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Location: midwest mama | I recently had a saddle maker hobble my saddle fenders forward because my feet were getting behind me so bad. I made my first run today (after getting the saddle modified), and when my horse left the turns I was popping WAY up in the air.
Are my stirrups too short? When I stand up in my saddle there is a LOT of room between the saddle and my crotch.
I did not adjust them since I had the fenders hobbled forward - because the stirrups are more forward now do I need to lengthen them?
Help! |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
 
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | Try it and see. I mostly follow the 3 finger rule where you have 3 fingers between your crotch and the saddle when you stand, but my fingers are small, so I guess that depends. When mine are too short, my horse just stepping into a lope will pop me up onto the cantle and I can't sit through a stop like I want (that may be part of why you were getting your feet behind you). It might feel weird when you first let them out because you have to get used to stretching your legs down again. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 619
| Could also be that your horse is getting on its front end too much causing you to become a lawn dart. I was allowing my horse to dive into the turn, which was causing me to pop up on backside and leaving because he was getting on his front end in the turn. His trainer saw exactly what was happening and told me that it was me allowing him to dive and she showed me how to correct. I did what she said and I'm no longer a lawn dart.
Edited by Burninbarrels9456 2014-09-14 9:48 PM
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| Moving mine down helped with this issue a ton on my second barrel. He's getting on his front end in the third like another poster said though and still getting me forward, so we have to work on that. Could be a combination of both. |
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 Not Afraid to Work
Posts: 4717
| From my experience, i am not engaging my core muscles. |
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 I keep my butt inside
Posts: 3281
Location: Weatherford, Texas | stayceem - 2014-09-14 11:04 PM
From my experience, i am not engaging my core muscles.
I agree with this.....lengthening your stirrups slightly may help, but mos the time when people are flying around it is lack of muscle use to keep yourself attached to your horse. When I give lessons and see this I make people start riding bareback so they are forced to engage those muscles. Back when I get to rodeo *tear* and before I had to get a grown up job- my horse that I ran most was very athletic and I had to be also---so I exercised him bareback to make sure my leg and core muscles could monkey up when I needed to. |
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | cooper08 - 2014-09-15 7:05 AM stayceem - 2014-09-14 11:04 PM From my experience, i am not engaging my core muscles. I agree with this.....lengthening your stirrups slightly may help, but mos the time when people are flying around it is lack of muscle use to keep yourself attached to your horse. When I give lessons and see this I make people start riding bareback so they are forced to engage those muscles. Back when I get to rodeo *tear* and before I had to get a grown up job- my horse that I ran most was very athletic and I had to be also---so I exercised him bareback to make sure my leg and core muscles could monkey up when I needed to.
"Monkey up". Hahaha  |
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 Good Grief!
Posts: 6343
Location: Cap'n Joan Rotgut.....alberta | generally as a rule.if your feet are getting kicked back its because your saddle may be to small.............
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