While adding in some sessions or parts of sessions without stirrups is a great idea year-round, the off-season can be a great time to start. What you DON’T want to do is go from having done hardly any stirrup-less work at all, then subject your horse’s back (and your hip flexors) to a beating.
A few years ago I wasn’t much of a no-stirrups rider – apart from a few minutes circling my toes and swinging my legs while walking at the start of a ride – until I began training with a coach known for her tough love approach and had two full no-stirrup lessons in a row. It was awesome, and I could also barely walk afterwards! While that rude wakeup call was torturous, it was also so effective that it became my go-to for lots of things: horse not using his back and bouncing my seat away? Drop the stirrups. Twisting my hips or sitting crooked in lateral work? Drop the stirrups. Not using my legs and seat effectively? Drop the stirrups.
If you’re keen to take on the challenge of doing some stirrup-less work, here are some tips to keep the effectiveness high, the pain levels low, and your horse’s discomfort at zero.
- Build up no stirrups work SLOWLY. At first it can be quite painful and you may fatigue quickly, not to mention the added risk of you bouncing on your horse’s back or pulling him in the mouth. In the beginning it’s best to incorporate a short section of no stirrups at the end of each ride, and at first, never go more than five minutes without a walk break.
- Warm-up with stirrups. Firstly, for the obvious safety reason if your horse starts off a bit fresh. Also, going without stirrups makes you sit quite deep – great once you’ve warmed up, but your horse needs to loosen up its back first.
- Cross your stirrups over in front of the saddle. That way if you start to lose control or get unbalanced, you can drop your stirrups back while still in motion to help get your balance back. When crossing your stirrups, fold the leather forward and tuck it under the skirt, so it doesn’t pinch your leg (there’ll be enough pain as it is!)
- When you first drop your stirrups in walk, incorporate simple exercises like circling your toes or circling your arms one at a time. Be careful not to spook your horse doing this though.
- Put a monkey strap on if you’re concerned about keeping your balance, particularly if your horse is likely to misbehave
- You can rise trot as well as sit trot. To do this, let the horse bounce you up into the rise, then use your core to control your body into the sit. Use your thighs, not your knees!
- Be prepared to hurt, but always have a walk break before your pain starts to affect the way you ride.
- You may need to drop your stirrups a hole once you take them back. This is a good thing, it just means your seat is deeper and your leg is longer. Just remember you may need to pop them back up a hole at the start of next ride.
-
Good times to work without stirrups…
A) When you want to sit deeper and use your legs more effectively
B) When you’re getting crooked or collapsing in your position
C) When you’re struggling to keep your horse straight or pick up the correct canter lead. (Often caused by the rider’s crookedness, which no-stirrups has a tendency to help with!)
About Enya
Enya is an EA Level 1 coach and 1*/2* eventer who has been riding for 20 years and coaching for 10 of them. Her favourite thing about working with horses is that we never stops learning, and loves tapping into the knowledge of specialist experts to enhance the skills of both herself and her students.
