anything to prevent this?

(I think this is where this is supposed to go)

Lately while riding I've keep getting cramps in my lower leg when I try to put my heel down or keep it down for a while.
At first it was nothing that didn't bother me so I'd ignore it, but now it's getting to the point where it's making it hard for me to keep my heels down as far as I should be.

It doesn't happen all the time...mainly it happens when we are trotting, cantering, or doing leg-yielding. But not all the time...I'd say maybe 75% of the time.

What can I do to try to prevent this from happening or to help it from coming back as much as it does?

Calf stretches!! Put the front of your foot on a wall, and leave your heel on the floor and then lean forward and push down, you should feel it in your calf........ or you can be in the push-up position and put one foot ontop of the other ankle, and put the bottom foot's heel on the ground, you might have to adjust to feel the stretch.......or you can stand by a wall about 3 feet away, and then push on it, move one leg about a foot away and bend your knee, and you should feel that in the calf of the unbent leg.......

Also do calf raises..... stand on a ledge with the balls of your feet and then go down lower than the top of the ledge and then raise up.....

Hope that helps!

I've been doing those, and I don't get the cramps then..it's ONLY when I'm in a saddle (I've tried 10 different saddles and it happens in all). I have weak ankles which doesn't help, but it just started maybe early this month

It shouldn't cramp while your stretching..... but i'm just saying you should do a bunch of those stretches before you ride..... that should help

My mom is best for the one liners

"Eat a banana." Really that does help. When I was in Marching Band, after the first week of band camp......HOLY......COW(no pun intended). It would hurt to walk. Eating a banana a day would help. I don't know why. I'll ask mom.

Ok, it sounds weird, but at my school, when you get cramps and before you think you will we drink pickle juice!! Haha, but if your not into that, gatorade works just fine

Bananas are high in potatassium, if you're lacking it can result in muscle cramps. I don't know if that's your problem but you could try it! Are your legs in the correct position? Have you been working your legs more strenuously then normal? Ouch, 75% is a lot...

Yes my legs are in the correct position. And I haven't been working my legs more than normal.

I'll have to use gatoraide cause I hate pickles...and I'll also try bananas

More exercise. Its normal for your legs to feel that way

Are you pushing your heels down as hard as you can? Or are you allowing them to just stretch down? I find that if I force my heels down (1. It makes them very stiff) my ankles start to ache and my pinky toe goes numb! I think it stops the blood flow or something. I wonder if you're doing something with your leg that's affecting the blood flow. Or a nutritional thing (like a lack of potassium, Orange Juice also has a lot btw).