I definitely have an issue with gripping - I don't lose my stirrups, but I constantly have to adjust them because they travel back towards my heels. My stirrups feel the most secure and comfortable when I relax my legs and my seat, I think that's my biggest problem. I work without stirrups now every lesson, I hope that working on my balance will help me relax in the saddle and stop gripping :)
I have the same issue and what I have found helps is riding different horses without stirrups because you might learn how to do it on one horse perfectly but when you have to ride another horse and can't do it at all, and that a part of my problem. Also riding different horses helped me find a middleweight that works on every horse so now I am much better with my stirrup not sliding back no matter what horse I am on.
Since riding bare back, I've had fewer issues when in saddle. Bareback forces you to stay on by remaining balanced, so when you're in saddle, you stop using your stirrups as a balance aid
Callie, you are so sweet! I wish I had found you 15 years ago when I began riding WRONG! Your explanations are so easy to follow and make total sense. I would have been so much further along had I found you then! I'm just so thankful I found you now (at age 53). But I have every reason to think you will still help me ride the way I want to ride. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
I have the issue of losing one stirrup or it moving towards my heel. It makes sense about shifting my weight because I have knee issues and I tend to lean to my right side to get more comfortable. I even walk on the ball of my left foot. I am working on this so it does not reflect in my riding
I often lose my right stirrup when starting canter. I can sit the canter fine but it is annoying have to fish for my right stirrup. It doesn't matter if the right side is the inside or outside leg. So my guess is that I'm probably unconsciously leaning towards the left then. Thank you for the video!
I use the half seat/2 point/jump position to help me find the right balance and weight in the stirrups during warm ups mostly at walk and trot. This also helps me get weight on my thigh, knees down and forward, and quiet my lower leg. Then I remember that feeling as I progress through the rest of my ride either in the ring or on the trail.
Great Lesson! My foot is most secure when I can feel the stirrup iron just behind the balls of my feet. But there is a caveat to this that you mentioned. I have to watch the video again. My way affects my ability to keep my heels down and can actually push me off my center of gravity. If I lose my center doing circles or serpentines ( at the trot so far) , I can easily go off balance or lose my stirrup. My Instructor would prefer I keep them closer to the balls of my feet and toes. I'm 57 and just last October 2018 first got back on a horse after 30 yrs. I am out of shape and overweight so when my balance goes I have to immediately sit and relax everything into the saddle. I have a very smart training horse named Clover and she slows to a walk when I am off balance and I do this. I have a great Instructor and so far, I've watched several of your videos, you and she gives all the same advice and intruction. These videos are great to watch on the days I do not ride. Great points on dressage and jumping. My trainer can jump but after 18 years of riding she now takes dressage lessons, hoping to improve her jumping. She stresses dressage for me and I'm happy with this. It's a thrill when you and your horse are one and move around in circles or surpentines, over cavaletti or between two obstacles and keep moving in a fluid motion and I don't lose my breath or steering or balance. Fantastic series. Thank You so much! I'm going to read all the comments.
Thank you Callie for another wonderful teaching. I like my feet level with the weight of my leg resting over the ball of my foot. It feels like I'm gliding through the air. I love it!
I have a problem with the ligaments at the front of my hips, so I usually brace I think. But I also tend to loose just one stirrup, the left one mostly. This week, my instructor had us do an exercise to find our middle. So she had us hollow our backs for a few strides, and then do the opposite, and from there find our middle in the saddle. And that really helped me feel more secure in my stirrups too. I could tell when I had the right position by the movement of the horse, which was amazing. I didn't loose my stirrups once in that lesson!
Super video! I tend to lose my right stirrup and I think it's because A. I find it tricky to nudge during rising trot and I take my foot to far from my horse B. Too rigid with the feet, braced and tense.
I have this exact issue, I must be gripping and/or leaning in rising trot- my right stirrup tends to slide up on my foot, my horse is lazy and I also take my foot too far out when I try to cue with my leg- I have tried opening the leg at the hip and letting the calf/toe drop on the side and bounce off, rather than kicking or nudging as I had been just with my heels- your legs stay in the right position, and the cue is clearer as well. I hope I explained it properly, I saw that tip in another video, but I forget which at the moment!
i were elimination of the last weeks competition because of this big mistake and thank you for helping me and you made me go better on todays competition thanks alot
I'm riding Icelandic horses, with a rather long stirrup as is common in this world. It's true when you squeeze your legs too much, you can loose your stirrups. Good video again, thank you!
One of my stirrups is always getting loose. I find it so hard to relax in the saddle, I get tense and stiffen up and the more mistakes I make the more I get tense and worry that I'm doing everything wrong.
Without trying to sound stereotypical, I have to say that taking a deep breath really helps. Maybe even stop everything you’re doing, take a deep breath and go back through your mental checklist and re-fix everything, from posture to cues to everything. You have plenty of time, keep telling yourself that. Deep breath, checklist, keep going. This really helped me when I had a sudden bout of this issue. It’s fixed now and this really helped me, hope it helps you.
