posting and feet

[Jumper]

I've just made the transition from western to english.I'm 12 and have been riding for two and a half years. I have trouble keeping my heels down. In western your heels are level.Also, I have trouble with my balence when I post. Any advice?


Jumper and her pal Concho

[Horselover2]

Jumper, you say that you've just made the transition, how long have you actually been riding English? I myself am just making the transition from English to Western! I've only been doing Western for about 4mo, (although I'd penned a time or two before I actually started taking it seriously, LOL!!)

A good excerise to strengthen your calf (which will aid in keeping weight in your heels) is to stand on a step and allow your heels to drop down (past the horizontal). You will feel a "pull" in the back of your calf. Do this several times at a time, several times a day, and you will soon notice a big improvement!

Ok, as far as the balance while posting, you will only acquire (sp?) that with time. One thing that may throw your balance off could be posting too high. Simply allow the motion of the horse to thrust your lower back toward the pommel of your saddle. Relax, and go with the movement! If you feel your horse gaining speed, then ever so slightly slower the rhythem of your posting. Oh yes, and do check your postion while posting; you don't want to be ahead of or behind your horse.

Hope this helps,
HL2

[Allie]

The best advice I can give you is to practice, practice, practice. Really concentrate on keeping your lower back loose when you ride. As for the heels down, spend some time at a walk concentrating mainly on your heels, then once it comes naturally, increase your speed. If you find yourself falling behind your horse's movement at the trot, it could be because he is anticipating your trot cues and starting before you are ready, which forces you to play catch-up. If you are ahead and his movement and falling forward, cluck to the horse and have him speed up, or watch his shoulders so you can get the timing right. As HL2 said, let the horse do most of the work in thrusting you up. If you are trying to post using only your legs and not letting the horse help you up, you are at risk for developing the habit of pulling yourself up with your hands. This will only make your horse resistant, and he will probably slow down, throwing you off balance again.

Allie

[Jumper]

Thanks so much for your advice. I'm sure it will help. I 've only been riding english for about a week.Thanks again for all the great advice.


Jumper and her pal Concho

[Heather]

HI Jumper,

Don't worry too much about keeping your heels down. The only time your heel needs to be more than half an inch lower than toes is when jumping, and in the forward seat,when the muscles in your lower leg need to be a bit more closed, as the lower leg acts as a 'stabliser'.

For flatwork, to ram your heels down will cause your lower leg to tense up, your foot is likely to shoot forwards so that your toe is not underneath your knee, and this will pull you out of the correct balance, when your ear/shoulder/hip/heel should be in line. It really shouldn't matter that your foot is level, as long as the heel is never drawn up, which wil weaken the leg position and the ability to apply the aids.

A good Western seat is very similar to the Classical dressage seat, so you should be able to adapt easily! So much so-called English riding is a hotch-potch of several styles, and not at all what used to be taught by the best English Cavalry instructors. So much good riding has been lost here in Britain.

I have sent several pupils who live in his area, to Bob Mayhew, one of our best Western trainers here in the UK, because I know that they will be taught far better than at so many riding schools that are british Horse Society approved. Your Western experience will stand you in good stead, whatever type of riding you decide to concentrate on in the end!

Heather

[Kiersten]

I have a web site that is geared towards younger riders, with lots of tips.

:-)

Barnes Paddock http://www.BarnesPaddock.com

[dreamer]

I'm making the transition too, but as far as I know and have been told, your heals need to be down, maybe not as far as when your rideing english, but this helps hold your feet in the sturops, another thing is that your aren't supose to post when riding western, the horse jogs, or does a sitting trot. The length of the struops should allow for a SLIGHT bend of the knee, enought to alow you to put some weight in your heels and get your legs under you so that there is a stright line from your ankel to your hip to your shoulder, though I've seen some old time western riders sitting a bit farther back. hope this helps

[cynthia]

hey, whaddya know, it's Kiersten! hey, there. taking a break from the oh-so-broken USDF board, are ya? :rolleyes:

-cyn

[cynthia]

hey guys, a word of advice about all this "heels down" stuff - remember that it's NOT so much that they need to be "down", but that you need to have WEIGHT in your heels! Heather is right - making a conscious effort to slam your heels down simply because you think that's where they "should" be will very likely cause your lower leg to tip forward, throwing your balance completely off.

instead, try to envsion the way you sat comfortably in your Western saddle. with the exception of slightly shorter stirrups, this is pretty darn good position to be in when you're sitting in your English saddle. if you feel that your balance is off, bring your horse to a halt, take your feet out of the stirrups and straighten your legs. raise your legs up and away from the horse's side, repositioning yourself if necessary so that your knees are pointing *forward*, not towards the sky. slowly being your legs back down again, and you should feel yourself in the correct position once again.
concentrate on keeping your weight balanced over your heels, and even do some stretching excercises to gain some ankle flexibility. many instructors will make you ride in a half-seat position for a little while at the beginning of each lesson to stretch out your calf muscles, making it easier to keep weight in your heels. hope this helps, and isn't too confusing for you. :cool:

[intouch]

To keep your weight into your heels it helps to think of spreading your toes out. Often new riders unconsiously try to grip the stirrup with their toes, which stiffens the ankles, if you can prevent this it makes it easier to have nice springy ankles and improves the balance also.

[Maisie]

There's one way you can try to balance when you're posting (though I'm no expert). Think of your knees as the pivot on which your hips move, and remember, when you're rising, your thich should point straight down. (I'm not sure, but this helped me lots.) Good luck!