# why keep heels down?



## serafina (May 5, 2011)

I just started taking hunt seat lessons this spring, and I know that I am supposed to keep my heels down, but I am not sure why. I know this is Point One that gets drilled into any new English rider's head, and I am sure there are really good reasons for it...but I have no idea what they are.

Insights from you more experienced folk?


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## ErikaLynn (Aug 3, 2010)

If you heal is down, you have less of chance falling off. It helps keeps your leg in the correct place on the horse.


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## Zeke (Jun 27, 2010)

If your toes are the ones pointed down your upper body will be pulled forward and down as well, understandably if you're pulled forward you are not in the correct position and you are also off balance. 

That's a general explination but it's the main reason I know of.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## AislingxXx1234 (Sep 2, 2010)

This is actaully a super hard question! I've never really thought about it before but I'll give it a go 
When you're riding you want a straight line from shoulder, to hip, to heel. This creates a low centre of balance. This gives you maximum security in the saddle thus creating better chances of staying on if things go bad. If your heels are up, usually you are gripping with your knees. This means you are not secure in the saddle (especaily over fences this is noticable). To compensate for the lack of security in your leg, your shoulders/upper body come forward to try to balance yourself. 
Basically, it not only looks nice, but also makes you a more secure, therefore more effective rider.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

I'd give a couple of reasons:

1 - It makes the foot less likely to slip thru the stirrup.

2 -Toes down means you are grasping for the stirrup, and it is tough to do that with a relaxed leg. FWIW, I tend to think of heels down as toes up, because toes up help me keep a relaxed leg.

Heels down is not a hard and fast rule. Some people's ankles just don't have much give. If getting the heel down creates tension in your leg, then it may not be worth it. And I don't do jumping, so it may all be different if you jump.


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## BlondieHorseChic (May 6, 2011)

Its very important to keep heels down, especially in huntseat because if your weight isn't in your heels you begin to be more forward, sometimes so forward you fall onto your horses neck or worse, on the ground.


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## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

I haven't ridden hunt seat in ages, but even as a western rider the same basic principles apply. The best explanation I've heard was as a kid. Your heels are your anchor. A solid anchor steadies the boat and can keep it in place even in choppy water. It's a silly reference but it made sense at 5 and still makes sense at 30.


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## serafina (May 5, 2011)

Thanks, everyone! This makes a lot of sense - especially about the balance.

My instructor did also say to think about it as pressing the top (not the tip) of my toe up against the top of my boot. That actually helped me a lot, because my calves are definitely pretty tight!


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## BlondieHorseChic (May 6, 2011)

*heels down*

Im going to try posting again, my last one had alot of symbols.
If your heels are not down you get to be to forward since your weight is not in your heels. you may end up falling on to your horses neck or onto the ground.


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## CecilliaB (Jan 21, 2010)

Stand on your toes and have someone push you and see what happens....
Then stand and push your heals toward the ground and have someone push you and see what happens


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## twogeldings (Aug 11, 2008)

Balance, balance, balance, and safety. If you have your foot straight, you have a bigger chance of getting hung up on the stirrup. A well-trained rider will really only have his toes, or the ball of his/her foot in the stirrup. 
If your unable to push your heel down (Western riders!) then your stirrups are to long. I noticed that on my Western saddle, on my Aussie, I have such amazing balance because the stirrups are *perfect*. 

If your horse bucks, you can clench those legs and stick more like velcro instead of ending up on your teakettle


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## Zeke (Jun 27, 2010)

Western saddles have adjustable stirrups to ya know  I have my heels down when riding western. Granted, it's not the same extent as in h/j....dressage riders also ride with only a small incline to their toes. The long leg helps with balance I've found as long as you are not reaching down to your stirrups with your toes, they should rest easily there with a slight bend to the knee.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Horsesdontlie (Mar 11, 2011)

It tends to bother me when people thinking that the heels far down is needed while riding english. I had trainer once that punished everyone in my lessons again and again because I could not get my heels down. When I finally managed to make it look like my heels were down I was in excruciating pain and it brought back my shin splints with a vengeance because I was rolling my ankle and forcing my heels down. But my coach was happy with it because it 'looked right'. Truthfully I have very short muscles and tendons, and with multiple Track injuries I was not flexible as everyone else.

The importance (I later learned after ditching the instructor) is having your WEIGHT in your stirrups. You do not want to be pushing with your toes but more of resting and relaxing through the stirrups while using them as a support. My heels tend to be horizontal or a tiny bot below the horizontal, but that is where my physical body will let me be. I am secure and balanced in line with my ear,hip,heel perspective. What it should look like is if you put the ball of your foot on a step and let the rest of your foot and heel hang over and relax, whatever position your ankle takes is one similar to the look in the saddle.

An exercise to show you why having you weight in your heels is important is sit on the back of a horse, let your heels be up and have someone pull your reins forward towards the horses head, mimicking if the horse threw its head or put it down to buck. You will find yourself on your horses neck and there is little you can do about it. Then put your weight in your heels and have the person pull, you will find that you have better balance and security to hold yourself up in that instance.


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

Ever watch Fred Flinstone stop his car? See how it makes his upper body stay back instead of tip forward? If your horse jumps a jump awkwardly, and your heels are down like Fred Flinstone, you'll still be over your center of gravity and not on your horse's neck. It just gives you a solid base of support.


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## jrcci (Apr 28, 2011)

when you put your heels down you drop all of your weight into your legs. you want your weight in your legs so that you are not heavy on the horses front end. also your heels are your main point of balance. if your heels are down you dont fall forward or fall behind.


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## CJ82Sky (Dec 19, 2008)

your ankles are your shock absorbers on your horse, so they need to be soft and relaxed. if they are forced down that is just as bad as if they are up and you are using your ankle to brace in the stirrups. you want your heels down and lower leg soft and relaxed yet engaged. it is simply impossible to grip enough to stay on a horse - you stay on by keeping your center of gravity over your horse's center of gravity. 

if you look at pictures of where a horse's center of gravity is and line it up with the rider it makes a lot of sense.

heels down is about soft, not forced, to allow your body to to balance with the horse and move the horse and transfer the shock of movement through the ankle. watch a jumper on landing or dressage rider when doing a test - their ankles take the "bounce" - most people think heels down is correct, when rather ankles soft and stirrup on ball of foot is correct which due to physics and leverage means your heel will be down but able to flex with movement of the horse.


oh and when i say watch a jumper on landing - i mean any decent rider haha and landing bc i've seen riders have their legs slip back (even gp riders) but on landing their leg is under them and they flex through their ankles to absorb the shock of landing the way the horse's fetlocks flex. if you tried gripping, you'd slam the horse in the back. hope that helps!


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## HunterGirl99 (May 22, 2011)

It keeps your position ALOT more solid. Many hunter trainers do drill this because it is soso important. If your heel isnt down the more likely you will get off balanced and your horse will also. This can cause you to even fall off while clearing a fence! Also to me it seems keeping my heel down is more comfortable than not keeping it down.


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