# Keeping feet in stirrups?!?



## corgi (Nov 3, 2009)

I bet that is frustrating! I wish I had an answer for you. Is there any chance she can be cued to lope any other way? My horse will lope/canter with just a "kissing" cue. I make a kissing sound and she goes right into a canter.


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## ligoleth (Sep 9, 2011)

When I try to work on putting my heels down, I visualize little weights in my heels, like a scale. The stirrup is the basethat the scale uses and also as the fulcrum. My heel should be "loaded" and like a scale, sink downward. 

When I first did lessons, the opening the door visual helped me a lot, too! Still does. When cuing, do you apply and leg pressure to go left or right? I never learned (or if I did, I never understood) the use of leg until a year ago when it just clicked. 

Leg is a combination of seat, thigh, calf and heel. An exercise I used to practice turning, or to visualize/feel it more was to just sit in the saddle. I would turn my body like I was looking behind me or so. I could feel the pressure of my outside leg being put to the saddle. I applied that to weaving poles. I would exaggerate my body turning at a walk, so get a feel, and then I applied leg pressure. *

Another leg pressure exercise was to go on and off the rail using only leg pressure. I would start at a walk, and use my leg, no reigning, to move off the rail a couple feet, and then back on. Rinse and repeat.  you might get sore after a while doing that. 


*i don't know if you are going to do anything regarding sharp turns or gymkhana, but my weave work helped me a lot
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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

You shouldn't have to use your heel. You need to be relaxed from the hip down (and up). When you ask for a canter turn your toe out a little and barely move you lower leg back, an inch or two. You are asking with your calf muscle, not your heel. As soon as she canters turn your toe back and move your leg forward to release the pressure in that spot. Try thinking toes up. I don't know why it seems to help, rather than thinking heels down.


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## LeahKathleen (Mar 5, 2009)

It sounds like instead of focusing on keeping your feet in the stirrups after she starts loping, you should be focusing on cueing her without moving your legs quite so much. You really shouldn't be picking your legs up off of your horse to cue her into the next gait.

Have you and your trainer done any stirrup-less work at the walk to trot? I really think the trouble is less with your feet and more with your seat and your legs, and those kind of exercises can really help with that.


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## ligoleth (Sep 9, 2011)

I add heel in there as a thing where if a horse does not respond to my seat, thigh or calf, that I add my heel. 

Just how I was taught.
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## JackieM (Nov 13, 2012)

So when she says roll your heel into her, she doesn't literally mean that? It's just rotating my leg? She keeps telling me to really keep on her...does she just mean stay with the motion? Maybe I'm just taking it all too literally? I do use my legs to steer, but I use them very lightly because she will take me right into the lope if I use too much leg. I can not even say how well she transitions or cues because I'm concentrating on so many other things that I may actually over cue her without thinking. We have not done stirrup-less work, but I may try that in our daily workouts. I know my trainer does this with her because when she gets up on her to show me some things, she does it stirrup-less. I will also try the "toes up" frame of mind. Thank you all so much for your help. I know we will get it and you all have such great advice all of the time that I know this will help! Keep your suggestions coming...It is much appreciated...and yes I am using too much leg to cue the canter...I can feel it the past two day like I did at first with the trot before we got that down.


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## ligoleth (Sep 9, 2011)

I found when I'm cantering, I find it really easy to feel when a horse is about to fall out of gait. When I get that feeling, I squeeze with my legs and push them through. 

I haven't heard the phrase of rolling heels as far as I remember, though, someone else could probably be of better use.


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## LeahKathleen (Mar 5, 2009)

I would be curious to hear what your instructor tells you when you are transitioning into the canter.

Does she notice you picking up your legs and losing your stirrups? If one my my students was losing their stirrups every time they moved into a canter, I would immediately want to work on leg position and seat. I tell my students to "keep on it" when their horse is being lazy and not wanting to move into the next gait, but what that typically means is keep asking until your horse moves. 

You said that she will quickly move into a lope if you use "too much leg" while you're steering with your legs. You also said in your first post that she is a bit lazy and stubborn, and that your instructor has to tell you to "keep on her." Those things seem a bit contradictory to me. To me it sounds like she is sensitive enough to move off leg pressure, but when you are asking her to move into the lope, you aren't asking her correctly (picking your legs up) and she doesn't understand what you're asking her to do, and that makes her seem lazy/stubborn.

