Maybe you’ve heard of it? Maybe you are doing it? For many people who compete, November is the first full month of the off season. For many others, it’s the beginning of the long winter months where riding indoors becomes common. What better way to start into the “homework” months than to take away the stirrups and work on your seat. We often say “what makes a good rider? A good seat!” Like most things in riding, there is always room for improvement on one’s seat and there is probably no better way to work on it than riding without stirrups.
Let me share what inspired me. This past summer, my main ride Phoebe was a very inconsistent performer. Long story short, it took all summer to understand the depth of the problem and it turned out to be physical, not training. The realization didn’t come before she reeked havoc on my “ride”. After analyzing recent video of myself, I decided I wasn’t happy with my balance and neither was my horse! What better way to correct my ride than to work on my seat. So off the stirrups went on BOTH the dressage saddle and the jump saddle…on all the horses! (Except the real greenies.)
Funny enough, the first ride I did was over fences on Chequers. Chequers is a horse I rode a fair amount this past summer and is as familiar to me as an old glove. He’s very workmanlike so I figured that would be a good one to start on. I realized I have hardly (deliberately) jumped without stirrups in almost 20 years!!! First, I was amazed at how easy the “right” jumping canter was to detect and establish. When the canter wasn’t “right”, the canter was actually hard to sit! Additionally, I found both lateral and longitudinal balance easier to detect. Before I knew it, I had a lovely canter, that was easy to maintain and easy to jump from! Really, I hadn’t planned on jumping any higher than about 2’6″ in height and only verticals as I couldn’t imagine I’d want to jump anything higher or wider! Suddenly, I found myself jumping the bigger fences in the ring, up to about 3’3″, oxers included! I swear I teIl the truth when I say I was very nervous at the THOUGHT of jumping even Chequers, over even small fences, without stirrups. It had been a long time. But once I did, I was hooked!
Next, I came out on Phoebe. Those that know her, know she is a determined horse with a lofty, powerful jump and can imagine why I didn’t start with her! But riding her without stirrups both on the flat and over fences has again, allowed me to find balance again. My body is balanced, my leg/seat/hand aids are in better balance, and my horse is HAPPY!!! Interestingly, jumping her proved to be much easier than I thought and helped me “reset” my habits, getting rid of some baggage from the summer.
For me, the biggest gain was the ability to approach a problem from a different direction. All summer, I kept trying hard to improve my ride on all the horses, esp the most challenging horse, Phoebe. Everyday, I felt I was banging my head against a wall; I felt like I kept doing the same thing over and over again, while trying not to, and expecting a different result. It wasn’t working! By riding without stirrups, I felt like I had a different perspective, a fresh view of my ride. My horses gave helpful feedback that encouraged me. It was one of the better decisions I’ve made lately.
I continue to ride daily without stirrups, and somedays I practice riding with them again, other days I never pick them up. Many of my students have taken up the challenge, feeling inspired because we are all doing it. Some are making a “game” of it, challenging each other. You can always benefit from riding without stirrups, give it a shot this winter.