why do i ride better without stirrups????

[darkhorse123]

im thinking mainly of sitting trot - stirrupless im comfortable, can get the rhythm, dont bounce too much - give me stirrups and disaster - i always loose the dammed things, especially the right one - so annoying and i cannot not bounce!
I just cannot do sitting trot with stirrups!

 

[JAGER BOMB :)]

thats a good thing alot of ppl find it so hard to do any trot without stirrups, it just means you have a good core balance, if you want to do it with stirrups lengthen them/shorten them ect trial and error, you will get the hang of it xxx

 

[fitzaud2]

thats a good thing alot of ppl find it so hard to do any trot without stirrups, it just means you have a good core balance, if you want to do it with stirrups lengthen them/shorten them ect trial and error, you will get the hang of it xxx

Totally agree, most people fall off when they lose a stirrup, lack of balance. I think lenghtening your stirrups might work, but, as said, try both and see what works best for you. hope you get sorted.

 

[darkhorse123]

oh ty both you have cheered me up - i was feeling useless!
I can always "refind" my stirrup keeping in trot when i lose it, its just so annoying - think i might lengthen them - ty x

 

[PingPongPony]

me too! i think it might be because when you have stirrups we spread out the balance and weight, what i mean is when the stirrups are there the weight is partly on them which makes you sort of lighter if that makes sense. when you don't have stirrups all your weight is put into your heels, your leg lenghtens a little bit and you focus more on sitting into the saddle. or it might just simply be the instinct of self preservation, with stirrups it harder to come off and without you focus on staying on top
or i might just be talking a lot of ''poo'' (happens a lot with me )

 

[darkhorse123]

no ithink you may be right! I have weekly lessons on my own horse and when i broke two toes ( ty horse lol) i had a few weeks lessons stirrupless - it did lots of good but im really struggling holding onto my stirrups now x

 

[Louby]

Me tooooooooo
Im useless with stirrups, Im told its because I cant get my weight into my heels and its all on the ball of my foot. My friend contorts my ankles into a position they dont want to go and tells me to put the weight into my heels but making sure my big toe is down as my weight distribution seems to be on the outside of my foot instead of the inside. Confused I am

 

[darkhorse123]

from reading the replies here i think i need my stirrups longer x

 

[darkhorse123]

Me tooooooooo
Im useless with stirrups, Im told its because I cant get my weight into my heels and its all on the ball of my foot. My friend contorts my ankles into a position they dont want to go and tells me to put the weight into my heels but making sure my big toe is down as my weight distribution seems to be on the outside of my foot instead of the inside. Confused I am

lol isnt it confusing - ah well we can but persevere!!!! Glad im not the only one!

 

[jumpingjasper]

I'm the same..... sitting trot easy without stirrups.... with stirrups its a disaster!!!!

i have lessons once a week and i cross my stirrups over before i start as i know my instructor would tell me too anyway... but it has really helped. i used to be VERY unbalanced rider and now due to an amazing teacher and lots and lots of no stirrup work i can sit to all kinds of trips and things (cob will do anything to get out of work!) without stirrups.

lenghtening stirrups should defo help as mine have gone down 4 holes since i started having lessons and ironically(?) i keep them more than i lose them now.

 

[darkhorse123]

omg 4 holes! lol i will lengthen tomorrow and report back!

 

[jumpingjasper]

omg 4 holes! lol i will lengthen tomorrow and report back!

i know!!! i nearly had a heart attack when she sed that they need to go down that much!! but it has worked really well.... i thought to myself when she said that ' but i will always be lossing them' and actually its quite the opposite ... still not sure how it works like that though!

 

[darkhorse123]

lol well ty for sharing!
You can now imagine me in the school tomorrow with ridiculously long stirrups

 

[fitzaud2]

lol well ty for sharing!
You can now imagine me in the school tomorrow with ridiculously long stirrups

My father in law says "Ride long and live long", and I think I believe him!!!!!!!!
(He's being hunting for 40 odd years!!!)

 

[darkhorse123]

My father in law says "Ride long and live long", and I think I believe him!!!!!!!!
(He's being hunting for 40 odd years!!!)

ty - thats it - stirrups lengthened

 

[ThePinkPony]

lol, how very strange, i had the exact same in my lesson this evening and RI said exactly the same, i also went down a hole and it really does improve my position no end.

We did 15 mins or so of sitting trot and getting back my stirrups for canter transitions felt so weird.

Another thing to try is standing trot, it is amazing what it will do for your seat and your horse.

 

[hannahmurphy]

Because you are instantly in a much better 3-point position, the classical seat. Many riders tend to carry their weight in their seat when they have stirrups, which if you were to take the horse away would mean falling straight on your bum. The correct position, the one you get minus stirrups means you would land on your feet instead!

 

[Captain Bridget]

I'm much better without stirrups, my sitting trot with stirrups is something to be desired... I know I need to do a lot of work with it though, whenever I take my stirrups back they feel so short but if I lengthen them I lose them, but when they are shorter my position isn't as good [read that as rubbish]. Some serious work to be done!

 

[foxy1]

It's down to simple physics; if you push down in one part of your body (heels) you will push up somewhere else (bum)

 

[CBAnglo]

From my observations I think there are two very common reasons: either one the stirrup bar placement is too far forward giving you a chair seat position or two you grip with the knee when riding with stirrups.

The best thing to do is have someone film you riding with and without stirrups - you will see such a difference in position. Without stirrups people tend to let their hang down from the hip in the correct classical seat, and ride with the toes down. If you grip up you will bounce straight off. With stirrups people tend to ride with them too short, which makes the ankle less flexible and too much weight is put into the stirrups to keep balance. When you start bouncing, inevitably you sink to one side (especially on a circle where more weight is on the inside seat bone), the other side grips up to keep balance and you lose the stirrup.

 

[darkhorse123]

From my observations I think there are two very common reasons: either one the stirrup bar placement is too far forward giving you a chair seat position or two you grip with the knee when riding with stirrups.

The best thing to do is have someone film you riding with and without stirrups - you will see such a difference in position. Without stirrups people tend to let their hang down from the hip in the correct classical seat, and ride with the toes down. If you grip up you will bounce straight off. With stirrups people tend to ride with them too short, which makes the ankle less flexible and too much weight is put into the stirrups to keep balance. When you start bouncing, inevitably you sink to one side (especially on a circle where more weight is on the inside seat bone), the other side grips up to keep balance and you lose the stirrup.

ty very much that does make so much sense and i was riding in a small circle - fab replies and advice ty xxx