Uneven legs? Stirrup lengths

B

bluewhippet

Well-Known Member
Joined
23 February 2011
Messages
536
Visit site
I have new stirrup leathers - the kind that are not supposed to stretch, with webbing and leather. Why does my left stirrup permanently feel much shorter than right when they are both on the same hole?

I know horses and riders are not symmetrical. But to this extent? I think I am sitting straight. I do check. In the end today I actually lowered left stirrup by a hole and it felt fine.

Horse is uneven. Physio and saddler go on about it. His skeleton is lower on right and his muscles have wasted as a result due to bad saddle fitting. Would this explain a hole? Or do I have one leg longer than the other? And is it acceptable to ride with left stirrup a hole longer? Much more comfortable.
 
do your stirrups look level when they are down and you look at them with horse standing square? if so then horse's squintness is affecting stirrups that much. if not, its a rider issue -whether tightness in the hip so you don't stretch as much to your right as your left or something else.
 
Will have a look tomorrow. I think I am fairly even in terms of good sides and bad sides to my legs. I had a series of lunge lessons at a local stables on their horses to work on my position and didn't find it an issue.
 
This will be an issue with yourself. It is extremely common. Usually if you feel shorter on one side than the other but your stirrup leathers are even it is becasue you have muscular tightness affecting your position. For example if you had tight right hip flexors and lower back it would shorten these muscles and pull your pelvis up and forward. This would make it feel like your right stirrup is shorter when actually it is just becasue you find it easier to weight bear through it due to muscular imbalance.

This will often also cause your horse to then favour one side. You will be convinced that your riding evenely becasue this is what you are used to. Unless you have atrained eye and know exactly what you are looking for it is very hard to pick up on.

Definately do not ride with one stirrup longer than the other. yes it feels better for you but it only worsens the problem and creates more of an imbalance for your horse.
I would suggest going to see a deep tissue specialist who would be able to help you establish exactly which muscles are tight on you and show you how to straighten yourself up.

Good luck with it.
 
MM, I can see if it was me and tightness in my muscles that it would exacerbate the problem to ride with one stirrup longer than the other. If it was my horse that was uneven (the physio is astonished by how crooked he is) then is there anything wrong with riding one stirrup a hole longer?
 
OP you probably DO have one leg longer than the other and/or some degree of spinal curvature.

As someone else has suggested, it wouldn't do any harm to get yourself looked at by an expert, i.e. physio/osteo/chiropractor or other therapist (but make sure they're qualified!!).

Its very common, I didn't know I had one leg longer than the other until about 5 years ago when I had a medical for something else, and when the doctor said I had one leg longer (or to put the same thing another way, one leg shorter :)) it made perfect sense as I've always struggled to get hemlines to look level and trouser legs always seemed uneven and i couldn't figure out why, plus struggled in riding lessons to get any horse to go evenly on both reins.

So I'd say get yourself looked at, and take it from there.
 
It can be a bit of a Catch22 situation. Whether the problem starts with the horse or rider being crooked the result is the same. A crooked rider will make a horse crooked and vice versa unless the rider is acutely aware of the problem from the start. It would be worth having yourself checked as well as the horse as you will by now have unconsciously learnt to compensate for his crookedness and you are probably keeping each other crooked. (how many "crooked"s is that?:o)
Shortening one stirrup leather will feel more comfortable but will not help you or your horse in the long run. It would be justified if one of you had an incurable physical problem but I hope it is not the case.
 
At the moment I'm having to ride with one twist in my left stirrup with it on the top hole and two twists in my right stirrup on the second to top hole! [The owner of the horse bought ridiculously long stirrups!] This is the only way I feel even. I am probably totally wonky myself, I get back pain but the doctors can't work out what it is, so I'm off to see the physio and see if they can work it out. I'm hoping once they've fiddled with me I'll be more even but I can't guarantee it's not just the stirrups as they're not mine!
 
