twine across your hands. Remember, your hands must not be tied together for safety reasons. Either way, this strategy helps identify when your wrist twists and your hands perform different actions. Knowing this is the first step in resolving the issue, as it makes you aware of when it happens, allowing you to address it.

It is also helpful to investigate why your wrist twists. It’s possible that you’re not balanced in your body, and the twist is compensating for this imbalance. Alternatively, it could be that your horse is unbalanced and, for example, falling right, causing you to hold your right hand in towards the neck or even across the neck to maintain steering. Chat to your coach and ask for their advice. They may even want to ride your horse to see if they experience the same issues. Once you have clarity on the cause, you can consider physiotherapy and exercise programmes to address the issue for either yourself or your horse.

Good luck and well done for spotting the issue!