# Stirrup length, losing stirrups and knee pain D:



## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

It sounds like you're pinching your knees and not letting that weight travel down the inside of your leg. Try stretching your legs down more.. 

If your stirrups feel too short, they could be. Can't know without a picture.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

English or Western?

Riding western, if I'm on Trooper, I need to shorten my stirrups a hole if I'm planning on cantering. I normally ride with very long stirrups, so one hole shorter is still not short. On Cowboy, it doesn't matter - he has a very smooth canter.

Knee pain makes it sound like you're either holding with your knees, or forcing your toes forward. If you are pinching with your knees, try making a conscious effort to shove your knees apart when riding, and particularly at a canter.


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

My knees end up hurting for two reasons. First is to short of a stirrup, I need my stirrups so long that I can barely clear the saddle when I stand up in them. Anything shorter then that and my knee will start killing me in 20-30 minutes. Second, I tend to get sloppy and put all my weight in the right stirrup when not paying attention. That sloppiness will also get me hurting in 20-30 minutes.


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## LovesMyDunnBoy (Aug 11, 2011)

See, I'm almost sure my knee pain is from to short of stirrups. Because when I ride bareback, no pain at all. And then that means I can shorten them for canter...I will try aand relax my knees next time so I don't pinch. But the problem now is that I don't have a saddle. I tried cantering for the first time on my friends horse as I didn't trrust my own. I was using my saddle because they don't have one. I sold my horse, annd her saddle went with (western btw) is it possible to learn to canter bareback? I cant walk and trot bareback with no issues.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

LovesMyDunnBoy said:


> See, I'm almost sure my knee pain is from to short of stirrups. Because when I ride bareback, no pain at all. And then that means I can shorten them for canter...I will try aand relax my knees next time so I don't pinch. But the problem now is that I don't have a saddle. I tried cantering for the first time on my friends horse as I didn't trrust my own. I was using my saddle because they don't have one. I sold my horse, annd her saddle went with (western btw) is it possible to learn to canter bareback? I cant walk and trot bareback with no issues.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Yes actually if you can trot bareback you can probably canter bareback as the motion is usually smoother. 

You could also be putting too much stress into the stirrups and locking your ankle.. which would hurt your knees as well.


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## mildot (Oct 18, 2011)

Did you try lengthening the stirrups? IIRC, stirrup length is adjustable on most (all?) western saddles.


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## LovesMyDunnBoy (Aug 11, 2011)

I have tried that but unless they are so long that I have to hang on with my toes, and I can't keep my heels down. So maybe it is locking my ankles or something then, how do I not do that??
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

LovesMyDunnBoy said:


> I have tried that but unless they are so long that I have to hang on with my toes, and I can't keep my heels down. So maybe it is locking my ankles or something then, how do I not do that??
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Instead of pushing your feet down, stretch your leg down. I learned by watching someone better at riding than I riding without stirrups. Now my sitting trot is 100% better, still not perfect but getting there. 

Kind of like you've got elastic running down the middle of your leg to your heel.. stretch that elastic down.


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

LovesMyDunnBoy said:


> I have tried that but unless they are so long that I have to hang on with my toes, and I can't keep my heels down. So maybe it is locking my ankles or something then, how do I not do that??
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


I gave up on having short enough stirrups for heels down, it was that or give up riding due to knee pain.


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## mildot (Oct 18, 2011)

I think you are tensing up when putting your feet in the stirrups. That tension keeps your weight from flowing down past your hips, knees, and calves down to the balls of your feet. 

It is weight on the balls of your feet, not heels being down, that keeps you from losing your stirrups. Watch competent western and dressage riders. Their heels are either level with the rest of the foot or very slightly below, yet they don't lose stirrups.

Heels down is just the by product of letting your weight flow down to the balls of your feet and having the stirrups in a shorter length for jumping, galloping, or cross country riding.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

Another thing you can try is putting your feet further into the stirrups. That makes it hard to force your heels down, since weight in the stirrups is just weight at the end of your leg. Because there is more foot sticking out the other end, the stirrup is less likely to slide off even if you bounce a little.

Some say this is very dangerous - that it makes your foot more likely to be cause in the stirrup in a fall. However, it is often done by steeplechase riders, polo players, cutters, and bronc busters. IMHO, I feel I am less likely to have a foot caught in a stirrup since I'm less likely to point my toes down trying to retain the stirrup when things go wrong.

If I don't reach with my leg, then I don't put as much pressure on my knees or ankle. It is something you can consider...as I said, many think it is dangerous.

Below is a picture of Gen Patton riding, and it shows the position I use (in western stirrups):










My position:


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