@@supernoodle704 Thanks a lot for the advice. I'm hacking at the moment, and every time I canter I lose a stirrup, maybe I'm letting my legs get too far forward or not putting enough pressure into the stirrups, but it's hard to get the balance right between relaxing and pushing your legs down into your feet!
@@carolinenielsen710 Annoying, isn't it! My feet are a bit more secure now, after a couple of months of hacking, but I find that sometimes, when cantering, the horse's front leg on the left side bumps my foot as it's coming back, so I must have my foot too far forward on that side! If it's not one thing, it's another!
thanks, wonderful video....During the rising trot...my feet slips into the stirrup although while walking everything seems fine with the heels down: toe up configuration, balance (seemingly) on the ball of the toe...I will recheck with this tutorial and try to apply in my next lesson
I had losing my stirrups initially, but later it became okay may be I self adjusted the weight to equal sides and foot positioning on stirrup. I was using tip of the ball of my foot, later moved a bit forward and began to position like slightly just back end of the ball of foot which is slightly just front of the centre of foot. That position I felt more secured and not losing stirrups anymore. Thanks for your all informative videos.
Yes, as an older rider I tend to have balance issues, whereas while I'm riding I can keep going to the left when in reality I've turned my horse to the right! 🙂
Another great video!! Lose my R stirrup @ canter. I do find myself shifting to my dominant left side. Will definitely be super aware of the shift THANK YOU ☺️
Great video, as usual! I find that when Im riding a horse that needs a lot of leg, I lose my stirrups more. Every time I focus on squeezing with the calves I seem to lose a stirrup. I have really short legs so I struggle with trying to "wrap your leg around the horse and lift him UP" as my instructor often says.
Atlanta Georgia I just wanted to say that I relate to this so much. The same exact thing happens to me! You wrote this comment 8 months ago so if you have any advice for me I would love it lol🙂
Same! And then i can never choose which one feels better, the long one or the short one? And then when i adjust them i always regret sayyy choosing the longer one, im just never comfortable with the length
This explains a lot, I was dropping the stirrup on my bad leg a lot when I first started posting before it clicked. I haven’t lost one in a bit so I guess I’ve managed to fix it some or at least do as you mentioned and keep my weight even.
After watching this again, I think I am leaning to the left in rising trot- I find my right stirrup rides back on my foot and while I don't lose the stirrup itself I lose the ability to utilize it properly... I know last week my saddle was leaning to the left and I had to keep jamming my weight down on the right to even it out, the saddle was like this week before as well, I wonder if that is causing my stirrup issue? If the saddle was leaning to the left I would be too, even if I was trying to properly distribute my weight, once I stopped actively trying I would be leaning left... This week I will check the saddle and have my instructor make sure I am even, if it still happens I will diagnose from there... Your videos are so helpful I feel like I should be paying you! I have learned so many essential little technical tips from you and YourRidingSuccess, I owe you both! You are the best! I bet lessons with you are AMAZING! A girl can dream, haha!
I have a bad back right hip and leg and if i use an angled stirrup pad to keep my heel down, i have less problems with my right stirrup and leg. when i ride bare back someone pointed out to me that i ride with my heels down instead of my feet just hanging there. I didn't notice that. So riding with my heels down comes naturally, but to keep my foot in the stirrup or to keep it from moving forward (which freaks me out) i need that pad. No matter how i try, I am not centered and don't think i can with my issues.
Thanks, great video! My right stirrup is always shorter than the left because my right leg is shorter than the other (it really is)! But I still lose the right stirrup all the time. Now I realized that I shift too much to my left side. Could it be because I have a slight scoliosis? I have another question: Recently I have problems with the rising trot. At the "rising" part I feel my legs swinging backwards so my body weight shifts forward. It's irritating since I've never done that before but recently I do... Any idea why? And I have another problem which is more like a bad habit so it's really hard to change it even consciously. At the rising trot when I want to make the horse go forward more, I kick his side at the rising, not when I'm sitting. It's really frustrating since when I try to kick while sitting I feel like losing my balance and posture completely and I can't seem to change it... Any help?
I think that when you feel your legs going backwards in the rising, then you are bracing, which might be because you are tightening your hip flexors too much (like I do). To loosen them, I go back to walk and really swing my legs with the horses legs. If his front right goes forward, I let my right leg swing forward too. And backwards when the horse s leg moves back. And remember to bend your knee in that movement too. Do that for a minute and try the rising trot again. I usually feel more stable when I've done that.
I have an instructor who always says heels down and I notice I start to lose my stirrups. I have had a couple of other instructors who never ask me to do this and I don't have a problem unless I grip with my knees and I'm aware when I do this. 🐴 thanks for videos
I love all your videos and although I have been pleasure riding for longer than you have been alive, lol, I have learned a lot. Just want to ask aren't the ends of your fingers cold?
