Tips on keeping lower leg back

[Fuzz and This]

i have a major problem with keeping my leg back so that there is a straight line down to my heels. no matter how hard i try to push it back especially in rising trot it flys forward. it is a lot easier (but still difficult) to keep it back in sitting trot and sometimes canter.

Anyone got any tips on how i can correct this?

[Lenvale]

Message deleted

[entreat]

Try to think "Toes up" in stead of "heels down". The latter will accidently make your lower leg come forward.

Have a practice at walk or halt & try to exaggerate the movement to see what I mean. Or even try at your desk now! With your legs in front of you & bent @ the knee. pull your toes up, but try really hard not to push your heels down - focus only on the toes & the muscles on front of your shins. Then try it by pushing your heals down (& not focusing on your toes) & you'll find your legs swings out infront much easier with heels-down. You might also note that trying to keep your toes up is much harder to do!!

[Em 1]

You could also try standing up in the stirrups in walk (then trot and canter if you're stable). I found this really helpful because your leg has to be back if you are to balance - too far forwards and you'll just tip onto your nose! Once I had felt where my leg should be it is much easier to keep it in the right place. Sometimes I still do the exercise if I'm having a 'leg forwards' day!

[Mehitabel]

echo standing up in stirrups - holding onto the mane so that if you do lose youer balance you won't go thump on the back or catfch at the reins.
another thing to think of as an alternative to heels down is 'knee and heel down and back'.

[Em 1]

Es has just made me think about something else that might help. Hip exercises - I go on about these all the time but they really made the biggest difference to my position. I finally could do what I was trying to do!

If your hips are tight it's difficult to 'drop' them properly round the horse's sides. You then may find they are rather stuck out in front of you like sitting in a chair. Try lifting your legs away from the sides of the horse, holding for a few seconds and relax. Also you can lift your knee then as you lower your leg bring it down and back with your toes pointing forwards. This helps the ball of the hip to sit evenly in the socket making you much more flexible and able to bring your knee and heel down and back. It's worth a go anyway, I found I could drop my stirrups by two or three holes once I had really loosened up.

[Wally]

Bet you a quid it's bad saddle design. The bars will be too far forward making you struggle.

If you get a shot in a Heather Moffett Saddle you'd be amazed at the difference it makes.

[Fuzz and This]

thank you for your help! im gunna print all your bits of advise out and work on my legs over the weekend.

ive been thinking about it and when im riding jan-gre my heels are as pushed down as far as they will go nearly because thats hoe i feel that i can control her properly as she is a very high spirited pony. other times its not as bad but still bad enough.

wally: i dont think i could get my hands on a heather moffett saddle, but what is it like?

theres a really good picture of me on jan-gre doing sitting trot at a show and my legs are terrible (i know im too big for her)

[Fuzz and This]

then theres this pic of me and fuzzy and i dont think my legs are too bad, what do you think?

[lynz+ollie]

yer, they look fine in that pic, i think u need to put your seat more under you, andand sit further forward in the saddle a bit, this should hlep,

[entreat]

I agree with lynz+ollie.

I wouldn't try comparing an action pic with a posing pic. You don't have anything else to think about in the second pic besides smiling & making your legs look good!

[galadriel]

Are you in the same saddle in both those pics? The one in the first pic looks a little too small.

If you feel like you're too big for jan-gre (how is that pronounced, by the way?) that might have something to do with your seat. If your leg is much longer than her barrel, then you may end up with your leg pushed further forward so that you get more contact with her body.

[Fuzz and This]

my friend has taken pics of me trotting and cantering on jan-gre and cassia today while ive been *trying* to work on my legs so ill put them up when their developed.

galadriel: they are two different saddles. the one jan-gre is wearing came with her when i bought her when i was a lot smaller! i agree with you, it is too small i hardly fit in it! but as i dont really ride her much anymore (even though i did and she was excellent by the way!) i havnt bothered to change the saddle as my friends ride her for me and they are a lot smaller than me. the saddle that fuzzy is wearing i bought about 2 years ago so that one fits both of us.

Jan-Gre is pronounced jane-grey by the way!

i agree with the point you made as well, thats my excuse for my legs on her :p lol.