My mind is blown. I can't wait to try this tomorrow! A video on finding the right stirrup length would be really helpful for me; I can never tell which length is right, and they never seem to be even. I don't know if I should ride while feeling uneven if the lengths are the same (just ignoring how it feels because it is correct) or if I should ride with two different lengths because it feels better but is actually uneven. It's a constant battle for me.
Omg. I must try it!!! Have the hardest time keeping the heels down - always push off hence they go up. I have to actually think about them all the time which leaves very few brain cells available. ☺️ Sometimes I manage to to lock (in my brain) a feeling of balancing on three points: the ball of the foot, the edge, the heel equally and it helps. But your suggestion is even more stable it seems. Thank you!!!
Great explanation and demonstration. I always keep the stirrup on the ball of my foot and my heels naturally go down. When my foot did on occasion shift so that the stirrup was slightly behind the ball, I would endeavour to quickly shift it back. It did feel better with the stirrup behind the ball but I thought this was incorrect. Wow I cant wait to try this - thank you very much.
Yes because it felt more secure but I rose too high and then my timing got off and I came down as the saddle came up and i heard a crack. I had fractured 2 vertebrae not knowing I had osteoporosis. But if I had my foot on the stirrups correctly it may have saved me a terrible injury and I would still be able to ride safely. Now it may not ever be safe.
Loved this makes so much more sense now ty. Can you talk about the hip. I have a hard time sitting back and opening my hip flexers. I always end up rolling forwards.
I can't wait to try this! Very well explained! Could you do a video like this on how your pelvis should be in the saddle? I've heard "flashlights", "pockets", "3 points" etc, but when I try it, they seem to contradict each other.
Holy moly. I tried this today and it made a massive difference in my rising trot. I've always found it really tough to rise trot effectively and generally prefer to sit. THIS IS WHY. Your are amazing.
Please throw some light upon .. How to stop sliding of stirrups when ridding(it slides back and forth from ball of foot) , and my instructor keep shouting heel down..
Samma här. Har ridit på ridskola i över 40 år!!! Har alltid placerat stigbygeln på trampdynan, som de sagt... Det här ska jag testa nästa lektion. Tor faktiskt det kommer få effekt på sitsen och avspänningen!!!
This is super useful, thank you! I've been having trouble figuring out how exactly to place my foot in the stirrup and the explanation about the ball of the foot was easy to understand and really helps ^^
Wonderfully explained and reasoned out. I followed the suggestion and made the small adjustment and I'm much more comfortable in maintaining the correct leg position.
This is SO useful!! I've really been struggling with finding the right position for my feet in the stirrups and not being able to keep my lower leg still, so this going to be really helpful! Keep doing this videos!
BHS taught dressage with rider's weight on the outside of the foot and not to worry about heels down as the stirrup is solely a platform for the foot. Weighting and unweighting stirrups are a more advanced use of stirrups. The most comfortable position of the stirrup is just behind the ball of the foot. Jump saddles do position the rider in a chair seat with heels down.
This was so useful, thank you! I have trouble with my joints and naturally do this but always try to correct it, sometimes unsuccessfully and I lose my foot, but now I wont! I have trouble when trotting and being able to stay in balance and I tend to lean forward, I don't have the same trouble with canter or gallop. My horse is very forward and I also find the trot 'bouncy'.
Thank you very much for sharing! This is very helpful. Could you please make a video about the position of the foot in terms of being parallel v.s slightly tilted off the horse's body?
Thank you for this video.Can you please guide on how high should one rise while trotting and what should be your body position ..straight or bent forward
My feet tend to fall out/be lose in the stirrup when I'm galloping and on the balls of my feet, how do I keep my feet from sliding off? (I'm using thin english foot holds)
This detail may have prevented my last injury. I was rising too high from pushing off the ball of my foot and got out of sync in my timing and fractured 2 vertebrae.
I am going to try this, hopefully I can finally keep my feet in the stirrups. I've been told heels down, but never was able to do that. So I learned to lift my toes, because that would make it look like my heels are down. I've got some unlearning to do... Also, for years I was told to 'sit back', and tilt my pelvis forward. Now I have an instructor that wants me to sit more forward with neutral pelvis and straight back, so my legs can go further back. It's confusing, but what I'm struggling with most is... this way of sitting gets a bit painful in a very sensitive area. Instead of sitting on my seat bones, I'm now sitting more on my pubis. Can you do an in depth explanation on which bones I should be sitting on?
Hi thanks for a wonderful explanation. My fear while riding a horse is that my feet might come out of the stir up and hence I have always tried to push my feet far into the stir up locking it up just before the heel. I feel the this way my feet will not come out of the stir up while I am riding. My second question is that I have never been able to find confidence of handling the reigns with both hands and always keep one hand on the seat so that I might not fall off. Somehow I am never sure of my grip on the seat. Please guide me thanks!
Thanks for this video! I definitely have seen improvement since trying this tip. It's simple yet really effective. Wondering if you have any tips for keeping your hands in the correct position, particularly elbows at your sides? I have a tendency to extend my arms straight and drop my hands in my lap.
When ever I have my stirrup slightly behind the ball of my foot, I find that whenever I kick the stirrup slides to the back of my foot. What am u doing wrong?
How about correct use and movement of the rider’s shoulders, elbows, wrist and hands for correct elastic contact that pulley goes with the movement of the horses head and neck in all of the gaits. It’s some thing that isn’t talked about in detail or taught in detail during beginner and lower level lessons and it is important to teach that contact should be extremely important. I think of it as needing to be FIRM with fingers closed but not tight or hard, SYMPATHETIC, SYMMETRICAL with each hand being a mirror image, ELASTIC with supple following joints in the shoulder elbow and hand and STRAIGHT with a straight line from elbow all the way down the reins to the bit. I feel like I see so many riders having what looks like a good contact but the horse is either leaning on the bit or finding a way to move their head and neck because the writer is not following the natural movement that they need to be able to move and use their body naturally. You can see horses that are being held in bobbing their head up above the bit or curling their head and neck behind the bit.
I was taught the ball of the foot. Now I feel incredibly more secure w my foot stirrups back. I jump so this makes a big difference. I don’t know ur opinion about Shock absorbing or bendy stirrups but I have a chronic ankle sprain. Too much laxity in my outer tendon. I have to use them. I’ve always been extremely flexible-no one ever had to tell me to put my heals down-but have suffered some severe sports injuries. What is ur opinion on these kind of stirrups. For someone like me and riders in general?
Shiny Star Stable Edits don’t punish him, try to figure out a better way to communicate. Stay firm without getting mad. Punishment is the human reaction when we get mad. Watch more of Callie’s training videos. She’s very good at explaining.
