Teaching the Automatic Release

“An automatic release is characterized by a straight line from bit to hand to elbow, with the hand resting four or five inches lower than a crest release,” explains Jenn Serek. “You are essentially following the horse’s mouth and maintaining a crucial connection. To me, it’s not a set release; it’s in motion and following. It will look different depending on the horse and the jumping effort.”

Despite requiring advanced hand, seat, and leg aids, Serek believes the biggest difficulty in teaching the automatic release is perhaps the drawback of young riders having few examples in the show ring to learn from. “I think one of the biggest problems with teaching the automatic release is that it’s hard for kids to learn it, because they don’t see very many people doing it. A lot of people are visual learners and years ago it was the most common release; these days, not so much.”

The automatic release is not a skill for beginners. Serek stresses that riders must have a a secure leg position, upper body control and independent hands, which are the foundations necessary for an automatic release. “To really execute the release correctly, they must have the ability to walk-trot-canter without stirrups, go into two-point without stirrups, and jump a course without stirrups. You want the rider to be educated in their aids and be a consistent when it comes to riding a track and finding distances. You also really must be able to stabilize yourself; there cannot be any ducking issues and the rider must have excellent upper body control.”

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Last in the line of progressive releases, the automatic release requires independent aids that are introduced early and built upon as the rider moves up the levels. “In the very beginning we encourage riders to grab mane in a long release so they don’t catch the horse in the mouth, moving from there to the crest release,” explains Serek. “I like to start introducing the automatic release on the flat – I like to see that they hold their two-point without balancing off the neck. We practise this a lot on the flat, over poles and over cavalettis. It is important to introduce it early, so that riders understand there isn’t just one release that we do. I believe that most kids, once they’re out of the children’s jumper level and heading into the 1.20-metres, should be capable of executing an automatic release.”

Control and Communication

The benefits of using an automatic release are far-reaching, explains Serek. “With the automatic release you are staying in control of your horse every step of the way through the jumping sequence. You have more influence on where you land, and you recover more quickly off a fence. Through a related distance and when riding a track, an automatic release enables you to make decisions quickly and efficiently; if you want to land a bit shallower in the line or use an inside or outside track, it helps to control the horse’s shape. You can follow your horse better, and you can hold your horse straighter at the jump. You are influencing the quality of the jump.”

Mostly seen in upper-level jumpers and equitation classes, Serek points out that the automatic release – seen less often in the hunter ring – now has a place in the derby classes. ‘Good riding is good riding, whether it be in the hunter, jumper, or equitation ring,’ she states. “A great example of the uses of an automatic release is in the equitation ring, where there will often be a jump at the end of the ring with a tight turn after it. It’s a great place for a rider to show off an automatic release, land on the correct lead and make a clever turn.”

Serek cautions that the automatic release is not necessarily always the best answer for the questions posed by the course designer. The rider must still make educated decisions regarding the horse’s jump and their course plan before deciding an automatic release is the best choice. “If in tennis the only stroke you ever used was your backhand, eventually you would come to realize that you need a wide skillset to win. If you only have a backhand, you can’t play the game; you also need a good volley and forehand. There is a time and a place for a crest release, such as the triple bar, when you need to make sure your horse gets across the width. The automatic release is not for every jump or situation, but is an educated release that should be taught.”