Rigidity in the rein connection, caused by the horse or rider bracing against the contact, will always result in tension in the horse's body. And the reverse is very true as well. If the horse is tight in the body, he will tend to brace against your hand.
Most horses jump their best when riders set them up before hand with a balanced canter at the speed appropriate for the exercise, and then *leave them alone* to let them do their jobs. No micromanaging!
In the sport of Eventing, ensuring that our horses are truly fit for our level of competition is one of the best ways to prevent unnecessary injuries.
"I like to describe riding a course as riding a line at a certain pace, and the jumps are just like speed bumps on your journey. Whereas some riders ride the jumps as their objective. They ride one jump, then look up, and ride the next, and the next.
Learn about the ONE very basic exercise that the all of the riders had to do at the USET training sessions down in Ocala, that proved to be very challenging!