Captain Bridget said:
At the moment I'm having to ride with one twist in my left stirrup with it on the top hole and two twists in my right stirrup on the second to top hole! [The owner of the horse bought ridiculously long stirrups!] This is the only way I feel even. I am probably totally wonky myself, I get back pain but the doctors can't work out what it is, so I'm off to see the physio and see if they can work it out. I'm hoping once they've fiddled with me I'll be more even but I can't guarantee it's not just the stirrups as they're not mine!
Click to expand...

I had a series of physio sessions for a trapped nerve in my neck, physio worked her way down my whole body and by the time she's finished my stirrups felt much more even. Unfortunately I seem to have slipped back into my old ways. I need to go back to her again, I think.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
I had a series of physio sessions for a trapped nerve in my neck, physio worked her way down my whole body and by the time she's finished my stirrups felt much more even. Unfortunately I seem to have slipped back into my old ways. I need to go back to her again, I think.
Click to expand...

That's good to know it's made a difference to you, I might possibly have a trapped nerve under/by my right shoulder blade which is part of the back problem so I'm looking forward to them having a poke and seeing if they can sort it!
 
I ride with one stirrup longer. I have been told its better to do that and feel (and so ride) comfortable. If you try and keep them level you re likely to then sit wonky to try and alleviate the pain. I've bought dressage stirrup leathers with much closer holes so I can adjust how much they are apart. I have a physical problem and DO see a Chiro and a physio every month. For me it's ride with a longer stirrup or don't ride at all. Hopefully it's not that ruinous to the horse! He seems perfectly level and fine and I have his back done regularly too.
 
bluewhippet said:
I have new stirrup leathers - the kind that are not supposed to stretch, with webbing and leather. Why does my left stirrup permanently feel much shorter than right when they are both on the same hole?

I know horses and riders are not symmetrical. But to this extent? I think I am sitting straight. I do check. In the end today I actually lowered left stirrup by a hole and it felt fine.

Horse is uneven. Physio and saddler go on about it. His skeleton is lower on right and his muscles have wasted as a result due to bad saddle fitting. Would this explain a hole? Or do I have one leg longer than the other? And is it acceptable to ride with left stirrup a hole longer? Much more comfortable.
Click to expand...

Yes, it will definitely be due to the horse. My horse is the same. Due to a hock injury he drops his left hip and I have to ride a hole shorter on the left. I ride perfectly evenly on all other horses. It's not the saddle as he has had 3 fitted and they all do the same thing. I had one of my liveries sit on him and she had to shorten the left stirup too.
 
monkeybum13 said:
I ride with one stirrup one hole shorter than the other, I have a crooked spine and dodgy hips.
Click to expand...

Same here, only I ride 2 holes shorter. If I have the stirrups the same length I physically cannot stretch the extra length having been born with a now corrected (ish) club foot. I do this with every horse I ride or go without stirrups completely, but my horses get regular (every 3 months MAX) saddle checkings and physio to make sure my lopsidedness is not affecting them detrimentally.
 
monstermunch said:
This will be an issue with yourself. It is extremely common. Usually if you feel shorter on one side than the other but your stirrup leathers are even it is becasue you have muscular tightness affecting your position. For example if you had tight right hip flexors and lower back it would shorten these muscles and pull your pelvis up and forward. This would make it feel like your right stirrup is shorter when actually it is just becasue you find it easier to weight bear through it due to muscular imbalance.

This will often also cause your horse to then favour one side. You will be convinced that your riding evenely becasue this is what you are used to. Unless you have atrained eye and know exactly what you are looking for it is very hard to pick up on.

Definately do not ride with one stirrup longer than the other yes it feels better for you but it only worsens the problem and creates more of an imbalance for your horse.
I would suggest going to see a deep tissue specialist who would be able to help you establish exactly which muscles are tight on you and show you how to straighten yourself up.

Good luck with it.
Click to expand...

I had this problem and one leg was shorter than the other, 3 deep tissue massages sorted the problem out for me :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top