Do you ride long or short?

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chilworth23

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Ok so i frequently, move my stirrups up and down a notch, because some days they feel to long, some days they feel to short, other days they feel perfect, this weird or does anyone else do this?????
 
I used to put my stirrups up as short as they would go, but I think this was mainly because I'd been riding ponies since the year dot. So whenever I rode anything horse size I'd still put the stirrups up. However since I've moved to france I've been encoraged to ride a bit longer, about the forth hole down anything longer and I find my legs dont feel very surcure.
 
I ride my 14hh mare almost daily, and still taken them up and down a hole. my fella always says "find a comfortable place and leave them" but then next day i think "oh these feel short" down a hole they go, next day "wow these feel long, up a hole they go!" lol.....
 
In general i ride quite long, although i do ride my boy sightly shorter as he has his moments of being a bugger and I feel more secure with a slightly shorter stirrup on him... dont know why... lol
 
I ride looooong usually.... even for jumping. Since my accident I find it far too painful to ride short all the time... I ride quite short for jumping when I'm competing, but do find it incredibly painful!

So basically... I ride long!
 
I move mine around too. Partly depending upon what I'm doing that day - I hack a hole or two above my schooling length, for example, and obviously ride shorter for jumping.

I also find it depends on what else I've been doing wth myself. If I've been to the gym and my leg muscles are feeling a bit tight then I'd rather put my stirrups up a hole than spend a session reaching for them. I've also noticed that when I am riding regularly (several days a week at least) I am more supple and can ride longer.

So yes I change mine around too!
 
i make sure my "short" length is finger tips on saddle, stirrups slightly, about 1cm, to long to fit directly into my arm pit, hacking she's lovely, so i tend to ride longer, schooling i ride shorter as she constantly trying to canter about, kick sand about, spook at cones / poles etc....
 
I know what you mean. Generally happens to me if I haven't ridden for a few days and I might change my mind a couple of times when I'm out.

I only hack and prefer to ride long as I tend to feel more comfortable/stable that way. I sometimes use a treeless saddle and with that I need to ride a notch or two shorter than usual.
 
good, least its not just me, ive never known anyone else do it, unless shortening for jumping, where as i just cant seem to make my mind up, she is only just 5, and has her moments
 
Somewhere in the middle! My legs are deceptively short so a lot of people seem to think I ride short until they see me ride (If that makes sense lol). I change them around though: 8 from the bottom for schooling, 9 from the bottom for hacking and 10 from the bottom for jumping :).
 
Either, I'm not particularly fussy these days (too used to being thrown onto horses and not given a chance to even sit down before I get told to go!) - I can jump LONG or SHORT or anywhere in between ie. I can jump 2'9 fine in my dressage saddle, dressage length or XC at a reasonable flat length in jump saddle - or I can jump practically jockey style :o

:D
 
I ride long, and have done since I was 8, when I started dressage. Don't worry though, I could ride properly before I put my stirrups down. I used to have at least 80% of my lessons without stirrups to develop my seat :p I suppose they went proper 'dressage length' when I first had a dressage saddle, when I was about 11, so riding short seems odd for me :p I do think I have extra long legs though, 6 (I think?) holes longer than Sol in my saddle ;) And we're the same age, bar like 22 days or something lol :D
 
Short, i ruptured ligaments in my left knee anbout 10 years ago when i got on a youngster my boss had bought in to sell, we hadn't been told that had only been backed 3 weeks!! it turned itself inside out with me on top, i ruptured my knee smashed my shoulder and collar bone, my nose, left cheekbone and jaw where all broken too. so now i ride short as it puts my knee in a more comfortable postion, the only down side is it makes my left leg rather in effective on some horses :(
 
ChloeC418 said:
I ride long, and have done since I was 8, when I started dressage. Don't worry though, I could ride properly before I put my stirrups down. I used to have at least 80% of my lessons without stirrups to develop my seat :p I suppose they went proper 'dressage length' when I first had a dressage saddle, when I was about 11, so riding short seems odd for me :p I do think I have extra long legs though, 6 (I think?) holes longer than Sol in my saddle ;) And we're the same age, bar like 22 days or something lol :D
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You are rather a lot taller than me though :D Considering that for my height, I'm all leg XD But my legs are long in the wrong place :( Stupid legs!
 
Very long, so I can sit in deep for bucks! If you're feeling your stirrup lengths aren't comfortable from day to day, try getting your legs measured professionally. I did, as was limping when playing tennis and my leathers never felt right - they found one leg was quite a bit longer than the other. Now ride with one leather a hole shorter than the other - MUCH better!
 
I ride unbelievably short for jumping :P, trying to put them down as long as possible when schooling/hacking to lengthen my legs a bit. Unfortunately jockey stirrups seem to be where I'm most comfortable. :s
 
For hacking, long compared to other riders, I move up one hole for jumping, but like OP, some days feel different to others for some strange reason.
 
I ride short. I feel a lot more secure with short stirrups and I'm able to keep them easier and stay balanced better if I'm riding something which is a bit sharp. :)
 
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