my awful lower legs

[cirocco]

Ive no idea whats happening, but it seems ive 'developed' a stupid annoying habit.

My lower legs have a mind of their own and migrate backwards when im riding jim???

Its just mad, no matter what Im thinking about doing, my heels come up and my lower leg comes backwards towards the ponies middle.

My trainer says its a new thing, I didn't do it when I was riding rocky, she says its prob because im trying so hard to use my legs on a totally non responsive pony???

Grrrrrrrrrrrr any ideas other than fastening my legs to the girth.

[whisper's mum]

It might also be because he is so wide at the moment and you are finding it difficult to open your hips enough to use them in the correct place so you are drawing them backwards. Like most round ponies, his widest point is above your lower leg, somewhere around your knee, so you draw your leg back to make contact with him, it is easier on a slab sided horse rather than a well sprung barrel.

[oldmoss]

I have exactly the same problem 

I think for me it's been a combination over the years of having to use my legs/do all the work to get Toby active and also the fact that he's probably too wide for my physically.

However I do find that warming myself up first helps greatly, get your muscles stretched as I do find because Toby is too wide that if I just get on I find my muscles feel quite tight and therefore I'm never going to be able to use them correctly.  So I have started warming up with some stretches and also riding without stirrups for the first 10 minutes or so (even if just in walk).

Also I have to make a real conscious effort to release my leg aids once I have given them - I have gotten into such a bad habit of asking, asking and then asking for more until it's got to the stage that I'm squeezing for Britian  hence my leg muscles are always on.  I have now started to re-educate myself in that I ask with a small squeeze and then immediately relax my leg aid back to hanging down straight - I have to actualy physically do this and remind myself to release - it is amazing how if I don't do this I will just end up constantly asking and my heel then creeps further up, my toes point out and my lower leg swings back just like yours !

I have had a few Eureka moments lately getting Toby sharper off the leg and I definitely notice a difference when he is off my leg my lower leg position is much better. 

[cirocco]

 :db:glad its not just me...

YES... 'your right'    fat deposits are right there where my knees are.....

I cant actually engage my lower leg because my knees are turned out over this mountain of blubber, and because he's small my 'heels' dont make contact with anything, all Ive got under my heels is fresh air unless I take my stirrups up 4 holes and ride as if im steeplechasing....
And because he is totally oblivious to any sort of pressure from my lower leg im over doing it 'methinks'.....trying to get him to move over by lifting my heels to a place where I can feel him.....

I suppose also because im not really used to sitting on a hippo its going to take time to adjust.

[ash]

I have a pair of 'Symmetry straps' that you can borrow if you would like!

[cirocco]

 

Thanks i was wondering about them. Ill dig out some velcro and make a pair me thinks.

[DollysMum]

It's not just you! Lucia very kindly came to watch me riding my part loan mare this morning and my left leg behaves while my right one sneaks back at an alarming rate:

Left:


Right:


Very tempted to try the symmetry straps myself!

[ash]

Happy to let you borrow mine if you like.

[DollysMum]

Yes please, that would be amazing! I've only got her til the end of the month and it would be nice to get another set of photos before I hand her back with me looking less numpty-esque

[ash]

Cool, pm me your address, and I shall pop them in the post. 

[Lammy]

Sorry I haven't read all of the replies, but yes definitely try symmetry straps but also think of really softening your thighs allowing the feeling of your leg dropping and stretching to the floor, don't push down as this will have an opposite effect and draw your leg up.  Think of your foot being parallel to the floor.  Even imagine the surface on the ground holding round your boot and stretching your leg right from your hip to the floor but still remaining with your foot parallel to the floor.  Feel your horses belly swing left and right and imagine your leg getting longer as the belly swings away without lifting the other side of your body from the saddle.

Hope that helps a little.

 

[cirocco]

I think my problem is the saddle. It was fine for both rocky and william, but it just doesn't feel right now.
I didn't have this problem before I started using this saddle with jim, and my trainer said that she thinks its perhaps because he is so much on the forehand yet, and because the stirrups are set further back than on a 'normal' saddle im being thrown forward which makes my lower leg come back..???. Does that make any sense.

Anyhow Im going to the local tack shop this weekend to see if I can get a second hand synthetic tree'd saddle to try. They usually carry about fifty so hopefully ill find one that will do until jim is of a better shape. Ill prob end up having one made, they are expensive but will last him forever.

[Lammy]

What sort of saddle do you have?  Are you able to pad up the front to raise it, so if you put a marble on the seat area it wouldnt roll forwards or back therefore more in balance?

[cirocco]

Its a fhoenix dressage, without the knee rolls. I had to take them off because jim was so fat that the saddle with the knee rolls in made my knees stick out so far my hips hurt. [ im doubling up here, already on saddles with this...] but anyhow yesterday it was even worse than before, the saddle was slipping over to the left side when we were cantering right.

BUT we have a few problems anyway which are not helped because of the saddle slipping.

Because he's still falling away from my legs on circles in canter, im deperately trying to hold him in using my outside leg, [exhausting] but then because canter right is so awful, im having to help him by putting more weight into my inside stirrup using my body signals for him 'to begin to understand what we want', but because the blasted saddle slips constantly he's getting confused because ive to pull him up and jiggle the thing straight every few minutes.
I know its early days and only a matter of time before he learns the job, but its now that he has to understand that im not giving a signal that means 'nothing'.
My lower leg back means canter, and he's happy to offer it, but then if im struggling to keep the saddle in place and my leg is back and he offers me canter when ive not really asked for it, I cant say no can I ... ive to go with it because he's right and im wrong, even if he's on the wrong leg, I to let him go a few strides and trot before asking again. otherwise he WILL be confused....
.... does all that make sense???

Its not easy is it.

[Lammy]

Hmm sounds more like hes dropping his ribcage in so it is more like he is tipping his back left.  Its a very weird feeling and quite difficult to explain  so he will be lifting the saddle up on the right side and dropping it to the outside therefore it will slip left and our natural reaction is to weight it down more with the inside stirrup which is actually emphasising it more and making it worse.

Does he leg yield?  I would leg yield out from a smaller circle onto the bigger circle then ask for canter then as you make a downwards transition bring him in on the circle a little bit bring him back to walk and leg yield him out.  Shoulder in is also a good exercise to get him lifting his rib cage and evening up through his back so he is more equal longitudinally.

Does that make sense???