My inside foot is always unstable in the canter. I know I need to adjust my weight but I have a hard time with it at turns. If anyone has tips I’m open to suggestions! 😅
I do this, too, standing at a walk- you can and should do it at trot as well, but I am not quite there yet, haha... It really seems to help my balance and keeps my seat right- when sitting in the saddle I also take my leg and pull it off and back, because my leg tends to go forward, this has helped my seat and subsequent balance...
You didn't say about too short as I had always loved a shorter stirrups but I now ride with them longer otherwise I pop out of the saddle during the sitting trot and its not very secure. But im between holes and its the stables horse so I can't make a new hole.I am incredibly stiff due to my illness so its a pain but that one hole shorter is just too short for me
1 minute into this video & I’m just sitting here like she just explained my exact issue. Every time I pick up the canter transition within seconds my right foot moves all through my stirrup. I don’t feel off balance during so I’m confused 😅
I would love to leave two comments. The first is about jumping position (another one of your videos that is not accepting comments), I have only been jumping for about 3 years and my position is not improving to my dismay. I am jumping small jumps (.75-.90) and I tend to stand up the the stirrups and slightly hunch my back. I have been jealous of the trend to lay flat backed with your chin on the horses neck as it looks so good, but I do see that so many riders are putting their weight on the horses neck. I tend to stand up or up and lean too far over the horses neck. The problem is my horse tends to run at the jumps so I have to sit very vertically until we take off and there isn't much time for a fold over a small jump, so, what is the best position for smaller jumps? And secondly, I tend to stretch out my right stirrup leather only and place too much weight on the right side, which is wearing a hole in the calf of my left boot because I am gripping with left calf and stepping down with right foot. I try to be aware of this, but it's a tough habit to break. Any advice?
I grip, more with my right leg, which is the stirrup I lose more often. I rely on grip more than balance and probably am not centered. Recently I have been riding a horse who leans to the left, he drops his right shoulder, in shying, which could explain my grip.
I think I'm scared of falling off so I grip with my knees and lower legs to feel safer and if on the balls of my feet I don't feel safe. Shorter stirrups might help
My stirrups feel most comfortable when they're on the long side (think dressage or Icelandic horse riding) and I'm riding in a slow tempo. I struggle a lot with my heels automatically being pushed too far down, which eventually makes my ancles feel so painful and sore that all I want to do, is take my feet out of the stirrups.
What a wonderful video - I have struggled with these stirrup issues for some time - and thank to this video have a new understanding of what I am doing wrong. Looking forward to subscribing to your website.......JK
Can you please explain the difference between gripping with the knee and your knee moving forward and down as in your video. Improve Your Stability in the Saddle by Riding "On Your Thigh" Thank you.
Thank you for your informative videos. When I do the figure of 8 exercise riding I do lean towards 1 side when turning and hence lose the stirrup. How do I prevent that?
I struggle in a gallop and canter, when i gallop I’ll twist with the horse and loose and equal weight between them, I don’t half seat when I gallop, but one leg goes forward and one goes back 😂. The canter is probably because I use my legs too much.
I have a different issue regarding when I lose my stirrups. I lose them when I canter, my feet slip in, and I can’t get it out (so my jump is a mess). So if I got it right, I have to stop gripping too much? Ñ
I rode English for years and its MUCH more difficult than Western...U have to stretch your calf to put your heels down in an unnatural position...you must keep your calves in a strict location etc....nothing has changed riding English is over 150 years..
I like my stirrups a bit longer (so my leg is bit more than a 45 degree angle), however, even though that length feel good for sitting trot, walk and canter, sometimes I roll my ankle while rising in the trot? Is that because my stirrup is too long, or is it my position you think?
My problem is that all of the horses' stirrups by my riding school have toe stoppers. I've almost ridden my entire life with those, without properly learning to actually put my weight down onto my stirrups. It's really annoying because I basically can't ride any horse I want to ride (specifically horses that are new for me) because I can't ride with the 'open' stirrups :/
My right foot/leg is often unstable in the stirrup- sometimes even loosely falls out & doesn't feel strong like the left side to kick my horse to move. I just realised its because I have a very slight scoliosis to the left hand side, therefore I am shifting my weight that way & causing my right leg to become unstable...does this sound correct? Thanks!!
I have ridden short for a long time where my knee is bent and thats comfortable but im having lessons riding dressage style and my stirrups are longer and i lose them and im trying to concentrate on everything else and trying to keep my stirrups at the same time but its not happening for me
I also grab my legs so hard to tied my seating position and so I lose the stirrups and it goes everywhere 🤣😅 or it reaches in the middle of my feet which cause a pain after I finish riding. The thing is they taught me to tied my legs to balance myself so I don't know how to relax them 🤔 I sometimes feel that I'm not in the centre.
when i kick my horse with my heel while trotting , sometimes my feet get out of the paddle or i suddenly step the paddle to the tip of my toes so i have to adjust my feet back again. so seems my heel has to press down firmly to stay stable in the paddle .
