lower leg help

[Vicki1986]

i have a reasonably good leg position so i thought, and confirmed so by the instructor i had a lesson with a few months ago.

but recently i have noticed more and more that when trotting i get a bit of a swing on! my lower leg gently bounces outwards and slightly forwards . in a slow sit trot it is more secure and it doesnt move at all in canter or gallop

my 13.1 slightly rounded pony is very bouncy and choppy which i dont think helps... it does seem to be her shape / movement pushing my leg out and forward when i am rising.

what exercises can i do to get a more secure lower leg or do i just have to accept this bit of bounce i have going on?!

have tried no stirrups but its not making much difference

i'm not sure how bad it looks from the ground but i'm doing a dressage test in november and don't want to be trotting up the centre line with my legs all over the place!!

 

[Daisychain]

Does your saddle push your leg out? Good old riding without stirrups would be as good as anything i should think.

 

[kerilli]

keep it as relaxed as possible. practise trotting in the half-seat, so it stays under you... it should be in a position so that if the horse suddenly disappeared, you'd land upright on your feet, not on your bum! intermittent rising trot, rising and holding the rise for a few beats, then sitting, and repeating, also works. the more balanced you can get, the less it will move. don't ram your heels down as this stiffens the leg, think more of bringing the toes up, to make the calf muscles taut so you can give a precise aid with them, like the bow of a violin. good luck!