#auto release

I personally prefer crest releases & I find that its easier to do and they look better imo, but auto releases can be good especially if you really want to follow the horse’s movement better I guess! I’m learning auto releases at the moment and I’m not the biggest fan to be honest

-Maddie (perfeqtion)

It seems auto releases have a growing popularity and I am so happy it’s becoming more of a widely known thing! I think that auto releases give the rider more control and balance especially on hot horses. With an auto release it is SO much harder to pitch your weight forward and get ahead of your horse, which is a very common issue with crest releasing. It also gives you constant steady contact with your horses mouth, without restricting his movement(if you have a nice following hand, if not, it’s easy to get hung up on the horses mouth). I tend to see auto releases more in eventing and showjumping then hunters and EQ just because of the way those classes are judged and how it’s been done forever. But since cross country and show jumping aren’t just on how you look(or how your horse looks), auto releases are very favorable. I love love love them, although i tended to crest releases on most of the horses I rode because they were mostly easy gaited hunters. So the moral of the story is both have their pros and their cons but i support auto releases in most situations! 

-Sara (bell-boots)

hi so here's another opinion haha I actually was never taught crest vs auto and didn't really learn about them until tumblr. when i look back at my photos from events, i see that i typically do a crest, but will do an auto on xc given certain situations like when my horse is really using themselves over a fence. autos are meant to follow the horse's mouth more and require you to have your own balance since crest you do have the horse's neck there for support. i think it's best to just do what feels appropriate for the situation because as long as your hand is following the motion i don't think crest or auto matters. however i think i'd like to practice doing more auto release stuff because i think it shows a much more correct follow and better riding to be able to balance yourself over the fence! so if i had to pick i'd go with the auto as my preference even though i don't use it a ton! :) 

There’s three standard releases, the long crest release, the short crest release, and the automatic release. You can also count grabbing mane (or your martingale/breastplate/neck strap) as a type of release, because it gives the reins to the horse while giving you something to stabilize your upper body with so you don’t get left behind. Grabbing mane is still my go-to when I get into a tight/awkward spot or my horse takes a long distance without me asking.

Let me go grab my Hunter Seat Equitation book by George Morris, because he does the best job describing them.

Release (mane): “When a beginner is taught this primary, or ‘first-step’ release, he should be encourage to take hold of the mane halfway up the horse’s crest, holding the mane until the jump is completed, several strides on the other side. We call this a long release. This instills the principle into the rider from the beginning: Do not interfere with your horse’s mouth at take-off, during the jump, or upon landing. Your release must be on the crest of the neck, as the crest provides maximum support. Riders releasing below the crest usually collapse with their hands and body upon landing over the fence, and those who release is above this point interfere with the horse going over the jump” (pg 102, 3rd edition. All further quotes will be from this edition).

(this is a photo of me and my horse from 2005. Clearly I’m jumping up his neck and standing in my stirrups, but look at my hand, because we got deep to the fence, I grabbed mane and looped my reins as to not catch him in the mouth as we landed)

Release (crest): “Of primary importance is that the second release takes place during the last stride or two before the take-off point for the jump, whereas the first mane-grabbing release took place three or four strides in front of the obstacle during approach. The other important difference is that the hands now rest firmly on top of the crest of the horse’s neck instead of grabbing the mane… Now we teach two kinds of crest release: long and short. The long crest release, as we taught the beginner, moves anywhere from a third to halfway up the horse’s crest. This insures maximum freedom for the horse and minimum control for the rider during the flight of the jump. The short crest release on the other hand, maximizes control and minimizes freedom, although the horse should not hit the bit while in the air. While the long crest release rests up the horses crest, the short release rests down and into the base of the crest, an inch or two up from the withers” (pg 109-110).

(Same day in 2005, now we can see my equitation much better here, but this is a long crest release. I’m several inches in front of my horse’s withers, using his crest for support over top of this fence. Ideally my hand should be an inch or two lower, but this is still fundamentally correct.)

(Same day again, but now we can see a short crest release over this tiny X. My hand is barely an inch or two in front of his withers, and he still has the freedom to express his jump over the fence)

Release (“Out of Hand”): “For the third-level rider, release of the horse’s mouth at the moment of take-off must become so imperceptible and subtle that it takes a trained eye to see it function. The hand, rather than abandoning the horse in the air, must now support and maintain a light, following feel during flight. The kind of feel one describes as a ‘feathery touch.’ If there is any sign of the hands rotating backward or relying on the mouth for balance and support, then the rider is not secure enough or experienced enough to move on to this third advanced stage of release. The hand should never rely on the mouth for support, whereas the horse’s mouth often relies on the rider’s hand for support and balance” (123-124).

(Again, 2005, because I have no recent photos or videos of myself over fences that illustrate things clearly… Here you can see I have a straight line from elbow to bit and I’m maintaining contact in the air without restricting his jump. My hip angle might be marginally too closed here, but my upper body is stable and independent of my hand, with my heel down, back flat, and eyes between his ears looking up and towards the end of the ring)

Hope this answers your question, and that my photos illustrate things!