Stirrups... anyone else hate them?

[maya2008]

I really really hate them. Often take them off so I can concentrate on schooling. They annoy me, I either have to concentrate on keeping my feet in correctly, or they float on my feet as I ride. When I get it right, I can't follow the movement as well because muscles have tensed to keep them there. I can't see the benefit to be honest, other than rising trot, and I'm not a fan of that either. Makes my toes pop out and the bottom of my foot swell where I had surgery if I'm not very careful! And very careful means no weight in the stirrups, so then they float...

Don't know if it's my hypermobility (probably) or because I have always ridden bareback a lot.

But I need to use them in competitions. Would lighter ones help?

 

[emilylou]

Try and push your thigh back/ your knee backwards and down as you ride. This is usually accompanied by a 'pull' across your quads but maintaining this will naturally keep your feet in the stirrups the way they should be without feeling that you need to press your feet into them to keep them where they should be.
Rising trot should come from your thigh too, not pushing from your stirrup. If you try rising trot without stirrups you will be able to figure out how to rise without relying on the stirrups.
I understand what you mean about tack getting in the way of riding. Quite often if I have a schooling problem that I am struggling to improve I will ride bareback and be able to figure out what is going on much easier.

 

[maya2008]

Try and push your thigh back/ your knee backwards and down as you ride. This is usually accompanied by a 'pull' across your quads but maintaining this will naturally keep your feet in the stirrups the way they should be without feeling that you need to press your feet into them to keep them where they should be.
Rising trot should come from your thigh too, not pushing from your stirrup.

I do both of those - if I put any weight in the stirrups beyond a feather I get a swollen foot! But it's still not as good as riding without them, and introduces tension where there doesn't need to be any. My joints all hyperflex too, so that doesn't help!

 

[Cortez]

If you are losing your stirrups it means you are tense in your upper thigh and hips - where it needs to be flexed and open to help your seat and back work correctly to influence the horse. If you are forcing your feet down into the stirrups, that's also a sign of tension. The legs should drape around the horse, not grip: the stirrups are to help you do that.

 

[9tails]

Sounds like you're gripping with your legs and your stirrups are too long.

 

[Shay]

Agree with both above. It might be worth getting a good instructor to have a look from the ground. You may need to look at your leather length. A different type of stirrup may help - even a differnt saddle if the stirrup bars on your current one are not positioned to suit you. I'm all for riding without stirrups - and without saddle at all - as an aid to developing position. But there are things you really do need stirrups for. Not rising trot - you shouldn't rise from the stirrup at all, but for gallop work, jumping, XC etc. Don't make yourself uncomfortable absolutely. But don't assume that the issue is stirrups generally. Find a solution that suits you.