Riding question, putting your weight into the stirrups?

Question

I'm a sucker for it. Any tips? I'm so used to jumping with short stirrups, when i'm doing flat work, i can't ride with them as long as they should be. I loose my stirrup even though they're at the length they should be, and i struggle putting my weight into my heals. I have to constantly remind myself. Any tips? Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Try riding with no stirrups if you can and if you can try to make your legs as long as you can. this will help your seat and legs..

Also when you are riding, see if you are gripping with your knees and if you are try and relax them and let go, it will help you put more weight into the stirrups

anyways after you ride a lot with no stirrups then take your stirrups back it will feel like they are too short! good luck :)  

Answer 2

i just remember to dont be like a bird( with your toes out) lean back and heals down my riding lesson teacher person gave me an exersice where you go on a stair case and hold the railing and go on your toes then fown all the presure on your heels!!! good luck!

Answer 3

As already mentioned, two point, two point, two point !!!  My instructor starts every lesson off with two point..then has us gently sit back in the saddle...and not move or change our position!!  But anytime I feel myself getting out of position..I go back to two point....it does wonders!!

You gotta stretch those ankle muscles!!  You can stand on a step with the balls of your feet and do push ups with your heels to stretch out and looses and flex the tendons.

Also, what helps me, is to put my big toe against the inside of the stirrup as leverage..this helps to keep the toe up and heel down.

You're not alone..we all have to remind ourselves..heads up, heels down, shoulders back elbows bent, etc.  (at least those of us who were not born with the perfect equitation seat!!)

Hope this helps you!!

PRACTICE..makes "PERFECT"!!

Answer 4

First, you should definitely be working with a trainer. Second, ask her about doing no-stirrup work. Riding without stirrups will naturally lengthen your leg, and you'll find you have to put your heel down or it will throw your body out of balance.

I remember riding as a junior in the eq and high-jumper rings, and at least half my lessons every week were without stirrups. Our trainer would just pull them off our saddle and insist we do everything without them. We'd jump 3'6" without stirrups, and anyone that came to the barn with a flat-heels or similar problems found this cured their problem. To this day I make most of my students do no-stirrup work to strengthen and re-balance them.  

Answer 5

One trick I use when I am having a hard time getting the weight into my heels is two point the trot then sit the trot, also at the canter I switch between half seating and full seat.  When I half seat I can feel the weight sink into my heel and thigh, I try to keep that feeling when I full seat.  The other tried and true:  no stirrup work!  Good luck to you.

Answer 6

Putting your weight into your heels should stop you loosing your stirrups, so you just need to learn to do that, like you said.

The good thing about flat work is that you can concentrate on your position, because a lot of it is based on where your legs/arms/weight is. You can just focus on your heels and keep reminding yourself.

Standing up in your stirrups is the best thing you can do because you HAVE TO have your heels down to balance. I don't know how advanced you are so if you can do it in the halt, then try walk, then try trot, then canter, then do some transitions, but stay standing all the time. You could also trot round, stand for two beats, sit for two beats, jump position for two beats.

You can experiment with these in the different paces because all of them require balance, and to do it you will have to put your heels down. You will be concentrating on balancing, so you will put your heels down without thinking about it. If you practice these enough, you should naturally put your heels down all the time.

Answer 7

think that you are pushing the go button with your heals, try riding bareback once and a while it really helps. Also ridding with dressage length stirrups really helps.!!!!!! Good luck!!!!

Answer 8

Just let your feet float in the stirrups, don't force your weight down as that can cause you and the horse to go off balance. If you just rest them there, you have much better results

Answer 9

I have troubles with that too sometimes. If you own your own horse or you can go riding aside from lessons, do lots of no stirrup work for the first part of riding. Then, maybe a half an hour later, pick up your stirrups (which are at a flat length) and you should feel pretty comfortable in them.

You also need to make sure your body is warmed up enough- often, when I get on my horse, my upper inner legs feel very sore. What I do, is I swing my legs back and up onto the saddle and swing them down, if you do it right (hard to explain without showing) then you'll feel your inside leg stretch. That often makes it much easier to ride.

Probably, the only way your going to be comfortable with it is if you ride no stirrups for a while and really try and stretch your legs down, skip jumping for one ride and just work on the flat.

Answer 10

Ok its time to drop those irons!!! lol. Length in your stirrups for hacking. but before you put your foot in them hack around without them. Make sure your leg is stretched down and ur using ur thighs not your knees to hold you on. practise stretching your heel down and lengthening your leg. then after about 5 or 10 min of no stirrup work take ur stirrups back. They should be 2 holes longer for hacking than jumping. but after the stretching exercise they will feel short even if there hacking length! and whenever you feel your heel sneaking back up drop the irons and hack without them. ! hope this helps and good luck !

Answer 11

Push down on your heels. Toes up and in.