Long or short stirrups??

L

lunarmagic

Well-Known Member
Joined
14 September 2014
Messages
78
Visit site
Just a little curious really as to other people's preferences when riding horses that can be very prone to a playful, cheeky bronc!!! I am a hunt groom and spend several hours a day in the saddle on fit, big hunters all are masters horses and are angels on the field doing their job but during exercise can all be a bit of a handful, nothing nasty, just finding any excuses to shove heads between legs and play rodeo before returning to normal activity. I typically ride quite long and a friend of mine that has always ridden race horses always rides her horses that like a buck very short, she swears that shorter pedals help her stay put, which just got me thinking which do other people prefer while riding horses that can be tricky, longer or shorter and for what reasons?
 
If you have good core strength and can get off of the horses back when it bucks then you should be able to ride forward out of the bucking by kicking on forward, with short stirrups this should mean you do not get the full force of the back coming up and pushing you out of the saddle, something not so easy with long stirrups but it really depends on your default position. Some people prefer to lean back, put their legs forward, and sit to the bucks, not easy if they pull you forward out of balance plus it is easier to loose a stirrup if they are longer.
I usually have shorter stirrups if doing canter work, usually when they are most likely to buck, getting off their backs can prevent them bucking in the first place and bridging the reins can help keep the head up.
 
I do agree and since canter work started I have shortened up loads but it's just always very interesting to read other people's opionions. I always used to take the lean back and ride through it option but have found the shortening up makes the experience more bareable!! Always enjoy hearing other people's methods.
 
Short , helps you maintain a better balance therefore you have a better chance of sitting to whatever the horse is doing - trust me when you break a ****** of a horse you try everything!
 
I ride long to school but jumping, cross country, gallop work etc i crank the stirrups right up!

Hacking out eventers made me realise that you will adapt in anyway so that you stay attached & don't loose the v.expensive horse!!
 
It doesn't matter.

As long as you are steady and balanced.

Can you sit a buck, a spin, a rear in the position you're in? Can you influence a leg yield, a half pass, a turn on the haunch in the position youre in?

Can you do control the horse without relying completely on your rein?

Then, your position is fine IMO.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top