Dropping/riding without stirrups - how do you do it?

[thehorsedream]

I want to improve my balance and muscles my making myself ride without my stirrups for a bit. I’m hoping to get up to 20 minutes once a week. I did this yesterday when I rode.

However, I have always had a problem of the stirrup leathers rub in against my inner thighs when posing. I’ve never been able to get them to a perfect position. I usually just ignore this but I really dislike rubbing my legs into soreness.

How do you all do it? Is there a special way you have to cross the stirrups over the whithers to stop this? Do you just remove the leathers when you are riding without stirrups?

[tbchick84]

I had the same problem when I crossed the stirrups over, so now I just let them hang. It works much better assuming your horse has no objections.

[Alex_and_Bodie_s_Mom]

I prefer to remove the stirrups if I’m going to work without them, even if just for 15 minutes. It’s just easier than dealing with the banging stirrups. But I can say that I don’t think I’ve ever had the leathers rub my legs - mostly it’s the stirrups that hit my legs and interfere.

[NoSuchPerson]

Removing the leathers is easiest if you’re going to ride that way for more than 5-10 minutes.

But, if you pull the buckle down, like you’re going to change your stirrup length, then swing the leathers forward, smoothing them as flat against the saddle as you can and keeping the outside (the side of the stirrup leather that would be against your leg) always on the outside as you lay the stirrup over the horse’s neck, you can usually get the leather to lay pretty flat under your thigh.

And I know that description probably makes no sense and you can’t visualize what I’m trying to describe, but I’m not sure how to describe it any better. Sorry.

[saultgirl]

[QUOTE=NoSuchPerson;8708086]
Removing the leathers is easiest if you’re going to ride that way for more than 5-10 minutes.

But, if you pull the buckle down, like you’re going to change your stirrup length, then swing the leathers forward, smoothing them as flat against the saddle as you can and keeping the outside (the side of the stirrup leather that would be against your leg) always on the outside as you lay the stirrup over the horse’s neck, you can usually get the leather to lay pretty flat under your thigh.

And I know that description probably makes no sense and you can’t visualize what I’m trying to describe, but I’m not sure how to describe it any better. Sorry.[/QUOTE]

I do exactly as you have described – unless I’m just going to let them hang because I can’t really go for more than about 5 minutes wihtout them anyways

[thehorsedream]

I have always done the pull the buckle down method. But I think I twist them so the inside is on the outside. I’ll try that next time.

Do you think synthetic leathers could be the problem? I’ve always had a synthetic saddle due to budget issues.

[copper1]

Riding without stirrups will not be as productive if you do not maintain a good leg position and that can be hard to check if you are on your own. if you leave your stirrups hang, “trap” the stirrup between your foot and the horse’s side. If your stirrup is flapping around and hitting you then you know your leg is out of position.

[the_rook]

Perhaps the synthetic leathers are a bit thicker than real leather ones and it’s causing more bulk? You could also try taking them off for the last 5-20 min of your ride so then you don’t have to worry about putting them back on until you dismount? I usually just let them hang unless I will be working the whole time without stirrups, but I’m pretty lazy these days and don’t do a lot of either :lol:

[Angela_Freda]

[QUOTE=thehorsedream;8708040]
I want to improve my balance and muscles my making myself ride without my stirrups for a bit. I’m hoping to get up to 20 minutes once a week. I did this yesterday when I rode.

However, I have always had a problem of the stirrup leathers rub in against my inner thighs when posing. I’ve never been able to get them to a perfect position. I usually just ignore this but I really dislike rubbing my legs into soreness.

How do you all do it? Is there a special way you have to cross the stirrups over the whithers to stop this? Do you just remove the leathers when you are riding without stirrups?[/QUOTE]

Leave them hanging… there’s no more bulk that way than with your feet in the stirrups and therefore should not be a greater risk or rubbing thighs with or without stirrups.

I am wondering, if you are getting rubs when you post without stirrups does this mean you are posting differently with stirrups compared to without? I would think so…?

[OldLadyYoungOTTB]

I was also wondering about leg position. My trainer has me do a lot of one-stirrup drills before doing no-stirrups, which really seemed to help me. Going from 2 stirrups to none seemed impossible at first. The stirrups bang against my feet, but I’ve never felt the leathers. That being said, I don’t think I’ve ever rode w/out stirrups for more than 10 minutes.

[Wayside]

I’ve had a few horses that didn’t mind the banging, but my last mare didn’t like it so I would just pull the leathers off the saddle.

[charismaryllis]

another vote for pulling the leathers off. so much easier to post and get your position right without them banging around or wadding up under the pommel flaps.

[ReSomething]

I don’t even know if I can remember how to do this to describe it but we were taught to twist the top leather and fold over the top of the saddle and bring the bottom leather over that and repeat on the other side. Maybe we brought the buckle down a bit but I don’t really remember that because we would have had to align them back again and I don’t recall doing that.
I can see I am going to practicing this in the evening.

[thehorsedream]

[QUOTE=Angela Freda;8708307]
Leave them hanging… there’s no more bulk that way than with your feet in the stirrups and therefore should not be a greater risk or rubbing thighs with or without stirrups.

I am wondering, if you are getting rubs when you post without stirrups does this mean you are posting differently with stirrups compared to without? I would think so…?[/QUOTE]

Quite possibly. I know I’m thinking more about the saddle than how I’m actually doing at times. I think what may be happening is that I get jostled a bit out of position, rub and then I overcompensate to avoid the rubbing and everything just compounds from there.

[Angela_Freda]

Maybe post without stirrups at the walk a bit…? My last Hunter instr. had us post at the walk w/o stirrups for one trip around the ring/arena.
Once you can do that perhaps your balance and mechanics will be better?

[RockstarPony]

My guess is that the synthetic stirrup leathers are a bit stiffer and won’t lay flat like some leathers will. When I was riding 5-6 days a week I usually did at least one day completely without stirrups, and I always had the same problem with getting rubs during posting trot. I was usually in the ring with one trainer or another, so I don’t think it was a biomechanics problem – probably just a combination of smallish saddle fit and stiff leathers. I usually ended up pulling the stirrups off if I wanted to do a lot of trot work.

[PNWjumper]

Yes, I think synthetic stirrup leathers could easily be the primary issue.

I vote for letting the stirrups hang. They shouldn’t be “banging around” if your leg is relatively stable. And if they are hitting your foot (I do half of my rides on 2 of my horses without stirrups and with the stirrups just hanging, and my stirrups will hit the top of my foot here and there) either lengthen or shorten them for that portion of the work and then put them back in the right place when you pick them back up.

And if you want to do more work without stirrups and they bother you any other way, just pull them off of the saddle. I have one horse I ride without stirrups every day and I don’t have stirrups on her saddle. I actually wouldn’t mind having stirrups at the end of some of the rides and when I’m jumping, but I’m way too lazy to put the stirrups back on just for that!