Dumb question sorry. How do you keep your foot in the right position in stirrup?

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igglepop

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As title says, The guy I'm sharing a horse with is getting back into riding and his foot keeps slipping threw. He asked me how i keep my foot in place and i have no idea it just stays there so if you can give me an idea of what to say it would be great. Also whilst I'm at it what advice would you give to him, he can walk and trot/ bump/ sometimes rise his partner brought horse for him as a gift but he never got into it until now. Any help would be great.
 
Sounds like he would benefit from some lessons. There are plenty of freelance instructors who will travel to give lessons or if there is no where suitable to school he could always travel to them providing he has transport.
 
Sounds like he's not got his heels down and/or stirrups are too big? A lunge lesson might pin point what he's doing or not doing and would improve his overall position anyway.
 
Sadly lessons would make my life too easy, he hasn't ridden for a year and is now at the point he will hop on when I'm done to walk off, he is just starting trot again. The stirrups look ok to me and he says they feel fine i assume width is ok as they are fine for me. I am hopeing that as his confidence grows he will be convinced to have lessons but we are taking baby steps. He has seen me having lessons and commented they look good so there is hope. I guess i shall keep shouting heels down and hinting at lessons, at least until he gives in on lesson front i can give him pointers.
I think he had a bad experience on the horse but he wont admit it, as it took alot of work to get him on in the first place (i now have to poo pick a minute for every minute he rides). When he did get on he commented how he was now safe, didn't realise he was ever not safe but hey ho heels down and off we go lol.
 
I'd put up his stirrips a hole, see how that goes, as for seeing if saddle fits the person, i'm not sure if i can explain it properly. It's to do with the angle of the leg from the hip to the knee, but i'm struggeling to explain the how to. sorry. I'm sure someone else will be able to explain it. ( I can see it, but just not explain it). x
 
Mine just stay there and I can't tell you how or why :)
Stirrup cages for a temp fix?
 
It sounds as if he's either gripping with his legs/knees which will cause the legs to creep up and so lose his stirrups, or his stirrups are slightly long and he's reaching for them; I'd try letting his legs just hang and the bottom of the stirrup should be just below the ankle bone.

Riding without stirrups should help him lengthen his leg and deepen his seat, provided he doesn't grip. :)
 
Ooh they've updated that book to a new edition ..... is it significantly different from the first edition, anyone know?
 
if he's inexperienced he may not know the feel of a correct stirrup length so just shorten it 2 holes and see if he feels more secure. Some riders like me find it hard to put weight into the heels so instead tell him to try stretch down as far as possible and wrap your legs around the horses stomach. Another one is try put all your weight on your baby toes, this puts weight naturally down, bends the foot in to the correct position and gives natural pressure against the side of the horse.
 
It may be his footwear. Unless he is obviously doing something wrong. I have found that some riding boots don't have a good grip in the stirrup. I have recently wasted money buying cheaper boots only to find they don't give me a secure grip in the stirrup. I find that Ariat and mountain horse boots are the best for stirrup stability.
 
Thanks for the advice, i will look at it all and try and work it out. I will continue trying to convince about lessons and will also try his stirrups at different lengths one of them must be right.
 
Could someone video him while he is riding. This will give both you and he an opportunity to look at what he is doing. If you have an instructor you could also show them the video whilst he is there for them to comment on. He may then be more inclined to have a lesson. Perhaps suggest that he just has 15 mins to start with at walk straight after yours. It would be a good way to ease him in and would give him confidence too

PS. When doing the video, take a wide enough angle so that you can see the horse too. Get him to look at the way the horse goes when he is riding in comparison to when you ride. If he is tense does the horse hollow? If he bumps around in trot does the horse look uncomfortable. You can then use another angle to persuade him to have lessons which is that the horse will be more comfortable. Hope this helps
Good Luck
 
Video would not be allowed no pics no nothing, suppose i could try with the angle of if he wants something else other than poo picking done i will only do it after he has a lesson. I don't understand why some people have to be so difficult.
 
You can get little rubber treads in the stirrup but also I think its a case of putting a bit of weight into the foot and lightening the seat. ie not gripping or pushing but I suppose i was brought up in the heels down era! But its a good thing as you can put your weight in your heels and sort of the ball of your foot as thats kind of where the foot should be in contact with the stirrup ON THE BALL. Not the arch! His foot would go through then.
 
:o
Achinghips said:
Ooh they've updated that book to a new edition ..... is it significantly different from the first edition, anyone know?
Click to expand...

There are looooooads of coloured pics in this edition so youve got a step by step guide of right and wrong and how to correct :D
 
Sorry to be so old school but is he wearing appropriate "stout" footwear - shoes/ boots with a small heel to prevent this happening, also are his stirrups the right size (width) and leathers the correct length. Getting the foot position right takes practice! Being regularly barked at the command "heels down" will have been the perfect training for many of us older riders and the reason we still do it now just in case our old instructor happens along LOL, we would never have dared not do it!! :) :)
 
I'm not an expert but I did learn to ride in the "grip with your knees" days. They even put bits of paper under your knees to make sure you did it.

Even though I have had loads of lessons and done BHS exams since I still revert to it if I have not ridden for a while.

And I can promise you that if you grip with your knees, your heels go up and your toes turn out, and your feet slip through the stirrups. How we managed to overcome that in the old days I have no idea.

When I get on after not riding for a bit I have to actually think about dropping my weight into the stirrups by turning my knees out from the saddle. Try it, if you turn your knees out your cant grip :D. I am sure this is not a method recommended by anyone, however it does actually work. After a while you dont need to do it as your body seems to remember how to sit correctly.
 
I'm guilty of flappy feet :o

My EE instructor told me to put my weight into my little toe but that proved impossible as my little toe is too small and refuses to cooperate however trying to drop my leg weight into my outer ankle bone DOES work. When I remember to do it!!
 
Proper footwear is always worn as is gloves hat etc would not be near his horse otherwise. He is riding on sunday so will try all suggestions. Thanks again.
 
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