Stirrup length and strength

[Ecarter1023]

So, I posted a while ago because I got a new saddle for my TB since we are dabbling in dressage now. We went to our first show in three years last weekend, and didn’t do too terribly!

Anyway, I was super proud of myself for lengthening my stirrups one hole last night for our lesson, and we did great! I really felt secure and able to use my leg, but I do know that I still have more holes to go - my stirrup is still definitely too short to really open up my hip/pelvis. My trainer was super proud of us last night, and for being a bit of a weenie about “needing” the security of a shorter stirrup, I was proud of myself and my horse for the work we’ve put in to allow me to lengthen my stirrup at all and not lose it mentally! :lol:

My question for everyone is - did you go through the same process where you just lengthen gradually as you get the core strength/balance and open hip/how did you get to a true “dressage” leg position?

I also have super tight hips, so I always have to focus on my position to really lengthen down my hamstrings while I ride and not pinch/close and use my quads.

[Rerider54]

I try and ride without stirrups as often as possible. If I am tense this helps me relax. Even if all the time I give it is at the walk on our way out to the back field where we gallop… it all seems to help. Some days when I don’t feel very motivated I use that day to drop the stirrups and trot around and between the jumps (we stable at a h/j barn) all the bending and direction changes help both of us work on balance and relaxation. After 5-10 minutes my stirrups feel ‘short’.

[Scribbler]

Almost everyone who transitions from h/j to dressage needs to lengthen their stirrups slowly.

You can try riding with no stirrups and just let your legs hang. Obviously your stirrups can never be longer than where your feet naturally hang. Or take some no stirrup longe lessons.

The best tip I got for my dressage position was to work on dropping the thigh back and underneath me. When I just focused on trying to drop my heels, I tended to jam my heels and end up in a Western chair seat, especially when I was trying to ride through bucks and balks and things.

That said, while my stirrups feel long, when I look at photos my leg is still not particularly straight. My horse has a big barrel and that bends the knee of the rider a bit. It’s apparently easier to get a long straight looking leg on a slab sided horse! I also think that the very slim rider may have an easier time getting a s traight leg as there is less thigh muscle in the way.

I would prioritize function over form in your riding journey. You (and me) are probably never going to look like a video of an Olympic rider, because the top levels of sport select for people with the right build to look good, and the right horses to help them look good.

If you know you have muscle problems then work on them off the horse. Go to the gym, go to physical therapy, go to an RMT, pilates, yoga, whatever it takes to improve your pre-exisitng physical deficits.

Also my observations of other riders is that “super tight hips” can also mean an imbalance in the hips or in leg length or other problem, not just tight muscles. Get your fundamental problem diagnosed and then work on fixing or compensating for that.

Anyhow, you never want the stirrups so long that you feel you are searching for the stirrup with your foot. Keep them a hole or two above this point, and you will be fine.

[merrygoround]

Some older dressage riders find it useful to no longer ride at their former length.

[jonem004]

@Scribbler

Almost everyone who transitions from h/j to dressage needs to lengthen their stirrups slowly.

You can try riding with no stirrups and just let your legs hang. Obviously your stirrups can never be longer than where your feet naturally hang.

The best tip I got for my dressage position was to work on dropping the thigh back and underneath me. When I just focused on trying to drop my heels, I tended to jam my heels and end up in a Western chair seat, especially when I was trying to ride through bucks and balks and thing.

Also my observations of other riders is that “super tight hips” can also mean an imbalance in the hips or in leg length or other problem, not just tight muscles. Get your fundamental problem diagnosed and then work on fixing or compensating for that.

Anyhow, you never want the stirrups so long that you feel you are searching for the stirrup with your foot. Keep them a hole or two above this point, and you will be fine.

This.
I found that focusing on my knee and thigh position allowed me to use my upper and lower leg more easily. One part of that for me and my build is making sure all of my thigh “meat” is behind my femur and not between my bone and the saddle. That turned my knee forward and made me much less likely to scrunch.

I learned the dressage seat in an eventing barn at 20, so there were years of tight h/j leg already in place. I got to watch a lot of lessons of people at different levels and see what did and didn’t work which was invaluable! That’s how I decided that even though a chair seat felt more secure, I could see that it put the rider behind the motion and made their aids less independent.

That was long, but what I’m saying is watch other people ride and video your rides because that outside view makes it easier to believe in position changes that are bound to feel wrong at first. You’re gonna do great!

[Texarkana]

I have so many bad habits from hunterland.

It’s been over two years of regular dressage lessons and finally my instructor isn’t yelling at me every 2 seconds about my position. I’m a dense one. I was worried she had just given up on me, but she made a passing comment the other day of “your position isn’t the problem anymore” so I guess I finally got over that hump. :lol:

But yeah… echoing what everyone else said. It’s a slow process for most of us transitioning from H/J (normally not quite as slow as me). Something that helped me was finally figuring out I didn’t need to jam my heels down-- I didn’t even realize I was doing it and it was jacking up my entire leg from hips down. When I learned to actually sit in my saddle instead of perching/hovering in a half seat with closed hips, that also helped. To get my thighs back, I totally cheated and bought a saddle with huge thigh blocks; that helped a ton. I love it.

There was a time I felt less secure riding long in my dressage saddle; now it’s my preference.

[Wanderosa]

I always rode with my stirrups on the longer side. Even back when I lived in Hunterland. They’ve gotten longer and longer as I progress in Dressage. Buuuuut, I tried a different, larger saddle today and found I had to shorten my stirrups 2 holes. Same horse, same work. The angle must’ve changed - probably because it had a broader twist. I worried that the twist would be an issue but I loved the saddle. It felt so easy to sit down and back. And it was the comfiest thing I’ve ever sat my butt down on, to boot :lol:

[J-Lu]

I transitioned from Jumper to dressage by dropping my stirrups and letting my legs hang. I felt and embraced the difference in my hips and seat use. I still jumped. I honestly would not lower my stirrups one hole at a time because your’re not riding dressage with hunter seat legs. It’s just too different. Train your body and muscle reflexes from the get-go. Also, hunter legs don’t work in dressage saddles, and dressage seat doesn’t happen in H/J saddles. This is my experience and advice.