# Heels down - Is it really that important?



## emeraldstar642 (Jul 16, 2011)

Keeping my heels down is something I've been struggling for for an extremely long time. This is because my achilles tendons are shortened, so I cannot physically keep a nice low heel. If I stand up in the stirrups, press all my weight down, and brace against the stirrups to sink my heel as low as possible, it barely looks like I'm trying at all. When riding my toes are level with my heels, and I cannot fix that unless I brace against the stirrups.

I have a fairly stable leg with and without stirrups. It's keeping my heels down that is a huge issue. By doing constant stretching I am slowly able to lengthen my tendons so that I'll be able to get my heels lower, but that takes a lot of time (it's a long-term thing, not something that'll be fixed in a day). My question is, how important is it to get my heel down lower? Should I be investing more effort, or perhaps focusing on something else (if so, what)? And if it's that crucial to get my heel down, what are some tips to get a lower heel?


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

If your weight is in your heels as you ride, they will gradually lower on their own.

Also it may not be your achilles that is the issue. Your calf/hamstring might be really tight. So stretching those out will help.

I have the same problem, my heels aren't low, but my lower leg is reasonably strong/stable except for the fact that if, when I'm jumping, I fall back into the habit of pinching with my knees, my lower leg will swing back. I haven't been picked up on my heels in a while.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

ride dressage. your heel only needs to be level with your foot.


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## skittlesfirehawk (Mar 5, 2011)

does your trainer know this? i have that too but my trainer knew so she could tell when i was trying and when i wasn't


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

I have the same problem... Many sprained/strained ankles and ligament damage later and it takes a ginormous effort to have "heels down" - what feels exaggerated to me is barely passable as flexion. However, with time I've found that I have increased my flexibility by stretching and making a huge effort while riding. It hurt a lot at first, but it'd getting easier to do. Practice and stretch, then do it some more. 
My GP coach said "crack your ankles and get used to the pain, it will go away eventually."


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## Clava (Nov 9, 2010)

tinyliny said:


> ride dressage. your heel only needs to be level with your foot.


Not just dresssage,the heels should never be forced down as it needs to be soft and springy. Aim for a natural drop of the weight of the leg into the stirrup not pushing them down, if riding short for jumping then the heels tend to naturally go lower.


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## Kayty (Sep 8, 2009)

By sinking weight into your heels, it allows your weight to be placed in your seat rather than down the front of your body, which will encourage gripping of the thighs and knees, thus taking the lower leg slightly off the horse. 
Lifting your heels lifts your seat. 
There is not a single discipline in which raised heels is desirable - obviously this is because of the stability of this position, not because instructors love to pick on heels! 

A dropped heel shouldn't come from forcing the heel down (though I speak only from a Dressage background - hunter/jumper riders seem to force their heel to a painful looking angle!!), but from relaxing the leg, engaging the core and allowing your weight to flow down the back of your leg. 
I have quite flexible ankles, and ride with a solid and deep seat, as a result my ankle is generally quite down with a very loose knee and upper leg.


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## minstrel (Mar 20, 2012)

Kayty said:


> (though I speak only from a Dressage background - hunter/jumper riders seem to force their heel to a painful looking angle!!)


It looks painful (and can be sometimes if you've been out of it for a while!) but for jumping it's the same principle: dropping the weight into the heels means you have a stable lower leg, and though your butt is out of the saddle over the fences, that weight in the heels helps you keep your balance. Not to be confused with bracing against the stirrups over fences though, as some people do :S that's just defensive riding and puts your weight in the wrong place.


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## Poneigh (May 25, 2012)

one of my friends had an issue like that with his legs (didnt ride though) and he saw a physical therapist or something that gave him exersizes to help him! you could try that.


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

Stand on a stair with your toes only and dip your heels. Stretch them like this several times a day. It will loosen everything up. Unless you walk on your toes I doubt its impossible for you to get some heels down action. You don't have to make it a 45 degree angle, a little dip would be perfectly acceptable. 

I believe they also make adaptive stirrup pads that are on an angle for riders with disabilities. That could be useful as heels down has always been drilled into my head as a safety thing.

Here's a pic!

http://images03.sstack.weblinc.com/resources/sstack/images/products/processed/10297.b.detail.jpg


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Emerald, this exercise was taught to me as a kid to lengthen the muscles. Get a piece of 2 x 6 " lumber about a foot to two feet long. Put on your riding boots then set this about 2' out from a wall or piece of furniture which you will need for balance.Here comes the fun part. Put the ball of your foot, both feet, on the board. Your heels will be on the floor and you will be bent over to do this. Use the wall for balance and stand up and straighten your legs. No no, your bum isn't supposed to stick out. Now, pull your hips forward as far as you can and you will feel the pull from the glutes down to your ankles. Hold this for a few seconds then relax. When the laughter subsides, try it again. Why not do this during a tv show. By using the board you are stretching those muscles you need for riding.


