Lauren posted a great question about ankle movement in Amelia’s Dressage Club a couple of weeks ago so this week’s video is a little ode to our ankles, their role in our riding, and what we should and should not be doing with them.
- Firstly, stiffness is the enemy! There should be movement in your ankles! If your ankles lock, your hips lock, your seat becomes stiff and the whole thing becomes deeply uncomfortable for you, and our horses! Thankfully, our ankles are pretty awesome ligament-filled shock absorbers that soak up our movement while we ride. We want them to move, but there’s definitely a difference between good motion and bad motion!
- If you’re riding around kicking at every step, that’s bad motion!
- However, a bob that goes in time with the horse’s stride? That’s fine, that’s good motion. Your heel down holds the leg and ankle in place while you’re not using the leg, but if you need to use the leg, you can use it effectively before sliding it back to its heel-down position.
- Another pitfall to avoid is the classic canter calf swing. It’s very easy to fall into this trap in the canter! The lower legs swing like pendulums at the rhythm of the canter. This can be counteracted easily with some conscious riding and a bit of practice. If you consciously think of your calves while you’re riding, and think about keeping them a little closer to the horse’s side, about wrapping them around your horse’s sides, and finally try to feel the underside of your boot and that will help you prevent your leg swinging around!
Happy riding until next week! Remember to join Amelia’s Dressage Club on FB for more support and if you’ve any questions you want answered, and I’ll be back next Wednesday with a fresh video
