Benefits of no stirrup work

Trinket12

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I have been working on my core and balance at the gym and in active rehab for my riding. But my coach mentioned the other day we should do some no stirrup work (on the lunge), I may have 'forgotten' to remind her....... Anyway, I have a lesson tomorrow and was thinking about this. What are the benefits, other than the balance? We have done some walking with no stirrups, but she wants to do trot and me on the lunge line. I trust that she knows what she's doing, but I guess I'm just trying to get a better understanding overall of the benefit to my riding (before I remind her ;))
 

Fruitcake

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I think I’m odd in that I love no stirrup work. My instructor often gets us to take away our stirrups (in walk, trot and canter). If I’m in a group lesson, everyone else groans while I smile.

It’s supposed to really help to develop your core and balance so that you’re using your core to balance, rather than bracing against your stirrups.

If you do decide to remind your instructor, my favourite exercise to do on the lunge is to canter with no stirrups with my arms out and eyes closed to music. :D It really does help with my ‘feel’.
 

Equi

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Its all about finding your seat bones and learning to relax your lower body whilst also balancing. When you take away the stirrups you fully understand how much you rely on them and sometimes in a negative way!
 

Trinket12

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I think I’m odd in that I love no stirrup work. My instructor often gets us to take away our stirrups (in walk, trot and canter). If I’m in a group lesson, everyone else groans while I smile.

It’s supposed to really help to develop your core and balance so that you’re using your core to balance, rather than bracing against your stirrups.

If you do decide to remind your instructor, my favourite exercise to do on the lunge is to canter with no stirrups with my arms out and eyes closed to music. :D It really does help with my ‘feel’.

Um maybe I'll start with trot and a neck strap first :oops:
 

Equi

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Actually, trot is the hardest one to sit to! I much prefer to do walk - canter without stirrups, the trot is the bit i can't do haha
 

Starzaan

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Best thing you can do for your riding is no stirrups. You will develop a stronger seat, core and you'll develop feel.

I am just as happy without stirrups as with, jumping, working at all paces (including gallop and two point position) and as a result I am never worried about coming off when a horse starts pratting around and I lose a pedal.

I am certain that my stickability is a direct result of pony club instructors in my day making us do EVERYTHING without stirrups - often jumping grids with no stirrups, with our arms out to the sides, or hands on our heads. The only way a horse can get me on the floor is if it actively tries to, or if it falls down. I haven't just "plopped off" for at least twenty years.

As an instructor, I make all my riders work without stirrups more than they work with them, and they end up with a fantastic seat and real confidence in the saddle.

Bill Levett once completed Burghley XC with one stirrup. What a rider.
 

ponies4ever

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just a small thing to add though personally I wouldn't do no stirrup work on a horse without an established top line just to be a bit easy on their backs incase I do a bit of bouncing.
 

Trinket12

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I remember doing no stirrup stuff as a kid, and wasn’t bothered at all. Not sure why it’s scary as an adult!

I just keep imaging sliding off the other side 😆 Risky is a good sort, and quite implacable so I’m not worried about him doing anything silly.
 

Snowfilly

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Riding without stirrups is one of my favourite things in the world!

It's great for balance, leg and seat position and it really encourages you to feel the movement. I find I sit deeper, my heels stay down more and everything feels more natural. Jumping is fine as well and came in handy a couple of times over the years when I lost a stirrup and just carried on anyway.

(Disclaimer, I spent most of my teenage years hooning around bareback, so it feels entirely normal.)
 

ponies4ever

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what do you mean by that Pearlsasinger? are you referring to purely to sitting work? because if so agree that you are better off without stirrups than with them but I meant previously (poorly worded I admit) that I would generally avoid sitting trot work as a whole on weaker backs especially if you're not excellent at it (like myself!)
 

Orangehorse

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Andrew Nicholson says that everyone should do work with no stirrups every time they ride! Standard practice in my days at Pony Club, also I believe at the Army school and Spanish Riding School.
 

