Practical Horseman Practical Horseman Extra Volume 27

Great equitation requires a great base of support. By that I mean your lower body position is solid and strong from your feet to your waist. The ball of your foot is balanced nicely on your stirrup iron and your weight is down in your heel. We equitation trainers feel like broken records constantly reminding students to put their “Heels down!” But there’s a good reason: It all starts with your heels. If they’re far enough down, your feet will stay steady on the stirrups and you’ll be able to keep your balance. Working up from the heels, we want to see your lower legs steady against your horse’s sides just behind the girth, never slipping forward or backward. Your knees should operate as a pivot point so that their…

1. To evaluate your base of support, start by checking that your stirrups are the correct length. Take your feet out of them and allow your legs to hang down by your horse’s sides. In general, the bottoms of the stirrup irons should be about level with your ankles for flatwork. 2. Next, ask a friend on the ground to analyze your leg position when your feet are in the stirrups. As German exchange student Cadet Merle Kreye is demonstrating here, your stirrup should be on the ball of your foot and your ankle flexed so your heel is deep. Your legs should be positioned so that your heels are directly underneath your hips. Merle is showing a good stirrup length for flatting here. She would typically shorten her stirrups…

If you have trouble keeping your heels down, this exercise can make a big difference. Although Cadet Charlotte Hereford is demonstrating it here on a mounting block, it’s ideally done on stairs with a banister. Stand on the edge of a step with your heels hanging over the edge. Lightly rest one hand on the wall or railing if necessary to maintain your balance. Then, keeping your back straight, flex your ankles to allow your heels to drop below the level of the step. You should feel your calf muscles stretching. Hold this position for about 10 seconds, then step off the stairs and rest for a moment. Repeat this 10 times.…

While you ride the serpentine exercise below, periodically check that your leg is still in the correct position. The steadier it is and the more centered your body is, the more balanced your horse will be and the easier it will be to steer him through the exercise. Over time, challenge yourself by adding more poles and bringing them slightly closer together so the serpentine has more loops and the turns are tighter. Never bring them so close together, though, that you lose the balance and flow of the exercise. If you’re more advanced, challenge yourself by riding the serpentine without stirrups at the posting and sitting trot. Sherry Cashman started her equestrian education at the Thomas School of Horsemanship on Long Island. She studied equine science at Delhi University…

1. In between each loop, trot straight across the arena and over the center of one of the ground poles as Cadet Alex Vinson is doing here on Ellie, a 15-year-old warmblood. She’s straightened Ellie well and is keeping her balanced and steady, but I’d like to see her hip angle slightly more open, her heel a little deeper and her fingers more closed around the reins. 2. Although Alex’s well-ridden straight line brings her to the center of the pole, her base of support is slipping a little. Her heel has come up and her leg has slid in front of her body, which makes her shoulders tip forward. She’ll have time to correct this as she  continues heading straight toward the other side of the ring and prepares…

1. Matilda begins the exercise by riding down the long side of the arena in a posting trot. She then turns Aberdeen down the centerline, aiming for the middle of the poles. They arrive in a nice balance, but Matilda’s leg has slipped too far back. I’d also like to see her heel a little deeper and her hands slightly lower. She continues posting over the poles and then trots straight to the end of the arena before making a smooth turn back onto the rail in the direction opposite her original approach. This way she  can alternate turning right and left onto the centerline each time she repeats the exercise. 2. After doing this several times, she drops her stirrups before reaching the first trot pole. She continues posting…