From: May
Dear Jessica, you seem to be able to see into riders' minds even when they are on different continents, so I hope that you can see into my mind and tell me what my problme is and how to fix it. I am a 50-something amateur rider and have ridden for about four years now. I love riding and I love my horse. I also love my instructor, who has taken me from a very nervous beginner to a calm and happy (most of the time) lower intermediate rider. My problem is that no matter how many exercises I do when I am off the horse, I cannot ever drop my heels properly when I ride.
My instructor swears that he has seen every aspect of nervousness and that I am not a nervous rider, that I become more calm every year and that he cannot understand why I would be tense ONLY in my lower legs! This is a mystery to both of us. I try my best but there is something about actual riding that just causes my ankles to become rigid. Please can you help me clear up this mystery? This is a serious problem for me and is preventing my making progress, which frustrates me and my instructor (and I am sure it also frustrates my poor patient horse).
May
First, DO check to be certain that your stirrups are at a correct length (so that when you take your feet OUT of the stirrups and let your legs hang down, the stirrup treads are at the level of your anklebones or a fraction of an inch higher or lower. I know this is elementary, but it's something very simple and basic that is frequently overlooked (or simply done wrong), and it is the cause of many, many different problems that relate to rider position, rider comfort, rider security, and rider effectiveness!
After that, the next most obvious thing to do - and I expect your instructor has already done it - would be to check that your your riding position involves proper vertical alignment (ear-shoulder-hip-heel), and that your legs from the hips down are hanging relaxed, so that you are not gripping with your knees or twisting your feet or ankles. Your legs need to be relaxed all the way from your hips to your toes.
Check your saddle - not just your stirrup leather length adjustment, but the saddle itself. Ask your instructor to observe and analyze your position when you are relaxed in the saddle - it's possible that your alignment is incorrect. This is frequently the case when saddles are constructed with their stirrup bars placed too far forward - riders are constantly (and unsuccessfully) striving to achieve correct vertical alignment, but can't even approximate it without making a constant effort that involves gripping with the legs. Try riding without your stirrups, just allowing your legs to hang naturally, with a bend at the knee and with your toes UP (as if your feet were in the stirrups). Have your instructor watch and tell you whether your vertical alignment is correct, AND whether you've managed to allow your heels to drop. If this works, then the problem is very likely to be the stirrup bar placement on your saddle. If you can achieve a lovely, correct and comfortable position without your stirrups, but never WITH your stirrups, the saddle is likely to be the culprit.
There are two other common causes of the "fixed-ankle, can't get heels down" problem you've described. One is rider tension - in this case, quite unrelated to saddle design. ;-) Some people can appear, and even feel, relaxed throughout MOST of their bodies, except for one small area that reveals tension (think of individuals who drum with their fingers or tap with one foot, or constantly swing one crossed leg, or who twist their hair or bite their nails. For some riders, tension shows up in the feet. What do you do with your feet when you ride? Do you tense your feet and curl your toes? Some riders do, and consequently can never truly relax their bodies, and as for allowing their heels to drop - THAT is impossible for them. Deep breathing exercises can help - and so can a very simple exercise: SPREAD YOUR TOES. That's all. You won't be able to sustain it for long, and you shouldn't try, but remind yourself to do it regularly, because focusing on your toes and making an effort to spread them will tell you instantly whether you are curling your toes or tensing your feet.
If your saddle is comfortable, your stirrup bars are back where they belong, your overall position is good, your vertical alignment is good, your toes are relaxed, and you are always able to drop your heels easily when doing exercises OFF the horse, ask your instructor to help you take a good, hard look at your FOOTGEAR. If you wear dress boots, they may be too stiff in the shaft, or they may be creased incorrectly - either problem can make it difficult or impossible for you to allow your heels to drop. If you wear field boots, or if you wear paddock boots with jodhpurs (or with breeches and half-chaps), try lacing them very loosely. Too-tight laces can create an ankle-brace effect, limiting or entirely eliminating the natural flexibility of your ankles, and this can effectively prevent you from allowing your heels to drop. If you feel your heels drop and your legs lengthen as soon as you begin to ride with looser laces, you'll have solved your problem in the easiest and most inexpensive way imaginable. ;-)
I hope that one of these ideas will work for you - please let me know!
Jessica
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