Heels down?

Question

When I canter I can't seem to get my heels down any tips?

Answer 1

What works best for me is to forget "heels down" and try "toes up"!!!.  It actually makes it easier and doesn't force your leg down and therefore grippy.  Toes up keeps your leg more relaxed but gets your center of gravity closer to the horses.

Good luck and good riding.

Answer 2

Oi, it's something that just takes time! Start by figuring out how to do a two-point in the trot with your heels down, then get alounge lesson on a nice experienced horse and stay into a two-point as they go into the canter, keep your heels down. From the two-point, slowly sit down deep into the saddle, KEEPING YOUR HEELS DOWN! Just try to focus, it's really hard when you first start riding, don't forget to rock with the horses movements and don't worry too much about the rest of your body until you get your heels down, they really are one of the most important things.

two-point, in case anyone doesn't know, is a jumping posture. Google it to see what it looks like.

Edit: You know, I had some problems with that when I first started riding! Stretch stretch stretch. Stand facing a wall with your feet about shoulderwidth apart, then keep your feet FLAT on the floor and lean into the wall so that your chest pushes against the wall, keep your back straight or even arch your hips towards the wall also, if this is easy, scoot your legs back further! Do this until you can stretch VERY WELL. Your stirrups may be too long, try adjusting them as well as stretching your calves. If you can't put our heels down, your calves are probably tense! :3

Answer 3

try doing excercises that help you get more flexible in your heel stand on the edge of a step and let your heels hang down that will help and when you ride lenghten your stirupps and sit and work on your position it will help to have a longer leg

Answer 4

you can pretend that you just painted your toes and your walking on your heels or you just got a pedicure.

Answer 5

Yeah, my friend has trouble with this too, and we are also in the hunter/jumper circuit.  There are a few exercises that our instructor uses to help us keep them locked in proper position while riding.  One of them is, she encourages us to ride without stirrups every once in a while, like once a week or at least two times a month depending on how often you ride.  Without sirrups, you are really forced to keep your legs strong against your horses side and with a little concentration and dicipline, you can learn to keep your heels down while your at it.  Start at the walk and trot and work your way up.  Also, just focus, within safety, focus really hard on keeping your heels down and not so much on other areas like your hands.  This is only a great idea if you are riding a pretty well trained animal, a horse who seems to have a mind of its own may be dangerous for this.  Another one is, to stretch when you are at home, by using stairs.  Stand on the step like a stirrup so your toes and the top of your foot are supporting most of your weight on the tip of the stair.  Then, drop your heels.  Do it repetitively to encourage that position while riding.  This also works to help break in tall riding english boots.  

I Hope this helps!

Answer 6

put more pressure on ur body

Answer 7

Hey I'm guessing you ride English..heels down! haha

well me too! You can try and lengthen you stirrups or..

You can also do exercises off the horse: put both of your feet on a stair ( stairs in your house if you have them) like they are in a stirrup, them slowly stretch them down..then come up on your toes and do that everyday, make the intensity and duration longer each time.

Answer 8

A good exercise for you to practice would be to stand on the edge of a stair, with the balls of your feet, and "pump" yourself up and down, flexing and extending your ankle joints.  This will help to enable you to lower your heels in the stirrups.  Try opening the angle of your hips by bringing your thigh back, or straighter down to give more length to your legs.  If you find they are too straight this way, you can shorten your stirrups to achieve the same effect.

Answer 9

get on your knees

Answer 10

I had the SAME problem as you when I was a little girl! My instructor got fed up with it, so she made me stand straight up in my saddle (Like you would when your horse is peeing) which forces you to keep your heels down or else you'd fall back into the saddle.

This eventually got me to put my heels down

You could also be having trouble with your heels b/c:

Your stirrups are too long (They must hit your ankles)

Your legs are too far back (they must be right behind the girth)

You're a ballerina (They are always on their toes hehe)

Try working on your 2 point/jumping position without putting your hands on your horses neck, this will force you to put your weight in your heels and it helps with your balance.

When cantering, be sure your legs arent swinging around everywhere, that makes you unstable, which makes it practically impossible for your heels to stay down. Be sure to be squeezing your thighs so that your legs dont swing around so much, that will help you keep your heels down.

When I was little, my instructor would get rings that you'd use for a pool (The ones you throw into the pool, they sink down to the bottom, and you retrieve them) and she'd put them on our feet, we'd have to keep them on our feet during the whole lesson, and in order to do that we'd have our heels down and our toes up

I hope this helped!

Answer 11

lengthen your stirrup until you get used to having your heels downs as when your stirrup are short it makes you put your heels up. ride bearback as well or with no stirrup.

Answer 12

Oh dont worry i couldnt get my heels down either the first tim i cantered i was like a basketball bouncing on a trampoline. but time and practise does it all!! now i am always ALWAYS fully in control and my but never leaves the saddle. Anyway, I reckong that when you lean back a bit its easier to get ur heels down but dont worry you'll get it!

Answer 13

What my trainer made me do, to take the irons and put them up one notch so that they're short. That way when you ride you can't help but to put your heels down. Its really helps

Answer 14

It does take time and practice, being reminded many times during lessons and eventually it will become habit.

If you are looking to stretch that area out, as a previous person mentioned, I have my riders stand on a stair where there is a railing, with their toes, and hang the heel down.  Let it just stretch.  Do this at least once a day.

Another exercise in the saddle is to ride stirrupless with your leg in position, not hanging loosely, and pull your toes up.  Then hang something off the toes.  You can remove the stirrups and leathers, and hang them off your toes as long as your horse won't worry if it hits the ground.  If you keep your toes up, you won't lose them.

Just keep practicing and trying.  Some people are not as flexible and they work very hard at just keeping their heel barely below their toe, that is ok, it's just your body's best ability.