She definitely does not need more release. The horse has freedom of its head and neck, and the curb is perpendicular to the ground, meaning that she isn't pulling back on it at all, but releasing the mouth. Her hand is halfway up the neck, there's no need for it to be 3/4, or up to the ears...
I'm guessing this is Alex? :-) This is why I really bloody like the way you ride you actually have a clue!
but she would catch him in the mouth on landing
No she wouldn't. You are going to cause so much more discomfort to a horse if you throw yourself up the neck because you are literally chucking away any contact whatsoever - a lot of horses (particularly types that are competing therefore needing to be quick against the clock) have a tendency to shoot off on the landing... if you've had your hands up around their ears, it's a much larger, much nastier movement to have to quickly jerk your hands back upon the recovery to check your horse so you're prepared for the next fence. Practically nobody understands the importance of consistency in the contact any more it grates on me so damn much lol
not that good, she should have more of a release tbh
More of a release? Not really mate haha, her release is pretty much spot on - any more and she'd be further up his neck which result in the whole centre of gravity/balance thing going out the window. There's such a fashion of chucking your hands up the horses necks these days and I really don't understand it
Not really sure, I just love words haha, always have always will. I suppose these days it's more of an escapism thing but it's also something I find fun, not to mention it's really cathartic
He misses you
I feel like this should be narrated in some kind of omniscient sounding voice