Here are some tips to help you keep your heels down:
- Find the correct stirrup length – when you drop your stirrups, your ankle bone should be right at the length of your stirrups. Stirrups that are too long or too short will impede your ability to maintain the correct leg position.
- Make sure your calves and ankles are loose – I recommend stretching your calves and ankles before riding.
- Half seat – stand up in your stirrups and get your bum out of the saddle, keep your center of gravity back over your seat. Start just at the walk – do a few steps of half seat and feel your weight drop into your heels. Keep this feeling when you sit back into the saddle. Be sure to keep your alignment with your heels under your hips.
- Drop your stirrups – You will right away feel more weight in your seat bones as none of the weight is going into your stirrups. You will also feel that your legs get longer.
- Do some ankle circles – It is really important that your ankles are flexible so that you can kick your horse and actually influence your horse. While you have your stirrups dropped, practice some controlled and slow ankle circles.
- Be sure that your stirrup is perpendicular to your foot! Heels should be a few inches lower than the toe and the stirrup should be perpendicular to your foot for maximum stability and control.
How do you get your toes pointing forward?
Many riders have an issue with their toes turning out – it could have to do with how you are built or how you walk around, or it could be just a bad habit of relying too much on your spur to get the horse moving.
Here are some tips to help you get your toes forward in the saddle:
- Rotate in from your hip first – if you want your toe to point forward, you must actually rotate in from your hip and get your knee pointing into the saddle. It is impossible to get your toe forward if your knee is pointing outward!
- Each time you go to the walk, check-in with your leg position and you may have to reposition your knee and thigh so that your toes can point forward again!
As you go through your ride, you will need to continue checking in with your leg position. I always tell my students, “use you leg, then make your leg long again.” We all tend to clamp up our leg when we use it to influence our horses!
Happy Riding!
Amelia
