should i ??

[Debby Riley]

I am 5 ft 2 and i ride cob horses that are wide as I am no light weight, my problem is that i have my stirrups so short in lessons, so much so that i have to twist them over to be so short as there are not enough holes, i am scared of falling off (after losing my stirrups and i fell when i was a child whist riding whilst learning to canter i got dragged some thing that haunts me to this day.

I have overcome my fear of cantering but now want to tackle the next thing of thinking and relying on my stirrups to much that is helping the fear of falling come to the for front of my mind all the time i am riding, by having them short i feel that they are a sort of safety net for me no way can i lose them ) but by having them so short means that i have a bouncy canter and i get bounced even though i am as relaxed as possible, i am thinking about lengthaning ( can't spell MAKING stirrups LONGER LOL)

Should they be longer or should i just stay in that comfort zone ?

the last time i rode with longer stirrups i was rushed into mounting as i was going on a hack and did not get time to twist the stirrup leathers as they were all waiting for me i was late !!

i had booked the wrong hack and they thought i could canter
( although i can i wasn't confident enough and i was scared beyond belief when the guide shouted canter and the horses were all off, i had no control over willing horse and as a result of me being tense, i fractured my coccyx, so was the fracture due to me gripping too much as i felt that as it was when i was a child i would fall and get my foot caught, or i would lose stirrups and fall off. I want to over come this fear and stop being silly and start to totally relax, i aim to hack again in the summer that is my goal, in the mean time i am having lessons every week.


i have read on nr that people have short stirrups to jump ( which i will advance to do soon in my lessons) if i keep my confident short stirrups to jump i would have to wrap them round my ears to shorten them anymore ( joke ) but i am sure you know what i mean.

Should i leave them at this mega short length after all i have short legs or should i have them longer ???

Hope some one can help

[Kezzabelle]

Hi Debby.

Have you tried working without your stirrups? Even introducing it into your lessons for 5 or 10 mins each time, this will help you develop a good seat and let your legs hang long. The reason your foot got caught in the stirrup when you were a child is probably because your foot was too far forward. Try concentrating on keeping the ball of your foot in the stirrup with your toes pointing up and heels down. This is for saftey reasons to help prevent the feet getting caught if you were to fall off. To get the correct stirrup length for you, take your feet out of the stirrups and let your legs hang naturally, the bottom of the stirrup should touch your ankle bone. Another thing to try also is taking deep breaths and relaxing your hips as if your doing a belly dance during canter, thats what ive been told as I get bounced about the saddle like crazy! Im sorry to read about what happened to you as a child, but its great that you have the courage to continue riding. Im really impressed! But on a whole i'd say try lengthen your stirrups and see how you get on because a bouncy canter cant be good for you or your horses back. Good luck and let me know how you get on :)

Kez x

[Debby Riley]

Kezzabelle

thank you for your reply i will certainly try as you suggested


QUOTE]To get the correct stirrup length for you, take your feet out of the stirrups and let your legs hang naturally, the bottom of the stirrup should touch your ankle bone.[/QUOTE]

it is just that my instructor made a comment when i wanted to shorten my strirrup length that i should get longer legs !! so it got me thinking and it made me realise that i rely on my stirrups as a safety net and they should be an aid that's all.

so i will check on sunday and see if i have them in the right place and if they are all well and good i can be confident that they are correct and not making it harder for me to move on with my riding.

i want to be a good rider, i am not looking at dressage or show jumping, or any grand like that i just want to get it all together so both me and the horse have a good time.

I do sometimes question why i go through this fear factor at times but i want to get the hang on this riding fear and face the demons

[kedwards]

Are you using the shorter stirrups in order to absorb the movement with your knees (instead of your back and hips)? If so, maybe your instructor will give you a lunge lesson with the longer stirrup length (or, yes, even without stirrups) to help you work on deepening your seat.

Good luck!

[galadriel]

Depending on the length of your leg, you may actually need the quite short stirrups. Do check, see where the stirrup iron falls. If it's significantly above your ankle, you should probably lengthen your stirrups--but I'll tell you why:

When your stirrups are too short, your feet will slide forward. When riding, in order to have a secure, independent seat, you must have an approximately vertical line through
*head
*shoulders
*hips
*heel.

