need to ride longer but feel unbalanced

asbo

asbo

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my saddle fitter would like me to ride at least 2 holes longer than i do, i do ride very short though & always have.

need some good ideas as i am feeling very unbalanced & as jay spooks at nothing i feel ready to slide off the side door when he does it, which i do not feel like with my shorter stirrups
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Mary Wanless would advise...

You need to have your thigh at 45 degrees to the ground, and think of kneeling into the horse, not sitting on top of him. You need to take quite a lot of your body weight into your thigh contact, which keeps you securely in balance on him, and keep the pressure to your stirrups light.
 
I am reading this post with much interest. I know I ride short and I have lowered my stirrups under the instruction of my instructer, at the start of my lesson I feel as I am reaching for them, but at the end I don't notice it at all but it isn't a natural feeling and I always want o hike my leathers up a hole or two.

Maybe its a case of perseverance (sp) and you will in time find your own balance, maybe riding for a time without stirrups will help also.
 
I would say do some riding without strips too but if your horse is likely to spook them maybe not such a good idea.
 
My instructor has me riding 4 holes longer than when I started with her 4 years ago - so one a year! She has gradually changed my whole position as I used to perch and lean forward and stick my legs forward as well. She has me sit up more and more so that my leg is down under me and around the horse and I'm sitting deep in the centre of the saddle. My balance has improved and I can sit major spooks with no problem and sit to the trot without bouncing. A lot of it has been strengthening up my tummy muscles so that is where my strength is coming from rather than the legs. HOrse is going lovely now and we feel like a unit rather than me stuck on top.

It'll all change again soon as I want to start jumping again (haven't jumped in two years) and will have to shorten up! It'll be interesting to see how my balance is over jumps.
 
I had the same problem, i got used to riding really short after i went 18 months straight jumping every time i rode (weekly lessons at riding school, not my own horse!!!)

i just started putting them down by 1 hole a fortnight (on my horse, riding every day now) and now ride 5 holes longer than i did.

i would try riding without stirrups, even walking helps if your horse is unreliable, and alternate between doing that and riding with short stirrups in a light balanced seat to get more weight into your heels.

and yes, before anyone says anything, I know i must have looked absolutely ridiculous riding 5 holes shorter than i needed to!
 
I was watching a Richard Davidson training session earlier and he was saying that a good exercise to lengthen the calf and lower leg is to stand up in your stirrups as though you were standing up with a straight leg, arms forward and do this in walk and trot . This should strengthen the leg.

Also when working without stirrups make sure your foot is not pointing downwards but in position as though you were standing on the floor ideally if you can with your heel slightly down.This will enable a deep seat position and a correct leg position

Good luck
 
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