Tips to get lower leg back pls!

V

Vicki1986

Well-Known Member
Joined
26 May 2006
Messages
3,160
Location
Maidstone & Fawkham, Kent
Visit site
Any tps to get my lower leg back a bit. I used to be quite well aligned elbow hip and heel but as you can see in pic slowly my lower leg has crept further and further forward - not helped by my forward stirrup bar position of my saddle Co saddle (excuses excuses!!!!) I also tip forwards slightly so now im concentrating on getting my lower leg right back im tipping forwards more! typical
smirk.gif

Any tips appreciated as i keep reverting to my old ways!

untitled4.jpg
 
Working without stirrups is always good
grin.gif
I sometimes pop my feet out on my way back from a hack for 10 mins to get my leg down and round.

I would suggest carrying your hands more and try to sit back on your bum, and although you are sitting up you are tipping. A problem I have known well ... I am just working through myself being an awful tipper lol! It may feel as if you are leaning back, get a friend to video you or photo you so you can stop and see mid schooling what you are doing to relate how it feels.

Hope that helps
grin.gif
.

Hb
 
you need to get to your centre of balance- legs are too far back so you are tipping forwards. Stand up in your stirrups in walk for a length of the school, then sit as quiet as poss, repeat until you feel that your leg can support you well enough as you sit down again. You will have to keep shuffling your leg back as they will want to shoot forward.
In trot stand up for two beats, down for one...so on until you are balanced when standing up for 3,4,5 beats- then sitting for one.
Canter- out the saddle for 5 strides, gently in the saddle for 5....etc..
Its not fun trying to battle against the saddle tho!! Move your seat further forwards in the saddle and shuffle those legs back- its a constant battle with some stirrup bars.
 
I would think your main problem is that you are way too tall for that pony. I expect you are using a saddle that is too small for you, but fits the pony. You look very slim and lightweight and I am sure the pony is happy to carry you, but it is very hard to ride a small pony when you are tall. I know - I am 6ft with very long legs. I used to hack out on my friends Section D cob, who was about 14.2.
 
It could be your saddle; on one of mine, the girth buckles create a bulge that forces the stirrup leathers forwards and my legs with it. I've had saddle altered and fitted with long dressage-style straps, but haven't tried it yet!
Do you think dropping your stirrups a little bit might help?
 
I have this problem too, and have found buying a dressage saddle has helped a lot!! It was only £300 second hand and well worth the investment. Do lots of work without stirrups and things like the exercise above with standing up in the stiirrups are helping me too!! But if you pony is quite wide like my lad, it does make it harder to get your leg back and around them, and if you are battling against where the stirrup bars are set it can be nigh on impossible! Maybe try riding a bit longer in the stirrups as well?
 
My saddler fitted two leather loops onto the stirrup bars of my saddle to get the leathers to hang a little further back:

stirrupbar.jpg


I must say that photo seems rather deceptive - you do look a bit tall on her in that, but have never noticed it in any of the other photos you posted.
 
yeah i think your right TGM i do look large in that pic, well i hope i dont normally look that large anyway.


that loop idea is brilliant i will talk to my saddler!

Thanks for all the tips keep them coming. Prittstick i will try your standing tips next time i ride. i will try to ride longer - i do usually ride 1 hole longer than in that pic above, it is hard sometimes as she is so bouncy and short strided i tend to ride short to make life easier but i shouldnt really.

this is a diff pic, in my old saddle.

15-7-722.jpg
 
Just noticed that the saddle looks way too far forward in the first pic, whereas it looks better positioned in the second one. I wonder if that is not helping matters?
 
In the first pic the saddle is too far forward. Also, you need to definitely lower your stirrups.

I would ride for 10 mins in the warm up without stirrups then take them back. If I havent ridden for a couple of days I find it hard to open at the hip enough to get a deeper seat and longer leg (dodgy hip).

You also seem to have a strong rein contact and look as though you are bracing against her which probably doesnt help with the tipping. Her back is hollow as opposed to the second photo where her back has lifted but she is now on the forehand but you have a better position.

When I had problems with my seat, my old instructor lunged me on her horse (17.2hh warmblood) without stirrups or reins in W/T/C. I was only allowed to have stirrups if I managed to keep my hip open and leg long and only allowed reins back once I had managed to have a truly independent seat. I learnt to keep a long leg pretty fast (otherwise would end up on the floor) and really just let my leg wrap around the horse. She sounds cruel but she did wonders for my position and stickability!
 
Re getting your lower leg back, I cracked this by working on getting my weight onto my knees rather than into the stirrups. This makes you change your position slightly and helps with the tipping (its one of my many faults too!) I found that concentrating on getting your weight down onto you knees makes your lower leg automatically move back (but agree that the Saddle Co saddle doesnt help at all - I have one too)
 
Get someone to stick you on the lunge and ride with no reins and no stirrups to get your position right without having to worry about what your pony is doing. Always handy to ride somewhere with mirrors so you can see what you are doing and can correct it there and then rather than using a video.

Also, just looked at the other photo of you in your old saddle - you tend to ride with your hands quite low, if you bring them up and forward a little (not too much!) this will encourage you to keep your upper body more upright which will in turn make it easier to keep your lower leg in the right position. I've been there so I know what its like - persevere and the hard work will pay off!
 
it doesn't look like you can fit a hand width behind your bum in first pic so looks as though seat size is too small for you? x
 
ah bless, you don't need to diet you're tiny! the saddle seat looks bigger in other pic are they different? other thing is to drop stirrups down so you're sitting up straighter?? hard to do when you're on an ickle pony I know but maybe just do it for a while till you get legs back a bit? Mal sorted my legs out for me as I was awful!

This is how i was before a few lessons with her:

Untitled-2-1.jpg


DSCF0522.jpg


and this is after a few lessons:

DSCF1013.jpg


DSCF0601.jpg


DSCF0717.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top