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My Legs = Epic Fail! Haha HELP!

4K views 13 replies 12 participants last post by  Aliboo 
#1 ·
I cannot for the life of me keep my legs where they are supposed to go while I ride! I'll get em perfect then there they go, sliding forward and forward and forward. I think it might have something to do with my leg strength, so any tips for keeping my legs back and toes in or strengthening exercises?
 
#2 ·
My leg used to wiggle so far forward I'd be kicking my pony in the shoulder all the time. :-x

I found trotting around with no stirrups helped alot. I also walked around with five pound weights around my ankles alot, it helped gain a bit more muscle but nothing extraordinary.
I don't know if this is helpfull to you at all but I hope it is lol :wink:
 
#3 ·
Yeah, mine just slip forward and forward. My instructor said we'd be doing A LOT of work without stirrups next week so that'll probably help. She said if I can find a horse to ride bareback too that'll help with my muscles.
 
#4 ·
I'm sure theres lots more you can do. Just remember muscle takes time to build so results may take a bit. Try to stick to one or two things at a time for atleast a few weeks to see how your improving, and then try new things from there.
 
#7 ·
Yep, no stirrups is the way to go and if you can, riding bareback is even better. Depending on your ability, riding bareback will really help you familiarise with what 'feels' correct in regards to your leg placement. You can then familiarise yourself with how correct feels, for when you're back riding in a saddle. - Goodluck :D
 
#8 ·
I have that same problem. And nobody told me until I watched myself on video a few days ago! :-x Riding without stirrups helps. I think it also depends on the saddle. My legs look a lot better when I'm riding Aussie, but they always slip forward in English. It's weird.
 
#10 ·
When legs slip forward, there is a balance problem. Im not saying that you are a bad rider by any means! Have someone video tape you when you ride and then go home and watch yourself ride. Figure out at which point your legs slip and think about a way that would be easy for you to fix it. If it is a balance problem, work on posting without stirrups. This increases leg strength and your balance. You will be sore, but it helps a lot. I used to do this for 10 minutes straight and Im a barrel racer and now I no longer need the horn to keep myself balanced. I have both hands on the reins at all times when I run. I hope this helps, it worked wonders for me.
 
#11 ·
I had the opposite problem... my legs always want to go too far BACK :lol:

My instructor would have me stand in the saddle allot, for instance standing for three beats at the trot, or "posting" at the canter, or seeing how many strides I could remain standing at the canter. It REALLY helped with my position and balance, the better it got, the easier it was to remain standing and balanced. I saw major improvement. I'm not sure if this would work for having your legs too far forward, but if it is balance issue... well it certainly helped my balance!

I also agree with what everyone said about building up muscles by not using stirrups. :)
 
#12 ·
Ride without stirrups or bareback with your toes pointed up. Have someone watch you and yell at you whenever your legs go back or toes go down. Do lots of walking and trotting, and if you can, canter too. Do patterns and transitions, to help improve your balance and muscle.

Use an exercise bike or bicycle, making sure the seat is a bit high and your heels are down.

Walk your neighborhood or on a treadmill. For 10 steps every few minutes, let your legs go back as far as they can, until you can really feel a stretch at your upper thigh/pelvis area, before bringing your leg forward again. Shoulders up and back, lower back relaxed (NOT arched), and don't over-stretch. You want to just feel it.

When you're in the saddle with stirrups, do NOT brace your leg against the stirrup. You want to relax your heel straight down. Picture your legs like deep tree roots, reaching down to the dirt. Another visualization is thinking about your legs being filled with ice cream and it melting and dripping straight down the back of your heel. Feel your leg weight relax, relax, relax straight down through your heel. Feel your hip open up, so your leg hangs straight down from your pelvis.
 
#13 ·
If you have someone to lounge you this will help..also when your warming up drop you legs out of your stirrups and stretch your leges down make circles with you feet...and pull your leg back from the hip not your knee....my legs were really bad for a while and i developed a bad chair seat i did alot of work with out stirrups and worked on relaxing my leg and not gripping sitting trot work helped to and also i worked on my upper body making sure i was sitting up nice and tall....now I get lots of compliments on my lower leg it makes you feel good when you can work through your problems be patient it will come let us know how your doing and lose those stirrups for a few weeks! And believe me I feel your pain!
ps I almost forgot make sure your stirrups arent too short i exagerated my stirrup length and droped them a hole or too and when i put them back to where they should be it was ALOT easier to keep my lower leg where it belonged! My trainer tortured me for weeks with this and it was really hard at first but it helped me open my hips and pull my leg back from there and that is where your problem most likely originates from
 
#14 ·
well it could help to practice riding bareback, or wrapping your legs around the horse, getting a really good feel. practice using your leg is a more primary aid. and try different stirrup lengths, or ride with no stirrups at all!
 
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