Essentially, when you are sitting, you should be in position such that, should the horse suddenly disappear, you would land on your feet ;) If your feet are too far forwards, you would topple over backwards. Your weight is actually distributed that way when you are sitting in the saddle. You just can't properly balance yourself when you are, basically, leaning back. I just made a post, titled "So proud," about my husband getting this concept a few days ago. You will feel SO much more secure when you are sitting straight and balanced.

It's important, though, to sit up straight. If you are nervous and your back is tense, and you "hunch" forward, the weight of your upper body will shift forward, and your feet will slide forward in reaction. Relax, "shoulders back," sit straight :)

By the way, conversely, if your stirrups are too long, your feet will slide backwards and you will be tilted forward. So if your stirrups are the right length FOR YOU :) then leave them be.

If setting them up is a difficulty, you could buy your own stirrup irons/leathers; it might be faster to slide the stirrups off and put your own on than to roll them up. It would definitely be more even and consistent :) Leathers and irons aren't too terribly expensive.

Hope I've been a little helpful :)

[FreedomStar]

stirrups are just used as a support, don't try to keep them if you're falling off! It won't help. It's important that you can get your foot out of the stirrup quickly if you have to. You should learn the emergency dismount you can do in case you have to get off in a hurry. See if you can keep your stirrups one hole longer. It'll help you get a 'feel' for your horse. Yes, when you jump you do have to put your stirrups up.

[Emma_G_NZ]

See if you can do some work without stirrups. After this, your seat will get a bit deeper, and you will be able to feel if you do need to lengthen them or not. I have ridden in a dressage position, since I got a deeper seat, and I feel really uncomfortable now when people try to put me into a "GP" position. This came from bareback, and riding stirrupless. Oh yes, and having a naughty pony!

[Shady_Indigo]

Not much i can say till we know whether you're riding short or just have really short legs. (join the club hehehe)
It's VERY dangerous to twist the leathers to make them shorter. It will make it harder for you to keep your leg and foot in the correct position and it GREATLY increases the chance of getting dragged if you fall off. Sorry im going on but i have SEEN this happen with a little girl at pony club, it was awful, she was in hospital in a comma for 3 weeks. She's ok now though. Please don't twist them, it is very dangerous. Instead ask if you can get holes punched into them to the length your require, or if you ride different horses with different saddle buy your own leathers, get them to the correct lengh (cut off excess leather as well, it shouldn't be flapping around the horses legs) and just turn up 10min early to your lessons to change the leathers over to your own.

[Mehitabel]

something else that might help your confidence is to use safety stirrups, if you don't already. there are 2 types, with rubber bands and 'bent leg' irons.
http://www.tds-saddlers.com/ProductImages/8208.JPG
http://www.tds-saddlers.com/ProductImages/8210.JPG
these are designed to stop you being dragged if you fall off - all our school ponies wear one or the other. perhaps this would help you get oer the mental aspect of it, and then the other suggestions of lunge lessons and exercises to help you get a longer leg position can come into play.

[anuvb]

The best way to overcome your fears would be to book a series of private lessons on the lunge rein.

Lunge lessons are a great way to improve your position. I've been having lessons for years and am a reasonably advanced rider, however, if I have been having a bad spell where it seems I can't get anything right I still book the odd lunge lessons just to remind myself where I should be putting my body. It gives you the perfect opportunity to ride and concentrate on yourself and not worry about what the horse is doing. Lunge lessons give you the opportunity to relax and to start working without your stirrups in a safe environment thereby allowing you to relax and ride with a lengthened leg position.

Ironically, you're scared at the moment, but it is actually more comfortable to ride with a longer leg position if you are feeling a bit "bunched" up at the moment. Get your legs in the right position and at a comfortable length and you will improve your seat and balance enormously and feel so much more confident in trot and canter. It also ties in with a post I read by Galadriel in another thread about toning muscle up. Improving your overall position will also ensure that you are using the right muscles whilst you learn and prevent long-term injury or muscle problems. Yes, showjumpers do ride with shorter stirrups but most professional (and non-profs) show jumpers have been taught to ride with longer stirrups at some point and have already developed the muscles in the right places.

Good luck!