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## gottatrot (Jan 9, 2011)

It doesn't matter one bit if your heels look like they are down or not. What matters is if your weight is down properly through your leg. On some people this will result in a heel that drops way down, on others with different muscles and tendons it will look as if the heel is barely down at all. You say you have a stable leg, and if this is true then your weight is distributed properly and the rest is just aesthetics.

My heel does not drop down as far as some peoples' because I am a runner and my calves are muscular. The only time this matters is when I show. Then I have someone pull my boot heel down a bit so there is a slight air space inside my boot, which gives the impression my heel is down more than it is.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

I started riding English, and drifted westward...until I ended up using an Australian-style saddle. I also started at 50.

FWIW: There are a lot of tradeoffs in riding. I totally agree that heels down is a good thing...provided it doesn't come from bracing against stirrups, or using tension in the leg to force the heel down. A stiff or tense leg forcing a heel lower causes a lot more problems than a relaxed leg with a level heel.

I think the REAL goal is that your weight - whatever isn't being supported by the saddle - flows uninterrupted into the heel. A low heel is a symptom of the excess weight flowing down, and not so much a virtue by itself. I believe a low heel is more functional in jumping, but I don't jump so I won't go there.

How low your heel goes IS limited by your body. My legs are pretty inflexible, which has been good for 40 years of injury-free jogging, but not so good for riding. Riding western, I have the option of moving my legs forward some. In fact, a lot of saddles tend to force my leg forward. A leg that is forward 4 inches will allow the heel lower just because it changes the angle of the lower leg with respect to the ground. If I bring my heel under my hip, it WILL be level (or worse)! But that depends on what style of riding you do.

Over 4.5 years, my heel has gone a bit lower. You can do stretching if you want, but there aren't any short term 'fixes', nor am I certain a fix is needed. Making a conscious effort to lower the heel for more than a few minutes while riding is a bad idea. In my experience, it almost always creates a bigger fault than heels 'too high'. I'd focus on letting the weight flow to your heels, rather than how low your heels go. Do stretching exercises off the horse, if it is important to you.

Do an Internet search for pictures of "endurance horse" or "dressage horse olympic". You won't find many low heels.


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## gottatrot (Jan 9, 2011)

bsms said:


> Do an Internet search for pictures of "endurance horse" or "dressage horse olympic". You won't find many low heels.


For one thing, the endurance stirrups many riders use are too deep to allow for heels down. But there is a consensus in the endurance world that heels that are too low can cause circulation and/or nerve issues in the foot when practiced over many miles. This can cause numbness, tingling or toes that are even colder than they need to be on a winter ride.


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## equitate (Dec 14, 2012)

It very much does matter that the rider is 'feathering' into the heels (elasticity from the joints of the hip/thigh/knee/ankle. WHY do we desire to have the heels lowered? Because only then is the calf 'bulked' so that when (the inside of) it touches the horse it is felt (Try this: flex heel/feel calf/it is filled up, then point toe down/feel calf/it is flaccid, the horse can feel the first, not the second). And why does is the heel not down? Usually because riders are using the heel or back/spine of boot.

In order to get more flexibility, do LOTS of two point. But in the two points all the joints much be flexing, not standing/locking knees/forcing heels down. The body WILL transform (fairly quickly if you spend time on it)...you can also stand on a step and lightly bounce (with all the joints flexing/sorta like soft squats).


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## Horsesdontlie (Mar 11, 2011)

Never bounce to stretch, its a good way to tear something. Coming from a lot of injuries I thought I would put that out. When bouncing you tend to not have as much control how much of your own weight you are slamming onto your tendons, muscles, ect. Standing on a stair then letting your heels SLOWLY stretch down until you hit your limit then hold it for 20s, then take a break, then do it for another 20s, break, again. 

I have short calves because I walked on my toes while I was in my major growing stages as a kid. Weight in my heels means just below level with my heel and that is after a lot of stretching. I had many trainers yell at me to force it down. I started having sharp pains in my ankles, and after I was becoming too sore to walk (in a bad way) I stopped. Years of running has taught me the difference between good and bad soreness, forcing it down and possibly rolling the ankle to make it look like your heels are down do a lot more damage than stretching and just letting your body tell you what you can and can't do.