I had an issue the other day where I was doing fine and we reversed (left leg inside) at the trot. My horse thought we were cantering which made me go tense since I wasn’t expecting it. Because of this, my legs started going behind me (I’ve never had this issue) and my left foot was too far in the stirrup. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t correct it. I tried to get my foot in it better, but I was too off balance to successfully do it. Does anyone know what I was doing wrong? Also, my inside leg is always wobbly at the canter. What is causing this?
Nuha Hassan I had the same problem and I started to do 5 minutes of canter a day each hand with no stirrups (but keeping a good leg position) and it is almost gone now! It turns out I had the third problem she talks about in the video, leaning on one side
My right leg is a lot stronger than my left leg so I loose my left stirrup. If I’m riding and you can see the right side of my body it looks a lot better than the left side. Does anyone have any good leg exercises I could maybe try?
When doing rising trot or canter in a forward seat, where should you have your weight in the stirrup? I hear some people say that you should have your balance/weight in the heel, but I feel like I get a chair seat when I do that. And if I have my weight in the toe, my upper body falls forward.
Make sure you use all of the aids, asking w your voice, using your weight, and then reins if yknow the horse doesn't stop. Circling is also a+ to get the horse to slow down and possibly stop depending on the circle size and speed of horse.
I have a fused left ankle which doesn’t allow my heel to stay down so I’m always having a problem with that stirrup only at the canter. Not sure there is a solution in my case :(
Hi there crk training, I was hoping you might be able to help me with something else - I've had an issue for a while now where in my left leg, even after just a short while of standing or two pointing at a walk, a muscle in the outside of my lower leg (close to the ankle) becomes really stressed and sore. So much that I have to drop my irons and point my toe down. My instructor says my leathers are even and my balance isn't super far off. I actually tend to shift to the right! Any ideas on what's happening there?? :)
You are putting too much weight on the outside of your foot in the stirrup. And then your ankle has too work really hard to keep balanced. Put more weight on the ball of your foot. Sometimes, stirrup rubbers are shaped in a way to help put more weight on the ball of your foot, so they are thicker on one side to help you keep your feet straight, instead of pointing outwards. But on me, they have the opposite effect, and I prefer riding with straight rubbers. Hope this helps, I've had this same issue for a long time and it really hurts!
That arena is beautiful 😍
I definitely have an issue with gripping - I don't lose my stirrups, but I constantly have to adjust them because they travel back towards my heels. My stirrups feel the most secure and comfortable when I relax my legs and my seat, I think that's my biggest problem. I work without stirrups now every lesson, I hope that working on my balance will help me relax in the saddle and stop gripping :)
Luemun same
I have the same issue and what I have found helps is riding different horses without stirrups because you might learn how to do it on one horse perfectly but when you have to ride another horse and can't do it at all, and that a part of my problem. Also riding different horses helped me find a middleweight that works on every horse so now I am much better with my stirrup not sliding back no matter what horse I am on.
Luemun same only when I ride long x
Luemun the same happens to me!
Same especially when I do sitting trot they always slide backwards
Since riding bare back, I've had fewer issues when in saddle. Bareback forces you to stay on by remaining balanced, so when you're in saddle, you stop using your stirrups as a balance aid
Me too
Callie, you are so sweet! I wish I had found you 15 years ago when I began riding WRONG! Your explanations are so easy to follow and make total sense. I would have been so much further along had I found you then! I'm just so thankful I found you now (at age 53). But I have every reason to think you will still help me ride the way I want to ride. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
You hit the nail on the head, gripping at the canter and also losing the one stirrup on the left. You have described this well, thank you...
I have the issue of losing one stirrup or it moving towards my heel. It makes sense about shifting my weight because I have knee issues and I tend to lean to my right side to get more comfortable. I even walk on the ball of my left foot. I am working on this so it does not reflect in my riding
This video has explained several of the reasons why I lose a stirrup or why my foot slips forward in the stirrup. Thank you.
Great information, I wish you had done a sitting trot as well. That's when I tend to lose my stirrups.
I often lose my right stirrup when starting canter. I can sit the canter fine but it is annoying have to fish for my right stirrup. It doesn't matter if the right side is the inside or outside leg. So my guess is that I'm probably unconsciously leaning towards the left then. Thank you for the video!
Me also but only in the trot! :-(
I have the exact same problem 😖
I use the half seat/2 point/jump position to help me find the right balance and weight in the stirrups during warm ups mostly at walk and trot. This also helps me get weight on my thigh, knees down and forward, and quiet my lower leg. Then I remember that feeling as I progress through the rest of my ride either in the ring or on the trail.
