Lose stirrup when cantering

[sonofong]

Dear rider and horse lovers:

I have been riding for 2 years, and recently, I often lose my stirrup when cantering! It hasn't happened so often as before. May be, it is because nowadays I pick up more speed in cantering, therefore, I cannot retain my balance!
But, well, if you sit securely and properly, you won't and shouldn't have such a problem.
Would anyone give me some advice as to lessen this problem? It would be one of the big difficulties I am now facing and have to overcome if I want to progress further.
My instructor told me " toes up and heel down ", with the toes a little bit more pointing inwards towards the horse belly! But, another rider told me to point my toes up and forward, not sideway to maintain the balanced seat. What would I to do? Any suggestion from experienced rider?

[aniukas]

uhm...i'm not exactly an experienced rider cuz i've been riding for just about the same amount of time..so i hope u don't mind...:)

are you loosing both stirrups or just one? if u loose only one of them it might be a sign of you leaning on one side (therefore the other side comes up, the leg raises and you loose the stirrup). if it is so, u you could try cantering in a straight line (not a circle) and concentrate about being even on both sides.

i've never heard of toes pointing inwards - only about toes (and feet) being parallel to the horse's side and the heel down. perhaps i'm mising something??

try thinking "toes up" rather than "heels down". if u're loosing both of your stirrups (and i assume they're of the right lenght for you at the walk and trot) it might be a sign of you tightening and gripping with your legs (the entire legs comes up as a result).

the thing that helped me was cantering without stirrups. u have to learn to sit straight up, deep and relaxed with all of your bodyweight dropped in your heels (that's what actually brings the heel down, but is kind of hard to understand that's why students are taught to "keep" their heels down, when it's actually a pretty natural thing once a student learns to "really sit"). make sure you're not gripping - just sitting centered with the knee rotated in (this also helps you feet being parallel to the horse's sides).
so i would basically suggest riding without stirrups for a while so you can drop your weight in your heels (remember - "toes up") and get a more secure seat (and this means no more gripping and stirrups coming off!):)
hope this helps! just some tips from my trainer's teaching...and classical riding research - let me know if you disagree with these!:D

[floppy]

when i was new to riding(along time ago) i always use to try and notch my stirrups up a hole before cantering..
but then i stopped that because it was a pain to keep lengthing and shorting them..i still sometimes losoe a sitrrup when cantering..but it depends what horse im riding or if im REALLY tired..hehe..how is your sitting trot with stirrups? really i shoudl not worry too much...there will come a point when you little feet stay int eh stirrups..beside every rider should be able to loose a sitrrups and keep riding without being put off baclance
i.e iw as watchign showjumping on sunday and one guy lost his stirrups on the landing of the jump but managed to find them againa nd continue riding and he came first!...
the question is if you losoe your sitrrups whilst cantering can you find them again without having to stop ?

[sonofong]

Thanks so much for your advice! I don't just lose one stirrup when cantering, sometimes two stirrup together. So, I think my problem is the gripping of my legs, as you put it so rightly! I shall try to canter without stirrups next time and try to keep my feet parellel to the horse side.
My toes points inwards is due to the fact that I try hard to squeeze the horse with my heel from outside! Well, I'll try to amend it, thanks a lots!



[Edited by sonofong on 10th May 2001 at 05:33 AM]

[sonofong]

When losing my stirrups, I cannot find them again! I lean forward, lose my balance, hold up the reins automatically, and the horse change his pace to trot again and may stop completely! So, you see how a poor rider I am! Anyway, thanks so much for your experience and sharing!





[Edited by sonofong on 10th May 2001 at 05:32 AM]

[floppy]

sonofong- no you are not a poor rider!!!!!!
what you need to do like someone else said is try and canter without stirrups..if you are comfortable cantering without stirrups the actual loosing of the stirrups when you canter wont be so bad becaus eyou will be able to maintain the gait and search for your sitrrups..its comes with practice..but its alot harder to do if you cant canter without your sitrrups...(canter wihtou stirrups is like a walk in the park compared to trotting without stirrups :D)
anyway i have to go and sulk now..my class has been extended for an extra month and im really peed off about that..i was just sinking into summer holiday mood :(

[sonofong]

Hello, floppy,
Thanks again for your words! You are surely right that we need practice to perfect our skills. What do you think about the knee touching the knee roll part of the saddle flap? Instructor often told us not to grip the knee too tighly, but then why our riding trousers have two thicker pads stitched around that part? It is often my puzzle.

[floppy]

hi, there is nothing wrong with yrou knee touching the knee roll..just aslong as you not gripping with your knees
as for the riding trouser with self strappings ont he knees...i agree wit hyour completely that it seems pointless...i use riding trousers now with a full seat after saving up for months and months for them.:)