Swinging leg in the canter/leg too far back in the trot

[ThreeTerriers]

I’ve been struggling with keeping a still leg in the canter for a while now. I kind of assumed that when I’d switched horses (my current horse’s canter is MUCH smoother than my old horse’s canter) my swinging leg was fixed, but I recently was watching a video of myself riding and realized it’s still swinging. The outside leg seems to be fine for the most part, though still a little swing-y. The inside leg, however… yikes. Super swingy. I’m not sure how to fix it. Any tips or ideas as to why my legs are swinging so much?

I’ve also noticed a problem with my leg being way too far back in the posting trot, if anyone has any ideas for that as well. The leg being too far back isn’t a constant problem but it’s still happening quite a bit and I’d like to improve it (or at least start improving) as soon as possible!

[Training_Cupid]

My leg swings back when my upper body tips forward (to counterbalance I suppose) so that’s something to look out for.

[outerbanks77]

Think of kneeling down in the saddle and stretching your seat in the canter. Then think of keeping your pelvis a little in front of the motion so that your pelvis is going up and forward to meet where the horse will be as the back comes up. I think of it a little more as a leading seat than a following seat. Make sure you are keeping your shoulders above your pelvis and hinging in your hip. If you can get that stability and flexibility from the bottom of your ribcage through your upper thigh, the leg swinging should resolve.

For the trot, is your heel coming up with your leg slips back? If so, you are probably gripping too much with your leg. When you are posting, do you feel out of balance in the up phase? What happens if you stand in your stirrups?

[SarahandSam]

I’ve been struggling with a similar issue with my right leg especially, though both legs lately I’ve been wanting to pinch with the knee when I want to use my leg, bringing the heel up. In my lesson the other day, my trainer reminded me “knees off” and that actually helped a lot–if I focused on keeping my knees away from the saddle, it forced me to drop my weight down through the stirrup and I was able to work on using my leg without bringing the heel up. It’s still something I’m going to be working on for a while, I’m sure, but that simple reminder did help.

[farmpony84]

I wonder if your stirrup on the one side needs to be adjusted? I ride with one stirrup shorter than the other. My legs aren’t uneven (That I can tell) but one leg is stronger than the other so in order to maintain a balanced position, one of my stirrups is on hole shorter and that is with both my english and western saddles. When I kneel in front of the horse - they appear even and I think that is because one is stretched longer than the other from my weight distribution.

[merrygoround]

Your legs need to be actively, but quietly on at the canter. It is your upper inner thigh muscles that help, without gripping, stabilize your lower leg. You also may be relying too much on the stirrup, or pinching with your knee.

Some no stirrup longe work may help you learn to stabilize your legs, this is very important for progression to lateral work.

[Samantha37]

I had/have a problem with swinging legs which has gotten better the more I learn in dressage. My biggest problem was tightening everything in an attempt to remain still. The best thing I have learned is to loosen my hips and stop thinking about trying to be still. Also, the more I use my leg the stiller it remains.

You can’t grip anywhere and have a relaxed, hanging leg that doesn’t swing. The two are definitely mutually exclusive.

[Samantha37]

@merrygoround

Some no stirrup longe work may help you learn to stabilize your legs, this is very important for progression to lateral work.

It’s interesting to hear you say stabilizing your legs is important for progression to lateral work. On the (formerly) green horse that I trained myself to 3rd level (with lots of help since it was my first time going above Training Level), I found that the better I got at lateral work, the more stable my leg became. It seemed like a natural progression and also probably just the amount of time I spent in a dressage saddle vs. a jumping saddle. Just an interesting thought.

[netg]

@Samantha37

I had/have a problem with swinging legs which has gotten better the more I learn in dressage. My biggest problem was tightening everything in an attempt to remain still. The best thing I have learned is to loosen my hips and stop thinking about trying to be still. Also, the more I use my leg the stiller it remains.

You can’t grip anywhere and have a relaxed, hanging leg that doesn’t swing. The two are definitely mutually exclusive.

This. Grip is the enemy to riding dressage well.

An enemy, really, but for me gripping, bracing, and being tight are the natural reactions.