I would also be concerned that your instructor isn't giving you any pointers on correcting your aids. :\


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## JackieM (Nov 13, 2012)

My instructor is pretty young...only 19, she is going off to collage this week, so we will be with the barn owner as our instructor. She does not notice my feet coming out as I have to stop her to get my legs back in. I am not off balance, so when I do loose my legs I do not flop all over, but I am afraid of what my bouncing legs will do. My instructor says she's lazy, I'm too new to horses to make that call, as in I do not have much frame of reference. She listens to me and is more willing to transition her gaits when the instructors are not around. She was used as a lesson and show horse for young children (which is why I like her, she does wonders for my 6 year old daughter), and because she is used to listening to the instructors during children lessons she seems to get confused in my lessons whether she should listen to me or my instructor. I ride her out of lessons, so she is used to listening to me often. 
Leah, I agree with your assessment...it is very accurate...she seems to be a less is more horse, but the instructors feel as if she is taking advantage of me and walking all over me, so they want me to keep on her, I just have to realize there is a difference between continuing to "ask" and using too much leg. I will let you all know how it goes tomorrow!


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## LeahKathleen (Mar 5, 2009)

JackieM said:


> She does not notice my feet coming out as I have to stop her to get my legs back in.



This would be a huge red flag to me, and I would bring it up with your new instructor. That is certainly something I would notice if I were teaching a student.

Let us know how it goes.


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

It sounds like you are getting too tense when you canter. This can cause your leg muscles to contract and then you lose your stirrups. Don't lift your leg up for the cue. Just squeeze where they are.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

First of all, OP, I think you are amazingly observant. Your description of the problem and your self awareness of what you were doing and how it was affecting the horse bodes well for your future as a rider.

If you want to use the open/closed door visual, you could do something like this:

Say you want her to canter on a right lead. You will want to have her right shoulder be the open door through which she goes. Your inside hip can encourage that by lifting up a tiny bit, and your outside (left) hip can close the door by pressins a tiny bit harder. This happens when you make the outside leg go longer and a bit heavier against the horse. The whole leg , from hip to calf/heel, closes against the horse. just doing that will actually unweight your inside hip a tiny bit, openning the door for a right lead.

Soon you find that just thinking of your left leg back , just the smallest amount, will cue her into canter. 

And, sit up straight and think of "scooping" her out in front of you.


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## tailskidwest (Jan 8, 2013)

First make sure your stirrup length is adjusted properly. Ride with your weight divided in thirds .... 1/3 seat, 1/3 in each stirrup. As a fairly new rider, you will need to strengthen your legs and improve your balance. You can do this by riding standing up. First at the walk. Its ok to place your hands on either side of the horse's neck to help your balance, but the goal is to ride with out your hands on the horse's neck. This will improve both leg and core strength, both needed for balance. Just do not use the reins and horse's mouth to help your balance. Advance to the trot then lope when you're cofortable. This exercise will help you get control of your legs/feet.


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## JackieM (Nov 13, 2012)

I really focused on my legs this week and am convinced that I am not keeping my heels down and I'm tensing up therefore shortening my legs. As I've been focusing on keeping my heels down I realize I never have as I can feel the burn and now I know I need to strengthen my legs...thanks for the standing and riding tip, I like the standing on the edge of a step idea too!
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## LeahKathleen (Mar 5, 2009)

That's awesome. Anyone who has ever said that horseback riding isn't a sport has never really ridden a horse properly. 

I agree with tinyliny that you have a great future ahead of you in horsemanship. You're very observant and willing to make changes when you realize that something you're doing isn't working. You'd be surprised how many people come to this forum with an issue and argue with the members who are offering advice.

This is really one of the best horse communities I've found on the internet. There is an absolute wealth of knowledge here, and it's a great place to learn. I noticed your status is that you're "doing as much research as possible as to be a good horse owner in the future," and I think that is great. Welcome to the community. I hope you stick around!


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## JackieM (Nov 13, 2012)

Thank you everyone, I no longer have an issue with my feet, I needed to sit more mid saddle (I was sitting too far back) and pushing my feet too forward, now I just have to remember to breathe and sit mid saddle so I do not fall behind the lope and cause her to speed up.


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## TBforever (Jan 26, 2013)

i know from my experiance, that if my styrups are the right length my heels automatically stay down, and my feet stay in the styrips, if ur putting pressure on ur heels that means ur balancing off ur feet, you need to relax from hip down and flow with the horses movement, try not to worry what ur feet r doing, as when u focus on them you'll find thats when everything else goes off key,

i relised i focused on keeping my heels down so much that i wasnt worrying about my arms and they were bouncing around LOL, if i focus on 1 thing, im not focusing on anything else which i need to be.

sitting the trot i find my feet come out, balance is the key if ur feet come out, if ur feet have come out, u lost balance before that


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