Great Lesson! My foot is most secure when I can feel the stirrup iron just behind the balls of my feet. But there is a caveat to this that you mentioned. I have to watch the video again. My way affects my ability to keep my heels down and can actually push me off my center of gravity. If I lose my center doing circles or serpentines ( at the trot so far) , I can easily go off balance or lose my stirrup. My Instructor would prefer I keep them closer to the balls of my feet and toes. I'm 57 and just last October 2018 first got back on a horse after 30 yrs. I am out of shape and overweight so when my balance goes I have to immediately sit and relax everything into the saddle. I have a very smart training horse named Clover and she slows to a walk when I am off balance and I do this. I have a great Instructor and so far, I've watched several of your videos, you and she gives all the same advice and intruction. These videos are great to watch on the days I do not ride. Great points on dressage and jumping. My trainer can jump but after 18 years of riding she now takes dressage lessons, hoping to improve her jumping. She stresses dressage for me and I'm happy with this. It's a thrill when you and your horse are one and move around in circles or surpentines, over cavaletti or between two obstacles and keep moving in a fluid motion and I don't lose my breath or steering or balance. Fantastic series. Thank You so much! I'm going to read all the comments.
Thank you Callie for another wonderful teaching. I like my feet level with the weight of my leg resting over the ball of my foot. It feels like I'm gliding through the air. I love it!
I 100% have an issue with gripping
I'm so glad it's not only me 😩🤣🤣😬🥺❤️❤️❤️
I have a problem with the ligaments at the front of my hips, so I usually brace I think. But I also tend to loose just one stirrup, the left one mostly. This week, my instructor had us do an exercise to find our middle. So she had us hollow our backs for a few strides, and then do the opposite, and from there find our middle in the saddle. And that really helped me feel more secure in my stirrups too. I could tell when I had the right position by the movement of the horse, which was amazing. I didn't loose my stirrups once in that lesson!
I was cantering and I lost my strups because when I sometimes I have to kick my feet get uneven and then when I’m in the canter they go wrong
I'm so happy i found your channel! You've help me so much-thanks and keep up the good work!
Super video! I tend to lose my right stirrup and I think it's because A. I find it tricky to nudge during rising trot and I take my foot to far from my horse B. Too rigid with the feet, braced and tense.
I have this exact issue, I must be gripping and/or leaning in rising trot- my right stirrup tends to slide up on my foot, my horse is lazy and I also take my foot too far out when I try to cue with my leg- I have tried opening the leg at the hip and letting the calf/toe drop on the side and bounce off, rather than kicking or nudging as I had been just with my heels- your legs stay in the right position, and the cue is clearer as well. I hope I explained it properly, I saw that tip in another video, but I forget which at the moment!
i were elimination of the last weeks competition because of this big mistake and thank you for helping me and you made me go better on todays competition thanks alot
I'm riding Icelandic horses, with a rather long stirrup as is common in this world. It's true when you squeeze your legs too much, you can loose your stirrups. Good video again, thank you!
One of my stirrups is always getting loose. I find it so hard to relax in the saddle, I get tense and stiffen up and the more mistakes I make the more I get tense and worry that I'm doing everything wrong.
Without trying to sound stereotypical, I have to say that taking a deep breath really helps. Maybe even stop everything you’re doing, take a deep breath and go back through your mental checklist and re-fix everything, from posture to cues to everything. You have plenty of time, keep telling yourself that. Deep breath, checklist, keep going. This really helped me when I had a sudden bout of this issue. It’s fixed now and this really helped me, hope it helps you.
@@supernoodle704 Thanks a lot for the advice. I'm hacking at the moment, and every time I canter I lose a stirrup, maybe I'm letting my legs get too far forward or not putting enough pressure into the stirrups, but it's hard to get the balance right between relaxing and pushing your legs down into your feet!
LJgirl Cochise Yeah I get that, it’s a sweet spot that’s tricky to get. I hope your riding goes well x
That also happens to me
@@carolinenielsen710 Annoying, isn't it! My feet are a bit more secure now, after a couple of months of hacking, but I find that sometimes, when cantering, the horse's front leg on the left side bumps my foot as it's coming back, so I must have my foot too far forward on that side! If it's not one thing, it's another!
thanks, wonderful video....During the rising trot...my feet slips into the stirrup although while walking everything seems fine with the heels down: toe up configuration, balance (seemingly) on the ball of the toe...I will recheck with this tutorial and try to apply in my next lesson
Wonderful way of explaining things. Very good way of showing what's happening.
I had losing my stirrups initially, but later it became okay may be I self adjusted the weight to equal sides and foot positioning on stirrup. I was using tip of the ball of my foot, later moved a bit forward and began to position like slightly just back end of the ball of foot which is slightly just front of the centre of foot. That position I felt more secured and not losing stirrups anymore. Thanks for your all informative videos.
