**Legs?**

[horse-mad23]

Im a young rider and have only had a few english lessons. At my last riding lesson, my mum and my instructor both told me i have to learn to grip with the tops of my legs. Do i have to keep practising when riding or can i do something to practise at home? :confused: (( Its to help my balance))

[rubysurfer]

i think i may have had the same kind of problem when i was learning to ride, my knees would just be sticking out flapping all over the place and looking very silly ( we later found out this was a problem with my knees not me, medical problem) so what i would do was use the arm of our sofa just to sit there while watching tv and remembering to keep my knees in close.
just a thought
hope it helps
x

[horse-mad23]

Thankss i'll try it! :D

[horses4eva888]

Not to be disrespectful but I would wonder about the standard of teaching of your instructor if she's telling you to grip, I'd look around for a new one if you can:)

I've always thought that your legs should hang in a relaxed manner round the horses sides and not be gripping so the horse doesn't get confused as to what you are asking of it:)

[laura jeanne]

I really don't think you should be gripping with your legs. As the last poster said, they should just hang softly against the horse. If you are gripping anyplace, those tensed muscles will work against you.

[coss]

ditto the don't grip comment. your legs should "hang" against the horse's sides, in contact but not gripping. you need to be flexible in your hips, i stand and turn my toes in from the hip and try to stretch it - i can't explain it furhter :o

[goeslikestink]

Not to be disrespectful but you should listen to your instructor's advice more than your mum's, you're paying to have lessons from them (meaning they should know what they're talking about) so take on-board their advice:)

I've always thought that your legs should hang in a relaxed manner round the horses sides and not be gripping so the horse doesn't get confused as to what you are asking of it:)

echo-- gripping up only tells the horse to go gogo
relax and use your bum -- think glue stick your arse in the saddle and ride from your bum and top part of thighs dont grip relax and be floppy with legs if horse is going to fast sit in

[Meovcorz]

This is a piece of advice that will make your riding much easier. DO NOT GRIP WITH YOUR LEGS! I don't care what your instrcutor says, for this basic reason:
If you grip with you lower legs, you are asking the horse to go faster, and if you grip with your thighs, you will be throwing your seat bones out of the saddle, thus throwing yourself off the horse, if you practise to let your thighs relax and loosen, you will be heading for a very nice deep seat without having to go a year or two years down the track and you say "How do get a deep seat" if you practice now your riding will be alot better, and you will become a better and better rider faster, because you will not have a problem of feeling that you are going to fall off, also if a horse were to spook and you had practised to keep your legs nice and soft not stiff and gripping; you won't grip when a horse takes off with you, because if you were to grip and pull back on the reins and say "STOP", you just contradicted yourself, you are asking the horse to speed up with your leg aids, and with you reins and your voice you are asking the horse to stop probably 99.9 % of the time the horse is going to speed up.

[cwb]

because if you were to grip and pull back on the reins and say "STOP", you just contradicted yourself, you are asking the horse to speed up with your leg aids, and with you reins and your voice you are asking the horse to stop probably 99.9 % of the time the horse is going to speed up.

or go upwards into a buck!

[Shire Monster]

ditto what everyone else has said but just wondering could you be riding with your legs away from the horse completely (you'd have to be pretty fit to do that LOL) in which case your instructor and mum want you to bring your legs into a contact round the side of the horse not necessarily grip, maybe they are using the term grip to over exagerate their point

[vimto92]

Yep no gripping as far as I've been taught!
"Knee and thigh away!"

[Kate F.]

Im a young rider and have only had a few english lessons. At my last riding lesson, my mum and my instructor both told me i have to learn to grip with the tops of my legs. Do i have to keep practising when riding or can i do something to practise at home? :confused: (( Its to help my balance))

I agree with the others -are you sure you heard them right? Usually with people beginning with riding they have to learn NOT to grip with their legs to help their balance. :)