-15% off your first order*.
Enter your email address to receive your promo code.
*except for the SAFEFIT airbag
Friday, November 8, 2019
Have you ever heard of November without stirrups? #nostirrupnovember in English 🙂 For the past few years, November has become the month when many riders take off their stirrups for a good cause. Moment of fear, even suffering for some, while for others it is a moment of pure happiness... riding without stirrups is a must in the practice of equestrian sports. In this article we share our tips for surviving your sessions without stirrups.
Work without stirrups is suitable for riders of all levels. It's tedious work and not without effort for the rider, but it does have some advantages advantages on the rider's position and balance but that's not all 🙂 .
Riding without stirrups allows riders to reach another level of sensation balance and suppleness in the saddle and flexibility in the saddle, and can be used to solve effectively a variety of problemsat any level.
This work without stirrups will help the rider to to become aware of his biomechanics as well as the horse's biomechanics. It will teach him to maintain a sense of balance, strengthen the abdominal belt and his legs and to improve the feeling of the horse under him. This feeling is developed by learning to ride in rhythm and with the horse's movements. If you can hold your position without stirrups for a long time, it will be even easier to hold your position with stirrups.
Finally, this practice will allow you toimprove your connection and communication with your horse.
Be careful, however, to carry out your sessions without stirrups in the best conditions, otherwise it could quickly turn into a nightmare and have negative consequences for you and your horse. negative consequences for you and your horse.
Before dropping your stirrups, do a thorough solid warm-up. Work at all gaits to capture your horse's attention and refine your body position while your feet are still secure. Work with both hands on straight lines, circles of various sizes, serpentines - everything you need to feel confident and ready, and to keep your horse focused on you and what you want to work on. In addition, when riding without stirrups, it's important to ensure that the horse's back muscles are sufficiently ready to withstand the exercise. It is therefore preferable to wait until the end of the relaxation to take off your horse's shoes.
There's no point in trotting around sitting down for an hour. It's better to to opt for short sessions and do a 10-minute exercise in a good position than an hour-long session clinging to the reins. The key to success is repetition and perseverance. Don't forget to put your stirrups back on at the end of the exercise.
The best is to cross the stirrups in front of the saddle. In this way, neither the rider nor the horse will be hindered and you will be able to put them back on quickly at the slightest problem or loss of balance. Sit on your buttocks by moving them as far forward as possible, while shrugging your shoulders for good engage your pelvis forward. The shocks of the gait are thus cushioned, the belly pushing forward with each stride.
For that, spread your hands and keep your elbows at your sides... and make your pond work. Think about it. lower your leg (the toad's position is banned 🙂 ), get off your heels (as if you had stirrups) it will help you get your leg down. Don't squeeze your knees. Also be careful not to hang on to the horse's mouth if you are not comfortable. Finally, the balance is worked by obliging yourself to hold by a judicious distribution of the weight of the body, on one buttock or the other.
Don't hesitate to put a collar (a stirrup for example) around the horse's neck or hold the mane until you find your place.
This will help you to distribute correctly the weight of your body and will prevent any unintentional imbalance. A A distant gaze ensures a straight and tonic back..
Remember to breathe in deeply and especially breathe out, which will help you avoid stitches. A good muscle oxygenation will allow you to function ideally, and if you are a little anxious, concentrate on your breathing to think about something else. Above all, don't forget that the more you get stuck, the more likely you are to fall.
If you really don't feel comfortable at first, consider riding along. That way, you won't have to worry about your horse's pace or the layout. Be careful, however: this should only be done on an experienced horse and with the help of a competent longeur..
Our app is full of exercises. Here is a small selection to be adapted without stirrups of course 🙂
The purpose of this exercise is to Strengthen the rider's support muscles and improve balance.. It will also help you stay in control under any circumstances. Finally, it will allow the horse to bend around the rider's leg and stay round and collected.
1️⃣ Start on the right hand side and make a few passes on the circle with bars on the ground to get your horse used to it.
2️⃣ Once your horse is listening, get out of the circle, take the diagonal through the V-shaped ground bar (right side of the letter V). This will cause you to change circles while changing feet and passing to the left hand. Stand on the circle on your left hand starting with the bar at 3 o'clock. Stay on the circle as long as you stay on the circle on the right.
3️⃣ Once your horse is listening on the left, get out of the circle and take the diagonal by passing over the other bar on the ground (left side of the letter V). Change feet and hands. Get back on the circle to the right starting with the bar at 9 o'clock, and so on. Continue doing this exercise until it is done correctly and smoothly.
Stand up straight and make sure you always anticipate your actions. Look where you're going. Looking at the center of the circle will help you place your aids naturally. If you find it difficult to do this exercise without stirrups, do it 2 or 3 times with your stirrups and remove them when you feel comfortable.
This gymnastics exercise will teach you to react quickly and non-aggressively to shorter strides. This way, you will be more in the control. It's an excellent weight training exerciseThe horses will need to get their back muscles working, which will make them rounder. They will finally learn to react more quickly to your signals.
Start by doing the exercise with your stirrups and remove them when you feel comfortable enough.
1️⃣ Enter the line at full gallop. Make sure you keep your horse straight. Always start with a comfortable height especially for the first 3 verticals (about 70/80 cm) to get your horse used to the device. Do not hesitate to remove the bar from the ground during the first passages of the gymnastics line. Once you have mastered the device, add the bar at 20-21 metres (i.e. 5 short strides).
2️⃣ Gradually increase the height of the verticals as you go along the line. Increase the height ONLY if you and your horse are comfortable with the exercise.
Keep your right horse and let him perform relaxed jumps. Once the last vertical has been crossed, quickly get back in place, straighten up and take your horse back to place your 5 short strides. Don't forget to look away. This is a good exercise for horses that need to gain agility in combinations. Be careful though, at higher heights the exercise can be difficult. Be vigilant and attentive.
This exercise makes it possible toimprove the accuracy of inter-groove transitions. The difficulty here is keep an accurate and regular track making transitions smoothly.
Again, start by doing this exercise with your stirrups and remove them once you are comfortable.
1️⃣ Start by drawing the 4-loop serpentine at a walking pace to get used to the pattern.
2️⃣ Once you have mastered the line, start the transitions each time you cross the middle line. Start the serpentine at the step. At the end of the first loop, take the trot. Then at the end of the second loop, walk again and so on.
3️⃣ Start the serpentine at a trot then canter at the end of the first loop, trot again at the end of the second loop and so on.
Don't forget to change hands! Be careful with the layout, the loops must be of equal dimensions.
And you, what are your favourite exercises to do without stirrups?
See you soon for a new article,
Team Seaver