Yes, as an older rider I tend to have balance issues, whereas while I'm riding I can keep going to the left when in reality I've turned my horse to the right! 🙂
This was very helpful. Thanks.
Another great video!! Lose my R stirrup @ canter. I do find myself shifting to my dominant left side. Will definitely be super aware of the shift
THANK YOU ☺️
Thank you for your videos, and corrections to riding malfeasance. Your simple corrections worked.
Nice video but I was surprised you didn’t show stirrup length set up before mounting when saddling the horse
Thank you! I‘m struggling with canter i lose my stirrups always. I‘m going to do what you said. Thank you! 🙏🏼❤️
Great video, as usual! I find that when Im riding a horse that needs a lot of leg, I lose my stirrups more. Every time I focus on squeezing with the calves I seem to lose a stirrup. I have really short legs so I struggle with trying to "wrap your leg around the horse and lift him UP" as my instructor often says.
Atlanta Georgia I just wanted to say that I relate to this so much. The same exact thing happens to me! You wrote this comment 8 months ago so if you have any advice for me I would love it lol🙂
I always feel like one of my stirrups is longer than the other one so i can't ride very well :(
Same! And then i can never choose which one feels better, the long one or the short one? And then when i adjust them i always regret sayyy choosing the longer one, im just never comfortable with the length
This explains a lot, I was dropping the stirrup on my bad leg a lot when I first started posting before it clicked. I haven’t lost one in a bit so I guess I’ve managed to fix it some or at least do as you mentioned and keep my weight even.
now i know why i keep loosing my stirrups.. thank you Callie..
After watching this again, I think I am leaning to the left in rising trot- I find my right stirrup rides back on my foot and while I don't lose the stirrup itself I lose the ability to utilize it properly... I know last week my saddle was leaning to the left and I had to keep jamming my weight down on the right to even it out, the saddle was like this week before as well, I wonder if that is causing my stirrup issue? If the saddle was leaning to the left I would be too, even if I was trying to properly distribute my weight, once I stopped actively trying I would be leaning left... This week I will check the saddle and have my instructor make sure I am even, if it still happens I will diagnose from there...
Your videos are so helpful I feel like I should be paying you! I have learned so many essential little technical tips from you and YourRidingSuccess, I owe you both!
You are the best! I bet lessons with you are AMAZING! A girl can dream, haha!
I have a bad back right hip and leg and if i use an angled stirrup pad to keep my heel down, i have less problems with my right stirrup and leg. when i ride bare back someone pointed out to me that i ride with my heels down instead of my feet just hanging there. I didn't notice that. So riding with my heels down comes naturally, but to keep my foot in the stirrup or to keep it from moving forward (which freaks me out) i need that pad. No matter how i try, I am not centered and don't think i can with my issues.
Thanks, great video! My right stirrup is always shorter than the left because my right leg is shorter than the other (it really is)! But I still lose the right stirrup all the time. Now I realized that I shift too much to my left side. Could it be because I have a slight scoliosis?
I have another question: Recently I have problems with the rising trot. At the "rising" part I feel my legs swinging backwards so my body weight shifts forward. It's irritating since I've never done that before but recently I do... Any idea why?
And I have another problem which is more like a bad habit so it's really hard to change it even consciously. At the rising trot when I want to make the horse go forward more, I kick his side at the rising, not when I'm sitting. It's really frustrating since when I try to kick while sitting I feel like losing my balance and posture completely and I can't seem to change it... Any help?
My right leg was much shorter and I had to do a surgery....
I think that when you feel your legs going backwards in the rising, then you are bracing, which might be because you are tightening your hip flexors too much (like I do). To loosen them, I go back to walk and really swing my legs with the horses legs. If his front right goes forward, I let my right leg swing forward too. And backwards when the horse
s leg moves back. And remember to bend your knee in that movement too. Do that for a minute and try the rising trot again. I usually feel more stable when I've done that.
Great video 😊 can you possibly do one with a western saddle?
I have an instructor who always says heels down and I notice I start to lose my stirrups. I have had a couple of other instructors who never ask me to do this and I don't have a problem unless I grip with my knees and I'm aware when I do this. 🐴 thanks for videos
Thanks for the help!
Great content, thanks
I love all your videos and although I have been pleasure riding for longer than you have been alive, lol, I have learned a lot. Just want to ask aren't the ends of your fingers cold?
My inside foot is always unstable in the canter. I know I need to adjust my weight but I have a hard time with it at turns. If anyone has tips I’m open to suggestions! 😅
Autumn Kim sand in your walk and trots for a bit then you will find your balance when you sit x
I do this, too, standing at a walk- you can and should do it at trot as well, but I am not quite there yet, haha... It really seems to help my balance and keeps my seat right- when sitting in the saddle I also take my leg and pull it off and back, because my leg tends to go forward, this has helped my seat and subsequent balance...
