Do we rely on stirrups too much?

Flipo's Mum

Heavy owner of a Heavy
Aug 17, 2009
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Perthshire, Scotland
I'm on a mission this year to try a bit of bareback on my Flipo. Last time I was on him for all of 20seconds before he freaked and took off around the school. That was three or four years ago now and we definitely weren't ready for it. He was still a spooky nervy boy and I was a quivering wreck!
Now that we have our mojo back, I have decided this year is the one. I'm not looking to do anything startling, just a wee bit of bareback in the safety of the school but I thought I might help prepare myself by going without stirrups every now and then on the lead up to it to get my balance, relax and breathe!
Well last night on a whim I decided to have ago out hacking. Not the smartest plan possibly but I waited until I could see my field on the way home, flip was plodding happily and I could be confident no bikes or dogs or whatever were gonna jump out from behind a tree (but even if they did, if I fell off here, Flipo would be home in a second (cause he runs when I hit the ejector button) and he wouldn't have to cross any roads.
Well what a palaver. I know I've come a long way confidence wise in the last while but faced with the decision to take my feet out the stirrups for all of about a minute almost sent me into tail spin. I was reminded how bad my nerves were just for getting on my horse, not good at all!

Gingerly, I eventually managed one foot out, leaving my stirrup dangling incase I wanted it back and it took another wee while before I eventually took the other foot out. It felt odd and in some ways I think it might be better to ride without a saddle but I need more confidence without stirrups. Don't you think we rely on them too much? Is it a bad thing?
 
Hmm. Now I hate lunge work without stirrups with a passion - I hate not being in control and the fact that someone else is dictating the pace. It is meant to develop balance and confidence as you don't need to worry about controlling your horse - no thanks! I would rather be in charge! So, yeah, I do rely on my stirrups!!!! In that scenario anyways. On a day to day basis I am more than happy to ride bareback round the school, just don't expect canter or jumping! I also take my feet out when cooling her down if we've done lots. Trouble is, I seem to have inadvertently trained her to stop when I take my feet out - so that is taking some undoing!
Also for me, I have a habit of leaving when the going gets tough - so if I am out hacking and its getting sticky then out pop my feet - ready for a quick exit!
 
I usually take my feet out of the stirrups for the last half mile or so of a hack to let my legs stretch. I like the sensation.

I notice that when I am riding well, with my seat deep and balanced, my toes' contact with the stirrups is very light. I can lose them - even at rising trot! - and not miss them, though it feels odd. When I am anxious or unbalanced or Ziggy is running off with me my weight is more heavily in the stirrups. Even so, losing one (as I did in a major canter spook the other day) is not a huge deal.

I use Sprenger offset eye stirrups, so they hang at right angles to Ziggy's sides and slip back onto my feet almost automatically. I wonder if that's why I feel comparatively relaxed about being without them.
 
Being a little senior in years I get rather achy hips on a longish hack and constantly have to take feet out of stirrups and stretch out legs and do various contortions. I was also becoming increasingly aware that the balls of my feet were aching and have since realised I was definately using stirrups way to much by putting all my weight down into them and so have been practising just letting my legs 'dangle' much lighter and this has helped me and poor old Daisy no end.
When I had my bad fall and lost all my confidence, I had regular lessons at the local RS on different horses and to get a good seat had to do loads of work without stirrups.
Good luck FM with the bareback, it is something that has been interesting me lately as I have lost my bestest hacking bud and field sharer, although a Billy no Mates am really enjoying the 1 to 1 thing going on with the ponio at the moment.
 
I do like my stirrups. I have been asked why I havent popped on womble bareback yet for a potter round the school and my response was "I value my life". I do rely on them when riding and like to keep them! When my saddle eventually comes I will endeavour to do more work without them to inprove ny balance.

I was shocked when I gave a lesson last week to a friend whos a good rider, jumps 1.20+, I asked her to get on bareback to cool down and refused to go at more than a walk and was really struggling with the concept of stretching her leg and wrapping them round the horse. Note to self. Take stirrups off her next time.
 
I remove my stirrups at least once a week but mostly to test I riding at the right length and not gripping up at all also to check if I am seating straight. I will do walk trot and canter bit not bareback on Ginger as he is a razor blade. Chanter is a little better but not much. So I stick to just with out strirups now
 
I know you're supposed to just relax and it should be easier to balance, but I just worry flipo will freak if I bob too much and lose my balance, and then he'll run. Think I need to do more sitting trot (slowly) and practice pretend flopping about so as to get Flipo to relax more before I actually am flopping about for real without stirrups! Canter will be an absolute no go. I'm not even balanced at the moment with stirrups. ObC, I am in awe! I know it will be good for us in terms of leg placement - Dizzy, I used to get numb ankles, and I dropped my stirrups about a year ago and its made a world of a difference - I'm now working on having my legs wrapped round the barrel, rather than just hanging, I've got a habit of digging my heels right down, so the longer stirrups help stop me do that, but I need to practice more without stirrups to help my ankle be more flexible and light.
 
Hmmm good question FM, I think we all rely on them to a certain extent otherwise everyone would ride bareback all the time, unless of course like OBC you have a horse with a back like a razor blade.
I haven't ridden bareback for ages and used to love it, just been concentrating on other things since we moved, I like to think I don't rely too much and I know I can still stay on at canter without them from when Belle did a major spook in a lesson a few weeks back, to say I was surprised is an understatement!
 
I think the big thing is that if you do panic a bit about it when you take your stirrups away you are already setting yourself up to fail from my experience. Panicking will immediately put your body in the wrong position, you'll subconsciously end up curling up rather than relaxing which is what you need to do. I had to physically give myself a shake to loosen myself off and get rid of the tension. I think you need to do whatever makes you feel comfortable when you are getting used to working without stirrups even if that is just before you get off, take your feet out and ask for a couple of strides of walk and build up from there.

