Exercises for keeping heels… up?!

[TinFoilHat]

Yes, you read correctly.

Up until recently, I was sinking all of my weight into my heels, which over extends them to the point of it being painful. With this, I had developed basically a “falsely secure” lower leg because I was essentially ‘locking’ my lower extremities.

I’m working on correcting this in saddle (which is a really, really weird feeling to be shifting my weight “to my toes” instead of my heel) but I’m curious if anyone has any exercises that I can be doing on the ground to accomplish the following:

1. Re-strengthen lower leg while in correct position and
2. Building that strength and balance associated with the unfamiliar feeling of my weight being more forward

My trainer suggested the following:

1. Getting a large barrel (like 55 gal) and bringing home my saddle to practice posting, 2 point, etc. literally in the saddle - working on attaining a barrel as we speak
2. Riding more - one more week til my guy is ready to get back into work thank the lord (I lesson on one of her horses right now)

Thank you!

[Willesdon]

If you can consciously correct your foot position, tie something bright, like a piece of ribbon or wool, into your horse’s mane or on to the bridle crown piece so it reminds you to correct your feet every time you glimpse it while riding. A reminder.

[pluvinel]

@TinFoilHat

Up until recently, I was sinking all of my weight into my heels, which over extends them to the point of it being painful. With this, I had developed basically a “falsely secure” lower leg because I was essentially ‘locking’ my lower extremities.

You are doing “too much”…so the cure is to do “less.” You also have some misconceptions.

You stated above that you are “locking” your lower extremities…that means that you are contracting your muscles. What you need to do is to have a “neutral leg”…eg., that you have relaxed muscles that can follow the horse’s motion.

Your weight should not be “more forward.” Your weight should be in a neutral spot that follows the motion of the horse.

Here are 2 short clips of Alycia Burton riding bareback…notice that she’s following the motion of the horse and her body is “pliable” and moving with the horse.

Alycia Burton & Goldrush Free Riding

Extreme Free Rider Alycia Burton with Classic Goldrush

[ClearDonkey]

I have the same habit, after having HEELS DOWN ingrained into my head as a young rider. I remember we used to have competitions at a lesson barn I was at for whose heels could go and stay the furthest down… Now during my warm-up, I let my legs dangle without stirrups, and focus on pointing my toes to the ground. This helps deepen my seat and move with the horse, as well as find my balance through my seat rather than my stirrup. Once I pick up my stirrups, rather than thinking of heels down, I think of having an equal feel and weight with the stirrup on both balls of my feet, which helps me draw my heel up. During my ride as well, I do mental check ins, confirming that I am absorbing my horses movement through my knees and hips, allowing the joints to open and close, rather than jamming my heels down.

It’s a terrible habit to break, but after a year and a half of dressage lessons, my feet are closer to level and my position is much more effective!

[Bonnie2]

Check how your saddle fits you first. Most likely its balance is an issue. Thumbs down on barrel exercises- unless you happen to have a dummy horse available. Thumbs up on riding more. Try starting each day with a little no stirrups work. And don’t get hung up on heels up or down. It’s the balance that matters.

[pluvinel]

@Bonnie2

Check how your saddle fits you first. Most likely its balance is an issue.

Totally agree…I have 1 saddle (jumping) that puts you in a perfect balanced postion. Most dressage saddles seem to have the stirrup bars in a place where I’m either falling forwards or more typically backwards.

@Bonnie2

Try starting each day with a little no stirrups work. And don’t get hung up on heels up or down. It’s the balance that matters.

Can’t say it enough…it is the balance that matters.

Can you walk, trot, canter with no stirrups? That is a starting point. But the danger with this is that a rider can get in the habit of gripping with the legs instead of riding in balance. Focus on relaxing your legs…let the lower leg dangle and the toes drop.

I used to take lessons from an old cavalry colonel who had me sit in the saddle, put my legs in front of the panels and do W/T/C with NO LEGS…eg., just on balance. This exercise definitely lets you know if you are gripping with your legs. Once you can do this, you can drop your legs into “normal” position and you will find you have a deeper seat.

[Posting_Trot]

You could also try doing some simple exercises on a regular basis.

One exercise is heel lifts: stand by a wall or a tall chair (for balance if needed) and just go up and down on your toes, first with both feet on the ground and then alternate with one leg up and lifting with one foot. Then you can reverse it: balance on your heels and lift your toes off the ground. These will strengthen your calves and shins, improve your awareness of what lower leg muscles you’re using, and challenge your balance.

The second is to put one foot in front of the other (heel of the front foot touching the back foot’s toes) and close your eyes while you’re standing. (Do this barefoot or sockfoot). Count to 20. Reverse your feet. This improves balance and proprioception.

[RedHorses]

Stand up straight with arms relaxed at your sides. Keep your entire sole in contact with the floor at all times. Shift your weight onto your heels. Shift your weight onto the balls of your feet. Feel how your body moves between the two, and the neutral even weight bearing.

Now try it on the stairs with your heels hanging over the edge. Put the weight in your heels, then move it to the balls of your feet and feel how your leg is working.

Then try it on your horse.

[Words_of_Wisdom]

A pair of jointed stirrups can be a great tool to break the habit of bracing against the stirrup, which it sounds like you’re doing.

[endlessclimb]

I would think this would make it worse.

Maybe an angled stirrup iron backwards? (Kidding!)

[Words_of_Wisdom]

Hard to brace against something that is not fixed, in my experience.
Was a useful tool for me when trying to fix a similar problem.

[FitToBeTied]

Sharon White once said in a lesson that you should feel your ankle flex on every stride. Concentrate on flexing the ankle instead of keeping your heals down.

[sami-joe]

The best fix I’ve found is to fully relax my ankles, make them like cooked spaghetti, for a moment during the seated beat of the posting trot. I all but drop my stirrups, then softly find the balls of my feet when I need stability at the top of the arc and to make a soft landing in the saddle.

Look at the softness of a good dressage rider’s ankles at the sitting trot for an image, and emulate that if only for a moment.

This, if I did it right, is a clip of Reiner Klimke riding down the long side warming up at Aachen. He strikes the balance between relaxation and activity, what a dancer might call a line of motion, through his whole body, head to sole of his foot.

[Tha_Ridge]

I agree. A “flexi” stirrup often results in overflexed heels down. I’d look toward something with a wide tread and grip, like Flex-Ons (love mine).

[tabula_rashah]

I had the same issue and found that the wider the stirrup (wide from front to back I mean) the less I over flexed because I had a better base for my foot as well as working to balance out the musculature in unmounted exercises