JFTDWS

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what do you mean by that Pearlsasinger? are you referring to purely to sitting work? because if so agree that you are better off without stirrups than with them but I meant previously (poorly worded I admit) that I would generally avoid sitting trot work as a whole on weaker backs especially if you're not excellent at it (like myself!)

But taking away your stirrups doesn't - or shouldn't - mean sitting all the time either :p
 

Pearlsasinger

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what do you mean by that Pearlsasinger? are you referring to purely to sitting work? because if so agree that you are better off without stirrups than with them but I meant previously (poorly worded I admit) that I would generally avoid sitting trot work as a whole on weaker backs especially if you're not excellent at it (like myself!)


If you bounce without stirrups, you will be very likely to land on the ground! I actually meant exactly what I said, if you are not excellent at sitting trot, the best thing you can do is to take away your stirrups, you will soon stop bouncing. As JFTD says there are plenty of things to do without stirrups, apart from sitting trot. Try rising trot!
 

Trinket12

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My sitting trot isn’t great, though partly because his lordship is quite bouncy! I always feel so all over the place, but when I’ve seen video it’s not actually that bad.
 

Pearlsasinger

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My sitting trot isn’t great, though partly because his lordship is quite bouncy! I always feel so all over the place, but when I’ve seen video it’s not actually that bad.


Some horses can be extremely bouncy! I remember regularly riding bareback on a very bouncy horse, sitting trot was impossible, I always had to rise on him, or trot in 2-point.
 

silv

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Riding without stirrups is the best thing ever to improve your seat.
I am convinced that hooning around the countryside as a teenager bareback and lots of riding lessons with the instructor making us ride with no stirrups down jumping lanes etc, a great many years ago has given me the great stickability which I still have today 45 years later.

Recently I have been riding for 15 minutes at the start of every session without my stirrups as I am competing at medium dressage and need to sit to the extended trot which is not easy for me but is getting much better. A neck strap is a very useful tool to help keep balance at times.
 

Mule

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Best thing you can do for your riding is no stirrups. You will develop a stronger seat, core and you'll develop feel.

I am just as happy without stirrups as with, jumping, working at all paces (including gallop and two point position) and as a result I am never worried about coming off when a horse starts pratting around and I lose a pedal.

I am certain that my stickability is a direct result of pony club instructors in my day making us do EVERYTHING without stirrups - often jumping grids with no stirrups, with our arms out to the sides, or hands on our heads. The only way a horse can get me on the floor is if it actively tries to, or if it falls down. I haven't just "plopped off" for at least twenty years.

As an instructor, I make all my riders work without stirrups more than they work with them, and they end up with a fantastic seat and real confidence in the saddle.

Bill Levett once completed Burghley XC with one stirrup. What a rider.
And Mark Todd did Badminton with one stirrup. A legend.
 

Chippers1

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Another who likes no stirrup work! My New Years resolution was to do one session per week with no stirrups, not quite worked out so far but I do try to fit it in. As i'm super short I've only had ponies so I tend to do more rising trot as sitting is very bouncy!
 

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Another benefit of work without stirrups is that it's useful for those riders who throw themselves forward in upward transitions as the rider is more inclined to stay balanced by remaining upright and not in front of the movement.

I'm another of the old school who spent lots of time without stirrups and bareback. Courtesy of my dodgy ankle and feet, if I'm feeling sore or tight, I warm the horse up with stirrups and then spend the remaining time without. And when I'm teaching, I like to get people used to working without stirrups as early as possible, so that it doesn't become a big "thing".

I finally managed to persuade a rider to trust me and have a lunge lesson working on her, not the horse last week. I think she is now a convert to some work without stirrups as she finally felt the difference as she sat up.
 

Trinket12

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Well I managed to stay on (thank goodness for neck straps!) we only did it for about 10 mins, but I did feel fairly balanced and didn’t slide off the side 😆

Going to feel it tomorrow though 😳
 
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