You didn't say about too short as I had always loved a shorter stirrups but I now ride with them longer otherwise I pop out of the saddle during the sitting trot and its not very secure. But im between holes and its the stables horse so I can't make a new hole.I am incredibly stiff due to my illness so its a pain but that one hole shorter is just too short for me
1 minute into this video & I’m just sitting here like she just explained my exact issue. Every time I pick up the canter transition within seconds my right foot moves all through my stirrup. I don’t feel off balance during so I’m confused 😅
I would love to leave two comments. The first is about jumping position (another one of your videos that is not accepting comments), I have only been jumping for about 3 years and my position is not improving to my dismay. I am jumping small jumps (.75-.90) and I tend to stand up the the stirrups and slightly hunch my back. I have been jealous of the trend to lay flat backed with your chin on the horses neck as it looks so good, but I do see that so many riders are putting their weight on the horses neck. I tend to stand up or up and lean too far over the horses neck. The problem is my horse tends to run at the jumps so I have to sit very vertically until we take off and there isn't much time for a fold over a small jump, so, what is the best position for smaller jumps? And secondly, I tend to stretch out my right stirrup leather only and place too much weight on the right side, which is wearing a hole in the calf of my left boot because I am gripping with left calf and stepping down with right foot. I try to be aware of this, but it's a tough habit to break. Any advice?
This helped me so mich. Thank you❤️❤️
Thank you so much I just was gripping to hard on the knees
Nice job, again 🙂
I've always had lower leg issus, thank god for toe stopper and cages..LOL
Thank u so much
Your horse looks so pacient and calm but works well 😁😱🙈🐴
I grip, more with my right leg, which is the stirrup I lose more often. I rely on grip more than balance and probably am not centered. Recently I have been riding a horse who leans to the left, he drops his right shoulder, in shying, which could explain my grip.
My main problem...
How can someone send you videos so you can correct some errors? I’ve learned a lot from your videos...thank you
I think I'm scared of falling off so I grip with my knees and lower legs to feel safer and if on the balls of my feet I don't feel safe. Shorter stirrups might help
Thank you 😊
T
My stirrups feel most comfortable when they're on the long side (think dressage or Icelandic horse riding) and I'm riding in a slow tempo. I struggle a lot with my heels automatically being pushed too far down, which eventually makes my ancles feel so painful and sore that all I want to do, is take my feet out of the stirrups.
Ine S. Try thinking toes up. Heels will automatically find there balance by going down. Also you can try no-stirrup work.
What if one leg is slightly longer than the other?
also, remember to stretch both legs well, i got rid of my uneven legs just by stretching them
it's been very helpful.. thx ❤
What a wonderful video - I have struggled with these stirrup issues for some time - and thank to this video have a new understanding of what I am doing wrong. Looking forward to subscribing to your website.......JK
Thanks so much it helped heaps
Can you please explain the difference between gripping with the knee and your knee moving forward and down as in your video. Improve Your Stability in the Saddle by Riding "On Your Thigh"
Thank you.
Thanks for this video, been so frustrated that My stirrups have been sliding backwards. Turns out it’s the gripping
Very interesting
Thank you for your informative videos. When I do the figure of 8 exercise riding I do lean towards 1 side when turning and hence lose the stirrup. How do I prevent that?
I struggle in a gallop and canter, when i gallop I’ll twist with the horse and loose and equal weight between them, I don’t half seat when I gallop, but one leg goes forward and one goes back 😂. The canter is probably because I use my legs too much.
I think im gripping bc i feel like im banging my hamstrings/adductors into the poor horses back. How to soften? Thank you!
I have a different issue regarding when I lose my stirrups. I lose them when I canter, my feet slip in, and I can’t get it out (so my jump is a mess). So if I got it right, I have to stop gripping too much? Ñ
Do you feel that magnetic stirrups like the Ophena S would help?
I rode English for years and its MUCH more difficult than Western...U have to stretch your calf to put your heels down in an unnatural position...you must keep your calves in a strict location etc....nothing has changed riding English is over 150 years..
I like my stirrups a bit longer (so my leg is bit more than a 45 degree angle), however, even though that length feel good for sitting trot, walk and canter, sometimes I roll my ankle while rising in the trot? Is that because my stirrup is too long, or is it my position you think?
My problem is that all of the horses' stirrups by my riding school have toe stoppers. I've almost ridden my entire life with those, without properly learning to actually put my weight down onto my stirrups. It's really annoying because I basically can't ride any horse I want to ride (specifically horses that are new for me) because I can't ride with the 'open' stirrups :/
For trotting is it better to keep my heel down and lift up my toes for a bit in stirrup?
My stirups move towards my heels as i do bump trot. Probably its due to gripping with my knees?
My right foot/leg is often unstable in the stirrup- sometimes even loosely falls out & doesn't feel strong like the left side to kick my horse to move. I just realised its because I have a very slight scoliosis to the left hand side, therefore I am shifting my weight that way & causing my right leg to become unstable...does this sound correct? Thanks!!
