At 18:46:06 on 18.07.10, xXSuperSonicGinaXx wrote:
Looking back at my riding videos i notice my legs move ALOT whilst im trotting and cantering! all my friends who ride have really still legs and i dont know what i can do to keep my legs still =S my instructor hasnt said anything but i want to look a little bit more like my friend whilst riding, they always seem to elegant (unless they're sprawled out on the floor ofcourse)

At 22:08:39 on 18.07.10, Angelalain wrote:
Work without stirrups is what you need. If your legs swing about you are probably putting your weight too much into your stirrups and relying on them. If you watch young children( I mean 5-8yrs approx) jumping they tend to do this, They stand in their stirrups to go forward for the jump, and the pony jumps underneath them. It doesn't take much to shoot them off the top. They have not developed 'a seat'. I was always told when I was younger (many years ago!!!) that I had a better seat without stirrups than I did with, I sat into the horse better, to this day if I am on a horse who is messing about I have a tendancy to quit my stirrrups, people think I'm mad, but its a habit I never got out of. Does your instructor make you ride with no stirrups? If not, ask to do it.

At 04:33:50 on 19.07.10, kibby wrote:
I do that.. If i can get the horse to work properly.. feet out, sit trot! hurts like crazy after a long time but it works..

At 04:37:48 on 19.07.10, kibby wrote:
oh and cantering two point helps..

At 12:19:27 on 19.07.10, Flicka wrote:
I agree with angelalain about riding without stirrups, it's great for getting you to sit deeper in the saddle and lengthen your leg. Lunge lessons without stirrups are good to start with. Your lower leg needs to be further back and your balance is probably off centre which is making your leg swing. You really need a good instructor who is very body aware so she can get you to play around with moving or relaxing different parts of your body as I find when one part is stuck then the other moves too much.

At 13:32:59 on 19.07.10, kibby wrote:
a good saddle can help too.. i had a saddle that sat me rather unbalanced.. my leg was horrid.. changed into a better one and it improved, and kept improving with work

At 18:36:23 on 19.07.10, xXSuperSonicGinaXx wrote:
Thanks for the advise =] i really appreciate it, my instructer makes us do sitting trot for a small amouse of time but we dont have our stirrups fully taken away, we just keep our feet it them :s my old instructor used to cross the stirrups over the horse's withers and make me do stirrupless work for about half an hour, going over trotting polls and such to help with my balance but he left then i changed stables, also i'd like advise on how to keep a lazy horse going? i kick and kick and kick until my legs ache, i use the whip and cluck as encouragement and when it gets to the point of frustration i even yell but nothing seems to work, take yesterday for example: new instructor, the horse just wasnt listening and i couldnt get him to do anything properly, it was so embarrasing and frustrating i just wanted to cry(i did later on when i go home i was that upset) so any advise on that?

At 22:09:43 on 19.07.10, Em28 wrote:
Oh no poor you, sounds like you have been really frustrated. Seems like your instructor isn't helping you, everyone has different learning styles and sometimes even the best instructor in the area may not be helpful to you and your horses needs, you shouldn't be left feeling like that. I would really suggest trying out a different one. Also, I think the majority of instructors would know the benefit of doing no stirrup work to improve the seat, so seems a bit strange you haven't done that. I agree with everyone about the no stirrup work, certainly helps with your seat and balance. The horse I ride can be quite lazy in the school. I use my legs and if he doesn't respond after the first 2x I would use the schooling whip as a back up. When I first rode him I would have an annoying habit of using my legs loads, little squeezes every few strides and trying to push him forwards from my seat, especially in canter! (which would also ruin my position). But he now responds so much better, it is good for him as he doesn't have me annoying him all the time and I can sit quietly. Another thing I do is ensure my thighs and legs are on his sides in contact. If they are loose hanging down he will stop as he gets confused.

At 08:39:28 on 20.07.10, LadyJennivieve wrote:
My instructor recommends I don't ride without stirrups, but she does this exercise where you have to ride sitting trot and canter and take your legs away from the horse's sides (from the hips). You really know you aren't hanging on anywhere then!

At 09:09:45 on 20.07.10, Flicka wrote:
Yes, that's a good exercise to do, with or without stirrups and also try rotating your ankles, really focusing up to your hip joint. This one of lazy school horses is a difficult one and I can imagine how frustrated you felt :( These ponies and horses get kicked and kicked and just switch off. The easy thing for them is to use as little energy as possible. The trouble is, riders often kick to go, the horse goes and the rider keeps kicking so the horse has no reward for what they have done. You need to give a positive aid and as soon as there is a try from the horse,even a small one, take the pressure of the aid away. Remember if you use a whip, don't tickle the horse, just one sharp smack and as soon as there is a response, don't kick or smack until he stops again. Allow the horse to make the mistake of breaking down to a slower pace, say from trot to walk and then ask again rather than keep trying to keep the trot going at every stride-does that make sense? So squeeze, no response, kick, no response, sharp smack, then when he responds don't keep kicking, and tell him he's a good boy. Look where you want to go and project your energy too. Good Luck!!!!!