Help. I need new legs

[Chloe1]

Ok
When I started riding I used to perch and gripped with my legs, then went to the chair position now I know what my upper body should be doing and that bit is ok.

It just my legs are not my own, My feet very often slip through the stirrups in rising trot, which makes my lower leg in secure.

Also i find this quite difficult to understand, when I started riding I used to use my upper thigh more for actually urging my horse fowards and turning and she did actually respond well to this. Then I found my new instructor which told me I was doing things all wrong (perching and griping with my legs) She told me to try and think of opening my hips, but this turns my legs out i.e penguin style and this was how I came to start riding in the chair position unaware to my self untill I saw a phot of myself riding YUK.

I then concentrated on my upper body which is ok now but I know my legs are still not right.

Should I think of opening my hips still or not? If so how do you open the hips but keep the inner thigh on the saddle as when I do this my upper thigh comes away from the saddle all together.

HELP

[peachy lover]

I know what your problem is....i just got over it about 5 months ago!! whatever you do don't grip with your knees.
1) keep your lower leg on
2) heels down (or you could think toes up)
3) keep your toes pointing forward (it helps with balance)
4) keep your heel, hip, shoulder and ear in a staright line

if you still have trouble try vidoe tapeing yourself at each gait so you can see for yourself what you are doing wrong!!

GOOD LUCK!!!

[aniukas]

well, i've always been told that a rider should 'open up' his hips in order to create a "space" for the horse to move forwards (riding without blocking the forward movement). so i guess it gets important once you advance. i've also heard that this is achieved by pointing your seatbones forward (sitting on the more fleshy (sp?) part of your bum AND keeping your heels right under your hips at the same time) not literally spreading your legs..hehehe. i'm trying to put this into practice right now...and...it's pretty hard.:D

[fionahogg]

Hi Chloe. Heheee I sometimes think I need new legs. Also another thing…reading your post I was trying to figure out what on earth the initials 'YUK' stands for!! Then I realised!!! Duh! How stupid am I??!

ANYway!! Moving swiftly on. I think that lots of work without stirrups would benefit your position. Think about stretching your whole leg down - not just your toes - and trying to lengthen your thigh as much as possible. Use your seat to balance by moving your seatbones with the horse, as opposed to tensing up your legs. Stretching your legs down will help to open your hips and also help you develop balance and suppleness in the saddle and an independent seat.
To open your hips, one good exercise I find is 'legs away'. If you have issue 216 (I think its that issue - the April one) of Your Horse magazine then this exercise is explained well by Tina Sederholm. Basically you lift the whole of your leg away from the saddle and hold it there for as long as you can without your legs dropping off. If your hips are quite closed then it will absolutely kill but doing the exercise daily will help.

Yes what Peachy lover said is how we 'should' all be riding but i guarantee you that if you try to do all those things at once without some of them being subconscious you will forget what you are doing all the time! If you have problems with what s/he listed then please work on each one individually!!

Hope this helps!

Fiona.

[Dizzy]

Hi Chloe, I had exactly the same problem as you, this how I was taught to put it right.

When I got on my instructor told me to check I was sitting straight by making sure my hips lined up with the horses shoulder blades, then stand up in the stirrups to make sure that my legs felt as if I was dropping my weight through each of them equally. After that my stirrups were crossed over the front of the saddle and we concentrated on my leg position/thigh contact.

Firstly I checked my seat bones were facing slightly forward so I was sitting on the soft, fleshy part of my bum, and then I had to lift my legs (separatley at first) up and away from the saddle, then turn my knee in towards the saddle and let my leg drop (relaxed) as far down the saddle and underneath me as I could.

This exercise will lower your knee position, and lengthen your thigh position and put the correct part of your thigh in contact with the saddle. I would then have my lesson stirrupless and repeated this exercise as my legs sneaked back into their old position. Its hard work, but it will loosen your hip joint ligaments and allow you leg the freedom to gain a good position. After you've had a lesson doing this, when you put your feet back in your stirrups, you'll feel the difference.

Hope this helps you

Lesley

[clip-clop-oops-crash]

my instructor made me do a whole hour non stirrups on a very fast very bouncy pony the other day....ill never walk again!!!

[floppy]

oh i know what you mean clip-clop my instructor in turkey used to make me do that too and amongst other things i had to do 6 laps of the arena (a very big arena) doing rising trot without stirrups!
and that would be ont he first horse i rode..i used to ride about 4 horses everytime i rode at my trainers yard.

[Dizzy]

Could I apologise for saying put your seat bones slightly forward. What I was trying to say is that I make sure my pelvis is upright, which puts my seat bones underneath me. I do tend to have a hollow back, with my pelvis tipped forward, so the correction to my position, was correcting my pelvis angle which means I do have to move my seatbones forward to get my bum underneath me, this then allows my to use the fleshier part of my bum and balance with my legs underneath me.

I'm sorry I gave such a misleading and wrong post, I feel dreadful.

Lesley