I have ridden short for a long time where my knee is bent and thats comfortable but im having lessons riding dressage style and my stirrups are longer and i lose them and im trying to concentrate on everything else and trying to keep my stirrups at the same time but its not happening for me
Both my feet go in and then I panic bc if I fall, since I am already losing control, I will be stuck. Keeping my heels down is my problem.
Sooo bright arena
I also grab my legs so hard to tied my seating position and so I lose the stirrups and it goes everywhere 🤣😅 or it reaches in the middle of my feet which cause a pain after I finish riding. The thing is they taught me to tied my legs to balance myself so I don't know how to relax them 🤔 I sometimes feel that I'm not in the centre.
when i kick my horse with my heel while trotting , sometimes my feet get out of the paddle or i suddenly step the paddle to the tip of my toes so i have to adjust my feet back again. so seems my heel has to press down firmly to stay stable in the paddle .
My problen is in the canter. I dont know if im gripping to hard or im shifting my weight on turns.
I had this problem when I am cantering. How can I improve that?
Mam, while we do trot without raising during dressage , stirrups get off from foot ....is there any tip to avoid this....??
I loose my stirrup on the side of where my hip replacement is. Maybe one leg is shorter. My P.T. says that it is shorter, hmmm.
any suggestions for rider with neurologic deficit in lover extremities ? PS : do not care to hear about therapeutic riding.
I'm really confused, I've stopped gripping but my stirrup is constantly coming out it seems. It feel like my legs are so light
I had an issue the other day where I was doing fine and we reversed (left leg inside) at the trot. My horse thought we were cantering which made me go tense since I wasn’t expecting it. Because of this, my legs started going behind me (I’ve never had this issue) and my left foot was too far in the stirrup. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t correct it. I tried to get my foot in it better, but I was too off balance to successfully do it. Does anyone know what I was doing wrong?
Also, my inside leg is always wobbly at the canter. What is causing this?
thank you for useful video, I lose the stirrups in canter, I don't face the problem in trot, and mainly the right leg
Nuha Hassan I had the same problem and I started to do 5 minutes of canter a day each hand with no stirrups (but keeping a good leg position) and it is almost gone now! It turns out I had the third problem she talks about in the video, leaning on one side
Claudia Blanco Suarez del Villar, Thank you for reply, I'll try to do canter without stirrups, I didn't try it before, I hope it will help me 😉
Georgia Unwin indeed, ive noticed that, thank you for replying
My right leg is a lot stronger than my left leg so I loose my left stirrup. If I’m riding and you can see the right side of my body it looks a lot better than the left side. Does anyone have any good leg exercises I could maybe try?
Hey can you teach the same without raising
Litrally most of my lessons are just stirrup-less because I lose them so much😂
I think I do both of these 😅
When doing rising trot or canter in a forward seat, where should you have your weight in the stirrup? I hear some people say that you should have your balance/weight in the heel, but I feel like I get a chair seat when I do that. And if I have my weight in the toe, my upper body falls forward.
pandemoniumcentrals think toes up. Heels will follow by going down.
Focus your weight in your thighs. Push up from your leg not your heel. Next time you hack, ride bareback and really push from your leg.
How to stop a horse that's doest stops
Zaiyan Zeeshan circle.
Make sure you use all of the aids, asking w your voice, using your weight, and then reins if yknow the horse doesn't stop. Circling is also a+ to get the horse to slow down and possibly stop depending on the circle size and speed of horse.
I ride on my toes
I always felt better riding without stirrups, as if they pushed me out of the saddle
Why did you only introduce yourself and not your pony?
I have a fused left ankle which doesn’t allow my heel to stay down so I’m always having a problem with that stirrup only at the canter. Not sure there is a solution in my case :(
super glue 😁😁😁 jk please dont actually glue your boots to your stirrups 😂
Kathleen Robb rubber band your foot & under the stirrups like barrel racers do!
I loose my stirrups whilst transitioning into trot or canter, it really annoying 😂😂😂
Hi there crk training, I was hoping you might be able to help me with something else - I've had an issue for a while now where in my left leg, even after just a short while of standing or two pointing at a walk, a muscle in the outside of my lower leg (close to the ankle) becomes really stressed and sore. So much that I have to drop my irons and point my toe down. My instructor says my leathers are even and my balance isn't super far off. I actually tend to shift to the right! Any ideas on what's happening there?? :)
You are putting too much weight on the outside of your foot in the stirrup. And then your ankle has too work really hard to keep balanced. Put more weight on the ball of your foot. Sometimes, stirrup rubbers are shaped in a way to help put more weight on the ball of your foot, so they are thicker on one side to help you keep your feet straight, instead of pointing outwards. But on me, they have the opposite effect, and I prefer riding with straight rubbers. Hope this helps, I've had this same issue for a long time and it really hurts!