Leg Position .....Please help

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SAL66

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have been riding for a long time , then had a 5 year break and the last 6 months or so had some private lessons and bought a lovely horse, my problem is my right leg, no matter how hard I try I cannot seem to keep the weight in my heel, the left is fine, its just my right.

I had a lesson last night and my right leg & foot position was awful, my foot seems to go through the stirupp and moves like a blooming jelly, I'm wondering if the problem stems from my hip as I am a mature rider and not as fit as I have been.

is there anything that I can do to try and correct this frustrating problem.

Thanks
 
If you keep riding often it should strengthen up eventually, alternatively you could try some cycling, swimming or lunges & squats to build up the muscles. It will be caused by lack of strength in that leg so the more you can do to build up your strength the quicker you will improve
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I had the same problem when I started schooling again after a 3 year break (I'd been hacking, just not schooling).
 
Pilates exercises are very good for stabilising your core muscles so you have a strong base from which you can move your arms and legs freely, rather than having to compensate for an unstable body by moving your limbs.
 
Thanks Jumpthemoon, into the gym i go , seriously I'll start doing some exercises because it is driving me mad.
 
I think stability issues with our feet / legs / hands / arms often stem from probelms within the torso. Might be worth you seeing a chiropractor as it could be that you are out of alignment? If so no matter what exercises you try when riding you will be fighting the odds until this is corrected.
 
Yes, would think it is in the hip. In the saddle, you can try quitting stirrups & rotating leg/hips, then coming back down hopefully into a deep seat. Can also rotate knee & ankle just to try to loosen things up. You need to concentrate on letting things DROP more than forcing it with strength.

You can also do stretching exercises out of the saddle every day - squat & lunge type things to loosen your hips. Have a word with your instructor, he/she should be able to give you exercises for in & out of the saddle.
 
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You need to concentrate on letting things DROP more than forcing it with strength.

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You still need a certain amount of strength to stabilise yourself though and hold your position
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I know with my last instructer, when I went without stirupps my left leg was so much lower than my right, but at the end of the lesson both legs were the same length and when placing my leg in the stiripp they seemed so much shorter, my legs had stretched!- oh I wish.

I have just had my horse just short of a week and there is a guy there who enjoys giving lessons and really makes sense, so he has said that the way to go next is without stirupps and work on my legs that way, I am so keen to really ride correctly and take on board all your comments so a big thank you.
 
Sally2008 I am definately need help with alignment, a new pair of legs a few inches longer would also be great maybe 20 years younger than my current ones !
 
Grr just posted and didn't appear.. so will try again!!

I have a similar problem with my right leg, which draws upwards and turns outwards. I have trouble keeping weight down it, and I've found a couple of sessions with the chiropractor really enlightening. It seems that I'm weaker down my left side which would explain why I collapse my left hip and ribs thereby causing my right leg to draw up. So you're probably right in mentioning your hips!

I would recommend a good chiropractor who'll be able to help with any alignment problems and recommend exercises (stretches, swimming etc) which will help. On the horse, I find that concentrating on keeping the weight on my inside hip to the right helps, as does making sure the inside of my right thigh and calf are against the horse, as it's more difficult to draw the leg up this way.
 
Definately agree with seeing a chiro. My left leg was about an inch shorter than the right due to problems in my lumber and cervical vertabrae. Since having £300 worth of treatment (thanks dad!) I'm even and pain free again and my ridden position is far better than it was before. I am far more stable and of course my left leg now behaves itself
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I did have a few problems which is why it was an expensive business for me so don't be put off going for a check over.
 
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