Sitting properly

[Sahara]

Hello everyone!
This is my first post and I have only had one lesson so far. My question is this... My instructor keeps telling me to put my feet further back because I tend to kick my feet out forward. Well, I can put them further back, but then she tells me to keep my heels down putting my weight into my heels. I don't quite understand what that means. It is very hard for me to put my heels down and even when I do, I don't understand the concept of "putting my weight in my heels". I hope I haven't confused you all too much. Any help would be appreciated!
Sahara

[Katie_85]

First of all, what style are you riding? I would guess, (experienced riders, please correct me if I'm wrong) that if yo're riding English putting your legs back puts you in that ear-shoulder-hip-heel line which allows you to be more balanced. I think dropping you weight through your heels allows you to have the seep seat you need to stay aboard. Take this with a grain of salt, I'm only a novice!:)

P.S. Check out Heather Moffet's A Kinder Way to Ride on these pages for more info on riding position and saddles.

[Maria]

Hi

Katie is right about the ear shoulder hip heel alignment. Imagine standing up straight with your knees slightly bent - then if your horse is whisked away from under you you will land on your feet. If your lower leg is forward then you'd land on your bottom.

Also think about your toe not being in advance of your knee.

I think about lifting my toes rather than sinking my heel - that might work better for you. It doesn't have to be very much as long as your toe isn't lower than your heel.

Hope this helps.

Maria

[KarinUS]

Hi,

I think it will become more clear to you why you should have the heels down, when you are starting the faster paces. You are much more likely to pinch and get bumped out of the saddle when you have your heels up.
So sit up tall, look where you want to go, and keep your heels down. It will make sense later on. :) When I tried my first canter, I got a little frightened and hunched over and my heels came up. I felt so out of balance, I thought I'd fall off!
Then when I did listen to my instructor, I couldn't believe what a difference it made.
If you have trouble flexing your heels down, it could be a couple of different things, I guess:
* Are your stirrup leathers too long? If you have to reach for the irons with your toes, you won't be able to put your heels down.
* Are your boots restrciting the movement of your ankle?
* Do you have any joint problems?
Congratulations to your first lesson. I started in January and love it very much, I hope you will, too!

[Sue F]

Those first few lessons are so confusing. I jut started riding in April and there were lessons I became so frustrated with trying to keeping my heel down and my feet further back. my instructor had me complete an exercise while on the horse called "2 point" . This helped a lot as my leg and foot seem to naturally go into the correct position while in this "2 point position". I couldn't tell you why. 2 point is, while the horse is trotting or walking, your bottom is raised out of the saddle and I hold the horses mane for extra balance and stretch my heel down in the stirrup then when you sit back in the saddle you are in the correct position. Maybe someone can explain that exercise better than I. After a few more lessons it just happened - my leg and foot just naturally went into the correct position most of the time,
in fact at my last lesson I was cantering and going over jumps all in one .. yikes... but it was fun
good luck Sahara... I found this website to be a lot help with suggestions......................

[Katie_85]

I think another problem is a shortened Achilles tendon. I think a raised heel in a trot or canter can be dangerous since it makes your foot more likely to get caught in the stirrup.

[Peace]

My favorite instructor used to have me practice standing up in the stirrups and holding my arms out straight from my shoulders. At first, we did this at the halt, and then at a walk. This exercise really helped me learn the correct position. Also, Sally Swift's book, Centered Riding, has lots of good techniques and mental images for keeping your weight in your heels. Good luck!

[Sahara]

Thanks for all the great info. I actually am riding Western, it's only at the trot that I seem to have problems with keeping my knees bent and my heels down. I'm glad to know that others were frustrated when starting out. I had my second lesson today and it is just so frustrating when you can't seem to get it right!
Thanks again,
Sahara

[Katie_85]

Ah, Western okay. Then forget about the ear-shoulder-hip-heel line. (I think) I just switched to Western after riding Saddleseat. Belive me, you'll get it. Maybe ask Outrider?

[Peace]

I'm certainly no expert, but when I ride Western, I still keep the same ear-shoulder-hip-heel line. Then again, I'm riding western with a dressage instructor! But I think it's the same basic posture.

[Katie_85]

Now that's what I mean. When I had my first Western lesson the instructor commented about my sitting forward. I said something like "but I'm kind of close to the e-s-h-h- line" Instructor said that that's not how I should sit. I have been sitting with the legs out forward. I don't know.

[horselover]

Leg position when riding western depends on your instructor. I was taught to sit tall with my legs right underneath me by my first instructor, so that's what I stayed with. I had a western instructor- a reiner- at camp who had his legs very far out in front of him. It worked for him, though, and when you ride reining horses, you tend to have your legs more forward than if you ride, say, western pleasure.

Some western instructors wh oalos ride english tend to favore the shoulder-hip-heal position. Those who only ride western with have the more "western" position with a relaxed seat. It really just depends. Go with what your instructor prefers.

[Outrider]

In Western, your seat and leg position depends alot on what kind of horse you are riding because of what they are doing. On cutting horses and reining horses, you sit with your legs more forward and deeper in the saddle in order to stay put. If you are riding western pleasure or just pleasure riding on the trail, you sit straighter in your back and the ear-shoulder-hip-heel line should be used. It certainly applies to western as well as english riding. Most western instructors teach this as the basic seat in western riding.

Think of your toes up instead of your heels down. Ride on the balls of your feet in the stirrups. Your weight actually rests on the balls of your feet, especially at the trot. Ask your instructor to show you how to post the trot western style. It will be a more comfortable ride and you will see the importance of the ear-shoulder-hip-heel line as well as where you have the weight distributed. Happy Trails!

[kelsey]

I also ride Western and dressage and use the same basic seat for both. My Western instructor says that in speed events you would brace yourself and push your legs further forward but most of her students are western pleasure, trail and horsemanship. She also says that you should land on your feet if your horse is taken away from under you.

I found that when I first started Western, I had trouble keeping my heels down even though I used to ride English. And, the upper back part of my ankle used to hurt after every lesson. I figured out it was because I was trying to put my foot parallel to the horse, rather than turned out as I used to. The combination of the parallel foot and heels down means that you need to stretch ligaments and things more than normal. My instructor gave me some stuff to do at home. One thing was to stand on a stair with my toes and stretch my heels down, progressing to longer and longer periods without bouncing. Another (when sitting at a desk or watching TV) is just to turn your feet in as if you are pigeon-toed.