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## Horsesdontlie (Mar 11, 2011)

For picture examples of what I have managed to accomplish with 2 years of work. (the new one is taken at an angle in which it is looking up, but you still get the point)


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## equitate (Dec 14, 2012)

There is a difference between a light bounce and ballastic/slamming movement....I agree with not doing the later (which can cause injuries). But too many try to force stretching, and that doesn't work.

I like the back outline of the second, but the toes are more correct in the first (keeps the thigh flatter/etc).


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## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

gottatrot said:


> For one thing, the endurance stirrups many riders use are too deep to allow for heels down. But there is a consensus in the endurance world that heels that are too low can cause circulation and/or nerve issues in the foot when practiced over many miles. This can cause numbness, tingling or toes that are even colder than they need to be on a winter ride.


 
True! The wide stirrups we use do makes it difficult to get the exaggerated heels down look, but we have our weight flowing through the backs of our legs never the less. Endurance equitation is all about making it easy for the horses to carry us, and easy for us to ride for hours. No frills. 

I was trained as a jumper, so I still ride a bit like a jumper. I keep my toes pointed slightly out, leg on the horse, heels _down_. That crap hurts after 50 miles. I've had to adapt and learn to ride in a more relaxed way. My toes would be so numb mid way through a ride! I try to keep my toe and heel level. By no means do I balance on my toe, but I also don't put all the weight I can in my heel. 

And everyone called me "hunter princess" for months. :lol:


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## Horsesdontlie (Mar 11, 2011)

equitate said:


> There is a difference between a light bounce and ballastic/slamming movement....I agree with not doing the later (which can cause injuries). But too many try to force stretching, and that doesn't work.
> 
> I like the back outline of the second, but the toes are more correct in the first (keeps the thigh flatter/etc).


I believe at that point it comes to control of the bounce and the muscle to be able to do it lightly and slowly. I won't argue too much as I don't know for sure. I just know that in general bouncing=bad, and have always been taught by professionals to do a steady hold. The main gist I was trying to get across is the same, forcing does not work other than to cause injury.

I could pick apart the flaws in both of them.  I was merely trying to give a representation of the flexibility in my ankle over the past two years. I believe I was trying to apply heel pressure in the bottom pick to try and correct some over bend. I almost always was playing with heel pressure on a tracking right circle to keep him from falling out on that shoulder.


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

I also have the "can't get heels down problem". As for trying to stretch things out, be very careful. I managed to create severe pain in my right ankle simply by standing in the stirrups and allowing the weight to sink down into my heels. My horse was grazing at the time so no movement, bouncing, anything was going on and something still went wrong. One minute all was good, the next I felt a pop, something overflexed down there, and I was in excruciating pain for over 2 weeks. I'm still very guarded about really flexing that heel since it's been tender ever since whenever I try to get that heel down despite the fact that it happened 6 months ago. 

Hopefully heels down is just a finishing step of the rest of the lower leg being in the right position, cuz mine will never me optimum either.


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

Puck, good point - if you're going to stretch your achilles and try to gain more flexibility, do it over time, it won't happen overnight or even within the same week or two. I nearly had the same experience - I felt something pop and there was quite a bit of pain, but it didn't last.. thank goodness. Stretching into heels down has also aggravated my bad knee...


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## hayneigh (Feb 22, 2013)

I've been having the same problem for a while now as well! Stretching might help.


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## heymckate (Nov 23, 2010)

Throwing in my two cents, but I also have very short, tight Achilles tendons.

As a child I was always given grief by various instructors for my poor heels. As an adult I was diagnosed with those short tendons, had surgery on one (BIG mistake), and it's just something I have to live with... and explain to every instructor I run across. 

I agree that over time, your heels will stretch a bit more. But it angers me that some people consider those of us with problematic heels to be less-accomplished riders than those who can naturally flex their heels down to the ground. It unfortunately also puts me at a huge disadvantage in the eq ring. But oh well.. we weren't all created equal.


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## Kayty (Sep 8, 2009)

Don't worry heymckate, it happens with everything in riding. I do t have issues with my heels, but I have very short musculature legs with a significant booty and a tiny waist - possibly the worst body type for a Dressage rider!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## LoveDanceRide (Feb 23, 2013)

As long as your weight is in your heels, then you should be fine. That's the whole point of the "heels down"; it's to keep you balanced in the saddle, especially if your horse trips. Let your trainer know about it and maybe she can help you


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## Corazon Lock (Dec 26, 2011)

I read in Practical Horseman magazine in an article - I THINK it was Rodrigo Pessoa, but maybe not - that your heels should not be crammed down. Instead, toes should be up. The toes up helps with balance, and while it's good to have weight in the heel, the cramming is excessive and does something to your legs, but I don't quite remember what that was...

ANYWAY, TOES UP GUYS!


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