Which tight muscles causes toe to point out

[mydogs]

I go to stretch therapy to help stretch & loosen my muscles. While most of my muscles are pretty flexible, I still have a hard time with keeping my toes point forwarded. I also try to stretch everyday as well.

When not riding, I feel what I think is my abductor that feels tight when I point my toes forward or slightly inward. So I’ll be working on that. I do know my piriformis muscle is tight, so I stretch that as much as possible.

Has anyone actually figured out which specific muscles was tight that caused you to not be able to point your toes forward? I know everyone is going to be different, but I am trying to get an general idea of what others have experienced.

[Bogey2]

Move your heel out, not your toes in and you will feel the correct muscles.

[mydogs]

@Bogey2

Move your heel out, not your toes in and you will feel the correct muscles.

Sorry, wrong use of words, but yes, when I move my heel out, the outer thigh is the muscle I feel that is tight. But I still feel tightness in other areas that I can’t identify.

[Graymaresrule]

FWIW toes out (or in) usually starts at the hips. To get your toes pointing straight ahead your knees and thighs have to be pointing straight ahead. You might find it helpful to grab the back of your thigh and pull it out of the way as you put your thigh back on the saddle.
Be sure you are sitting on your seat bones and not on your tail bone in a chair seat as that can make it easier for your legs to flop out.

[no.stirrups]

Agree that it starts much higher up. An interesting (unpublished) study found that adding a small shim under the top of the rider’s thigh can cause the leg to hang straighter. That is, the twist in the riders leg can be caused by a lack of support under the upper inner thigh. (Which, BTW, supports that it is more advertising gimmick than fact that “all women need a narrow twist!”)

[Goforward]

I think the narrow vs wider twist depends on rider anatomy. My toes point out uncontrollably with a wide twist saddle and hang correctly with little effort with a narrow twist. BUT I have…err…natural shims in my inner thighs!

[doctordarling]

My right foot turns out like a duck’s. I hate it - have worked on it for years, trying everything, turning in from the hips, making sure inner front of thigh feels really flat against the saddle, turning out from heel, everything, But I can only keep that foot looking normal for a few strides.

Then I remembered as a child I was constantly rolling over on that right ankle and straining, spraining, and indeed breaking it. I spent much time on crutches,and never got into the hockey team. By the time I was eight I could wrap a ankle support bandage like a sports physician.

So I realised the right toe ‘out’ is a life long defense mechanism against rolling over on that ankle. So besides strengthening it with yoga, and consciously relaxing the muscles around it, think I’m just going to have to suck it up. Good luck. ps: An instructor once told me to angle my toes to point to the horse’s ears. That helps. A bit. ddx

[mydogs]

@doctordarling

My right foot turns out like a duck’s. I hate it - have worked on it for years, trying everything, turning in from the hips, making sure inner front of thigh feels really flat against the saddle, turning out from heel, everything, But I can only keep that foot looking normal for a few strides.

Then I remembered as a child I was constantly rolling over on that right ankle and straining, spraining, and indeed breaking it. I spent much time on crutches,and never got into the hockey team. By the time I was eight I could wrap a ankle support bandage like a sports physician.

So I realised the right toe ‘out’ is a life long defense mechanism against rolling over on that ankle. So besides strengthening it with yoga, and consciously relaxing the muscles around it, think I’m just going to have to suck it up. Good luck. ps: An instructor once told me to angle my toes to point to the horse’s ears. That helps. A bit. ddx

I had damaged both ankles as well, both required PT, so I don’t doubt some of my problems are because of the injuries. Such a pain.

[China_Doll]

I have noticed on my close contact saddle on wide horse my toes go out. I rode in a narrow twist the other day and my toes did not go out. So may not be feasible if wide horse.

[Equibrit]

It largely depends on the ability of your whole leg to relax and allow the muscle in the back of your thigh to do the job (biceps femoris)

[egood]

I don’t think it matters as long as your leg is long and relaxed. Edward Gal’s toes point out as I’m sure other professional’s do.

[mydogs]

@egood

I don’t think it matters as long as your leg is long and relaxed. Edward Gal’s toes point out as I’m sure other professional’s do.

I have short legs so my heels tend to stop right along the horse’s barrel, so my spurs will accidentally touch the horse if I’m not thinking about it.

[Gloria]

Could be hamstring

[Bogey2]

check hip flexors…when you put heel out you also have to make sure you don’t pinch your ass or stop following with your hip?

[Sanfunhorsen]

It’s your hipflexor called iliopsoas that causes toeing out. Deep lounge with hips tipped forward will stretch it. Stairs, hanging off table or bed letting leg hang. Stretching those will help your seat

[Abbie.S]

It’s rarely one muscle - usually a combination of too tight adductors, shortened or tight quads and then the biggies, psoas and iliacus. Those last two attach to the femoral head and when tight rotate your leg out.

If you can hammer on the last two, you’ll probably take care of the bulk of the problem, but the whole leg and hip functions together, so chances are if you have one leg that rotates out (causing your toes to rotate out), you’ll need to pay attention to your whole limb.

OP, if you google “psoas and iliacus stretches” you’ll find all kinds of good info.

[purplnurpl]

Don’t make it so difficult.
The reason your toes point out is because you don’t point them in.

[mydogs]

@purplnurpl

Don’t make it so difficult.
The reason your toes point out is because you don’t point them in.

But I feel tightness in my leg when I point them in/heels point out. Sure, I could work on it while riding but if I can also work on the muscle tightness at home as well, that’ll be beneficial. I stretch my hip flexors and legs everyday and feel a great difference in the saddle when I don’t stretch for a week. But I’m not stretching the muscle that’s causing my toes to point out.

[Equibrit]

You need a realxed leg that HANGS. If your saddle doesn’t allow this find one that does.

[lorilu]

Take a ride in a saddle with a narrower twist. If the saddle OR the HORSE is too wide for YOUR anatomy, you will struggle with this. WOmen’s femur/pelvis (hip) joint is different from men’s - we NATURALLY carry our femurs more “knock kneed” than men do. When we ride a wide horse or in a saddle with too wide a twist, the only thing our legs can do is toe out to compensate.
I recently changed to a Custom Solo and it is making all the difference in my leg position. It has a narrower twist than my previous saddle… and yes, it DID take time to adjust to the narrower twist.