Stirrup length

[Chinchilla]

How on earth do you know when your stirrups are the right length!? Some places say that the tread should be in line with your ankle bone ;some say you should have your legs in at stirrupless length then just be able to lift your toe to put it in the stirrup;then some people think it's just personable preference.
Also, does anyone else here have one leg longer than the other? What do you do about it with regards to stirrups?
Personally I like my stirrups as long as possible! But keep being told by my mum that they are too long but I tried with them shorter today and felt 1) horribly unbalanced particularly when rising to the trot, and 2) sore in my knees when I dismounted. Is it just a matter of getting accustomed to the shorter length or does the soreness imply that it isn't the right length?
Sorry for my ignorance....I've honestly never really considered stirrup length and just gone with whatever seems comfiest up to now! Does stirrup length actually affect the horse in any way? Do longer or shorter stirrups feel nicer to the horse? Can different lengths actually have an adverse effect on their wellbeing? Is one particular length "better" for the horse? Or does it just depend on the individual animal?
Free coffee to anyone who read this far!!

 

[Shay]

Stirrup length is mainly personal preference - within certain limits and there is good reason for certain stirrup lengths. The length you choose to ride at mainly does not impact the horse unless your leather is so short you are unbalanced or bringing the iron up onto the saddle - or so long your foot kicks at their legs as they move. Sometimes the saddle shape dictates to an extent what your stirrup length would be. A dressage or showing saddle is more straight cut to free up the shoulder. You can't shorten your stirrups too far or your knee will come off the front of the flap. Equally jumping and XC saddles are very forward cut. You can't have your leathers too long or you'll hit the thigh block behind.

In general terms the shorter your stirrup is (within reason) the more stable your position and more likely you are to keep your seat if something unpredictable happens. You'll also find it easier to fold correctly for a jump. Thats why PC and BHS both say shorten your stirrup 1 - 2 holes from flatwork length for jumping and 2 - 3 holes for XC. For rising trot you really need stirrups of a length that you can get out of the saddle reasonably easily - but not so short you can rise too high and unbalance yourself.

The fact you feel unbalanced when your stirrups are shorter suggests your lower leg might not yet be quite stable. Unless you want to spend all your ridden career either doing dressage or western riding then it probably is worth persisting with shortening your leathers so that you can get your balance to jump and ride cross country safely. But doing so shouldn't make you sore. I'm assuming you are a young person - not an old creaky one like me. I would suggest you tell your mum that it hurts your knees and perhaps look to getting something like a bow balance or system 4 stirrup to help with that. My daughter found bow balance really helped her with knee pain which she develops after several hours hunting.

And finally yes - most people have one leg that looks (in stirrups) longer than the other. Mostly it isn't actually - but it does look that way. That comes either from being slightly crooked through the pelvis or having one hip or knee joint more flexible than the other. (Sometimes it also comes from having one leather which has stretched a bit and one which hasn't so if you count the holes one looks shorter than the other!) If the effect is really pronounced it might be worth talking to your Mum about seeing a sports physio to see if they can help. But mostly it isn't anything to worry about - humans as well as horses are "one sided".

 

[meleeka]

My friend has odd stirrups. I believe it’s due to an old injury which makes her lopsided so she just has one a hole longer which evens her up.

I think as long as you feel comfortable, you are balanced on the horse and you don’t need to point your toes in trot, it’s personal preference.

 

[Orangehorse]

Stirrups on the ball of the foot generally. I was told that there should be 5 holes difference between flatwork and cross country, and the faster you go the shorter they should be. Personally, I think there is a fashion for too long stirrups on cross country.
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You can get stirrup leathers that have a synthetic core, so this prevents stretching and breaking too. Unless you know you have different length legs - and some people do - then looking as if they are different means that you are probably leaning more to one side and/or the saddle is not level. But that is a whole can of worms and is it the saddle, or the rider on top who makes the saddle slip?

 

[Hasdrubal]

Stirrup length is mainly personal preference - within certain limits and there is good reason for certain stirrup lengths. The length you choose to ride at mainly does not impact the horse unless your leather is so short you are unbalanced or bringing the iron up onto the saddle - or so long your foot kicks at their legs as they move. Sometimes the saddle shape dictates to an extent what your stirrup length would be. A dressage or showing saddle is more straight cut to free up the shoulder. You can't shorten your stirrups too far or your knee will come off the front of the flap. Equally jumping and XC saddles are very forward cut. You can't have your leathers too long or you'll hit the thigh block behind.

In general terms the shorter your stirrup is (within reason) the more stable your position and more likely you are to keep your seat if something unpredictable happens. You'll also find it easier to fold correctly for a jump. Thats why PC and BHS both say shorten your stirrup 1 - 2 holes from flatwork length for jumping and 2 - 3 holes for XC. For rising trot you really need stirrups of a length that you can get out of the saddle reasonably easily - but not so short you can rise too high and unbalance yourself.

The fact you feel unbalanced when your stirrups are shorter suggests your lower leg might not yet be quite stable. Unless you want to spend all your ridden career either doing dressage or western riding then it probably is worth persisting with shortening your leathers so that you can get your balance to jump and ride cross country safely. But doing so shouldn't make you sore. I'm assuming you are a young person - not an old creaky one like me. I would suggest you tell your mum that it hurts your knees and perhaps look to getting something like a bow balance or system 4 stirrup to help with that. My daughter found bow balance really helped her with knee pain which she develops after several hours hunting.

And finally yes - most people have one leg that looks (in stirrups) longer than the other. Mostly it isn't actually - but it does look that way. That comes either from being slightly crooked through the pelvis or having one hip or knee joint more flexible than the other. (Sometimes it also comes from having one leather which has stretched a bit and one which hasn't so if you count the holes one looks shorter than the other!) If the effect is really pronounced it might be worth talking to your Mum about seeing a sports physio to see if they can help. But mostly it isn't anything to worry about - humans as well as horses are "one sided".

Thank you for that, Shay. I have a similar preference for long stirrups as Chinchilla, but I will give it a go at shortening them a bit.

 

[Adonissaan]

I ride quite short as it makes me feel safe and keeps me balanced - usually when I'm riding out we do a lot of cantering/galloping and some jumps as well as my boy being a bit naughty sometimes it helps me feel safe.

 

[Dano1223]

I've always found it more comfortable with a longer leg but I dont know if thats because im quite tall and I learnt that way? I rode shorter than i usually would the other day and my right ankle was in bits by the time i got off. So not really sure what to do as I would like to be able to do jumping out on a hack.

 

[Juliaa_Faith]

I didn't quite like doing the stirrup ankle thing, because I'd have to adjust in it when I'm the saddle. The quickest technique for me was to touch the top of the stirrup leathers, where the lap over the buckle under the flap and pull the actual stirrups to my armpit. Should be the length off my arm.

When I get on I'll usually play around with my stirrups, as to get a deeper seat I'll lengthen my stirrups by 1-3 holes and if I'm going over jumps I'll shorten them by 1-2 holes.
Whatever feels right and always get a second opinion as sometimes people find it easier to have their stirrups short as they find it difficult to lengthen their leg and rely too much on the stirrups instead of their seat.