I'd never ridden bareback properly until I got Rubic. I didn't have a saddle for a few days after I got her and I just thought "stuff it I want to ride my new horse" so hopped on in the field bareback. It wasn't too bad despite her being rather eager! Rubic was a bit sharp when I first got her but once we got to know each other and she settled I'd often take me feet out my stirrups when we were cooling down or for the last 5min of a hack. I'd always said I'd never jump Rubic bareback because she used to take strides out or get in too deep and I'd just get pinged out the saddle but again, we worked on it and I did actually pop a small crosspole bareback (without falling off!). I don't know why I was worried about it in the end as I'd lost my stirrup(s) when cantering/jumping plenty of times and I always managed to stay on and recover!
 
I find I have a much better seat without stirrups for sitting trot - am not sure why.

Tobes is lovely bareback, he has a lovely flat wide back, and I have had a lift on him bareback in the past when too lazy to walk up the track to the field, and have even gone hatless!!

I am not sure why, but I actually feel I would fall off cleaner bareback, rather than with a saddle and stirrups. Less to get caught up on I think.

I would however NOT want to canter him bareback, he is strong and I would be off at the drop of a hat. Nor would I want to ride him when he is 'on one' spooking wise because he shoots sideways at lightening speed.

So, yes, I would say I do rely on my stirrups quite a lot!
 
Bareback is lovely on my nice wide smooth haflinger! I could walk trot canter and small jumps on him :) just keep nice long legs all the time and will be fine, which is easy for me to say as he was soo easy to sit to.

I remember trying to canter with no stirrups on a very whizzy pony I used to ride, ended up out of control for some reason doing circles haha. Luckily he stopped eventually and I somehow stayed on, think I may of held on actually
 
One winter I rode mostly bareback (mostly I was too lazy to lug my saddle to the yard) and at first I nearly fell off from a walk, by the end of the winter (having actually only parted company once from a standstill when jess spooked and I was to busy gassing, I just landed stood next to her) I could walk, trot and canter happily and hacked bareback too, it made the world of difference to my balance and core strength. Obviously I was relying far too much on my stirrups before or I wouldn't have felt so wobbly to start with.
 
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I much prefer riding without stirrups and feel much more connected to Ben without them. Whenever I feel insecure or worried about something I always take my feet out of my stirrups because i think that if I am going to fall off I would much rather not be tangled up in them. I always finish my rides by taking my feet out of my stirrups for about 5 minutes. I like the feeling of my legs stretching down and it makes my whole body relax.

I ride Ben bareback a fair bit in the school, but I would say that you need to practice riding in a saddle without stirrups before you get on bareback. There is nothing to balance with bareback and I have sometimes been very lucky not to slide off him in canter. The most difficult thing riding bareback is coming back down from canter to trot. Its a lovely feeling to be so connected to your horse though.
 
I suspect I may have encouraged this idea!

I used to ride Harv bareback regularly, he was so comfy and safe. I would usually hack him bareback in summer when it got a bit hot for him and would ride him back to the field in a headcollar more often than not.

I had put off riding Kev bareback for a year due to his high withers, but actually he is pretty comfy! I've ridden him in walk trot canter without stirrups and I quite enjoy it. I'm so focussed on staying central and in balance that I don't even care what he's doing! Bareback is a really lovely feeling, just remember those sticky jods ;-)
 
IMG_20140609_201041.jpg This is us a camp last year, I had lots of fun doing trec obstacles and managed to ride through that hoop. Note I am sitting in a pad to keep clean and offer her some protection.
I ride bareback once a week, because its fun.
I do embarrassing have to confess I need to look down to see if my feet are still in them. I don't have a lot of awareness below the waist. But on my saddle with her width I need something to rest my foot on else I will get cramp in my hips-that I am fully aware of! My stirrups are caged and designed for hip/back problems and ditching them on the saddle just doesn't work for us. Ditching the saddle works though.

Nobody on my yard rides bareback.

Does the stirrup length effect how much you miss them/use them, I ride long so hacking if I lose one my leg hasn't moved.
I can quite understand why a show jumper can't stretch, that's the last thing you want your leg to do, you want your leg under you.
Think of suddenly being point in a racing seat and told to get on with it, its not the position you are familiar with.
 
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I usually ride without stirrups when I'm warming a horse up, it helps loosen me up too and I find I then ride better when I take my stirrups back. I also take my feet out of the stirrups when I find myself in a sticky situation, because if I'm going to fall off I want to fall off with my feet FREE! Getting a foot stuck and getting dragged is my biggest riding fear.
 
Just out of interest, hacking in a headcollar is against the highway code, it requires you to have a bridle on your horse on the public highway....doesn't say you must have a saddle tho
 
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Must say I didn't think I relied on my stirrups too much, but reading everyone's replies I now think I definitely do! Must do more bareback work!

Although I do take my feet out of the stirrups for a stretch when we're somewhere quiet I don't think I'll ever hack out without a saddle - I once proposed going down the lane in my bareback pad but a couple of people on the yard were like 'What??? You're never going on the road without stirrups?!! How stupid!'

Although a bit taken aback at the time, it did make me think. Unfortunately I have to go on a road to get anywhere from our yard and I imagine the scenario - we meet a tractor, Raf panics, I can't control him without stirrups, fall off, he runs down the road and into a car, injuring or killing the occupants ... I know it could happen with a saddle but at least I would be taking all reasonable precautions.
 
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I found falling off bareback much easier??? yep from a saddle i normally land in a heap hurt, without a saddle I have always landed on my feet still with a good hold on the reins so not too concerned its more dangerous.......I really shouldn't have said that should I!
 
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