One more question...

[Nazdaq]

Does anyone have any tips for me on how to keep my heels down without my stirrups sliding forwards up my foot and grating on my ankle?! :confused: I think what happened was because I had to kick the horse hard to get it to go... (lazy boy!) My position went to pot!
Thanks in advance.

[palmerlover52]

Make sure the stirrup iron is on the ball of your foot and just put your heel donw....it comes with practice and building muscles, I'm only just getting it and I've been riding 6 years!! :eek:

ETA:: After reading the post below, I don't literally just mean shove you heel down :p Maybe have you stirrups a hole longer, that helps me :D

[Bay Mare]

Don't think about pushing your heel down, think of relaxing and stretching your legs down and wrapping them lightly around the horse's side. Visualising stretching down the back of the leg can be helpful to some people.

Pushing your heels down is wrong because it just ends up with your lower leg shooting forwards and you end up in a chair seat. For flat work you don't need your heels down much anyway, as long as the foot is horizontal and your toe isn't pointing down you'll be fine. For jumping you'll have more weight in your heels but again it's weight into your heels rather than forcing them down (does that make an ounce of sense?).

If your toe is pointing down it would suggest that you're gripping. Relaxing is the hardest thing in the world when you're told to do it but it is the answer :)

[colettybetty]

forget about keeping heels down, keep your toes up.

[Nazdaq]

I thought my stirrups were too short as well, she ran them up a hole after I was on the horse...then I found it harder to relax my leg after that, so I think it was the stirrups more then anything else. Thanks for your help.

[LindaAd]

I had to kick the horse hard to get it to go... (lazy boy!)

Don't kick the horse; try relaxing your hips so that you move with instead of blocking it.
If it doesn't listen you, use your stick.

Edited to add: sorry, posted this before reading your other post. Your instinct is quite right; horses should not be kicked.
Hope you find a better school soon.

Linda