# Does anyone ride with a saddle and no stirrups?



## kevinshorses (Aug 15, 2009)

If you adjust your stirrups properly you should be able to focus on your balance and control just as well with your feet in the stirrups as out of them.


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## Ink (Sep 25, 2009)

There are definitely benefits to riding without stirrups on occasion. It can help you improve you seat and balance, and it can help prevent you from becoming overly dependent on them. I've found it's especially useful for people who have developed a habit of bracing their feet against the stirrups. If you take the stirrups away they can get used to sinking their weight down into their heels instead of the ball of their foot.

If I'm planning on going an entire ride without stirrups, I like to take the stirrups off the saddle so they aren't banging on the horse's side the whole time. 

I'm guessing the saddle you were using had the stirrups set on the top hole and they were still too long. In that situation, I think you did the right thing. It's better to ditch the stirrups than to mess up your position by trying to reach for them the whole ride. However, riding with stirrups also has its advantages, and I think if you're planning on continuing to use that saddle, you should look into getting some more holes punched in it so you can adjust your stirrups correctly.


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

INk is right. UNLESS you are already a practicing athlete in competition (like at the collegiate level) you'll have trouble learning to ride without stirrups at this stage. It's a good thing to do in every lesson, but when I taught, my students didn't kick off their stirrups until they'd been riding with me for awhile, and even then, they rode without stirrups at the walk, initially. Right now, I have a "pony club" of two 14 yo girls who help me train on the weekends. One girl has been fighting a chair seat, and I have her ride for the first hour on an English saddle without stirrups--she uses a mounting block, but still has to lay across the saddle to get on. HOWEVER, she rides my 13yo, very safe mare with a long-shanked curb bit for control. You could be hurt if you don't have the strength to stay on, and I think I'd be discouraged bc you won't be making progress as quickly as the rest of your class. I had a youth western saddle for my lessons. A youth saddle would fit you and you'd have stirrups that fit--see if they could find one for you.


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## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

First off, adjust your stirrups to the proper length 

Secondly, riding without stirrups is a good way to test your balance. Sometimes I do it as an excerize to help my seat, a lot of times after I'm done working my horse on a normal session I'll take the saddle off completely and ride bareback for awhile. I noticed that since I had been doing this I have excellent leg muscle now.


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## tbstorm (Dec 16, 2010)

i do it but i dont compete or anything its only when im lazy and out on trail i loop them over the horn and go. I have found that it has helped my seat and balance greatly, in saying that i wouldn't adios your stirrups forever!


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## Iseul (Mar 8, 2010)

For me, no stirrups means I'm out relaxing on the trail (or heading to the trail). If I don't know the horse as well (I'll ride Lucky stirrupless in a heartbeat, but never would I have ridden Fancy without them) I'm more inclined to leave them onthe saddle so I can slip them back on over creeks, bridges, etc where they might jump or freak without me knowing that they plan to.
I have kicked my stirrups to the curb during a barrel pattern though. I ride with oversized stirrups so that I don't get my feet caught up since they're too snug and catch in regular stirrups, but that also means that they occasionally get away from my feet. I don't use my stirrups for balance or anything (unless we have a tantrum or such), so if one comes off or I'm fighting to keep my foot in during a run, it's much easier to just kick them off and go. 

Two show seasons ago before I started showing I got tired of just sitting the trot while the rest of the people at the barn posted, so I ended up taking my stirrups off and trotted around for ages to try and get a good posting trot without pushing off my stirrups. My BO actually complimented me on my post and was surprised when I told her I didn't use my stirrups to post. 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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