[Nero1246]

I haven't been able to ride all winter due to bad weather and complications with my horses health. Recently I had a lesson (on a different horse) to touch up on any forgotten skills.
A big problem I noticed was that in the trot my leg moved around a lot. My instructor said this was because I was riding a tiny (under 13hh) pony who was extremely narrow compared to my 16.3hh stb.
Despite this I would still like to improve the my leg position.
Does any one know of leg exercises I can do off/on the horse?

 

[TXhorseman]

This issue has more to do with balance than leg strength or size of the horse. It may also be partly due to tense muscles. For example, many people tense the muscles in the area of their crotch when doing a sitting trot. This lifts the rider's body up from the saddle and makes the rider more unstable. Whether sitting or posting, a lower center of gravity always makes for greater stability in the rider.

Try to release any unnecessary tension in the muscles throughout your body. When muscles are tense, it takes more effort for flexing muscles to overcome the tension of the extending muscles. The opposite is also true. Also, when muscles are tense, reaction time is slower.

 

[clwhizy]

I would suggest riding at a trot without stirrups and see if that helps. I find its a great leg workout, and helps with balance.

 

[MillenniumEquestrian]

No stirrups, no stirrups, no stirrups! This is going to help your seat, leg position and riding overall. You will have no choice but to relax your seat, keep your leg underneath you or you are going to bounce right off! Start with no stirrups at the walk, then proceed to the sitting trot, then the posting trot and then when you feel secure enough, the canter! I try to ride minimum twice a week without stirrups to keep my seat secure and ensure I am not overly relying on my stirrups.

Off the ground, I would suggest doing exercises that strengthen your thighs/legs overall (Squats, lunges, etc..) and ensure you are doing lots of stretching for your hip flexors! For us riders, the hip flexors are the first thing to get tight which can in turn cause tenseness throughout the hip and lower leg which causes these parts of our body to be less effective when riding!

 

[BearPony]

A lot of time in two point (especially at the trot) will help improve both your balance and your lower leg - but no pinching at the knee