why cant he ride in stirrups?

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Aoibhin

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my OH has been learning to ride on & off for about 10 years & he is quite confident in handling whatever he gts thrown at him (and we have had a bit thrown!)

ok but here's the thing if he uses stirrups thats it he just cant ride, he's off balance & the smallest buck/spook or sillyness means he hits the deck!
without them he is very competent & was the one who backed & brought on our friends youngster (as i fell pregnant) he has sat huge bucks, a couple of rears, stumbling & general stupidity from horses he has ridden.

any ideas why? its really weird that his position without them is fantastic.
anyone else have/know of this problem.
 
kinda unrelated, but there is a guy on you tube who rides some real problem horses,endospink, i mean some real rears and pretty sure he rides without stirrups
 
Sounds like maybe he doesn't have them the right length/they aren't in the right place on the saddle/saddle doesn't fit him? Could you try adjusting them for him with his feet in his normal riding position?

Or he has really short calves so cant get heels down enough?

We need pics!
 
It is the position of the stirrup bars. So much depends on the size of the riders foot.A heavy rider on a large saddle ,who has small feet ,will have problems. It truely makes a massive difference,it surprises me that so few people are aware of this.
 
At a guess perhaps he rides without stirrups by gripping like a vice with his knees (hence he can stay on during rodeo tricks) but once he has stirrups his weight drops through his heel and he loses his grip?
 
he has a good soft leg contact & his position is really good (and how much do i hate him for it! i have to work on my position) Angua2 & Faro may well comment shortly on his position/riding style.

its really bugging instructor & i, as nothing seems to make it better, we have tried getting him to ride in different saddles & with stirrups at all lengths.

hoping for some dry days to get pics.
 
My husband rides better without stirrups too, if he starts having problems he takes his stirrups away....

Haven't a clue why, but maybe it is a man thing??

Are the horse on the small side for him? That can make balancing in the stirrups more difficult.
 
So does mine! Puts me to shame as I can't ride without them! And I've been riding for 30plus years!
blush.gif
 
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