| This thread has been locked, it will not receive new replies. |
|
Locked on 10/04/2005 10:01:05 AM PDT by Admin Moderator, reason:
New Thread http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1496423/posts |
Posted on 07/14/2005 3:23:55 PM PDT by HairOfTheDog
LOL....Hair is just so much more gentle and tactful in her posts:)
I do think you did good Ruthie. Anytime you go out and come back and haven't hit the ground, you did fine and had a good ride:)
Becky
The lady I ride with alot, Celia, and I have been talking about what being older does to your horsemanship:). She says she use to get a jump rope and go into this field with horses that she didn't know who they belonged to catch one, fashion a bridle with the rope climb on bareback and ride around the pasture:). NOW, she's like me, wouldn't even attempt to ride bareback:) Old age has alot more drawbacks then just more aches and pains. It plays with your head, and you see disaster at every turn of the trail:)...LOL
Becky
I'll second that!
And really, for your balance, it's the weight in the stirrups that is the important part, more than the 'heels down' part. It's just that "heels down" is an easy way to explain how to achieve it in the fewest words.
LOL...well you're alot less selfish then I am:). AT age 51 I think alot about what it will do to my body, more then how it would affect my kids:)...
But you're right, I know what you mean. That is one reason Mack never really rode much. We were/still are self employeed. If something had happened to him and he couldn't work we would have been up a creek. Now at least we have Charlie old enough to run the business. But that thought crosses my mind once in awhile for him too now. He's a very very good hand with a roping horse. Alot of the guys he hangs with will ask him to ride thier horses when they have problems. Makes me very nervous, and anymore I tell him don't tell me when your riding someone elses horses, I don't want to know:)
Becky
I'll definitely take your advice and start trying to limber up a bit.
I can't wait to try again and apply what I've learned. :-D
From her picture do you think she needs to shorten her stirrups. Stirrup length is one of those things I've never been sure of. Both my girls say I ride with my stirrups too long, in their opinion. When I get in their stirrups it feels to short, but we are all about the same height, and leg length. We've come to the opinion it's preference.
Becky
It's about a hundred miles as the crow flies, about three hours to the top with curvy roads and sight-seeing. It makes for an all day trip to go, even if you don't stop at all the sights.
We'll keep seeking the perfect shot :~D
It's really hard to tell, but I don't think they are overly long. Too short and she's definately going to bounce. I think it's a matter of just trying to visualize "long leg" instead of visualize herself as sitting. We're trained from habit to sit on our butts and our legs aren't working. You aren't sitting, keep trying to drag the ground with your heel... visualize and lengthen your leg from the hip all the way down.
Both my girls say I ride with my stirrups too long, in their opinion. When I get in their stirrups it feels to short, but we are all about the same height, and leg length. We've come to the opinion it's preference.
They also probably don't spend as many the hours in the saddle you do. The more I trail ride, the longer I want my stirrups, just for the sake of my knees. Short stirrups work the knee a lot more. It's possible you would want to shorten them for running barrels, but it'd be a matter of preference.
LOL...well remember, I tried shortening them for the barrels with disasterous consequenses:).
But you know now, that I've found out my saddle is broke, I've replayed that incident in my mind. Remember I thought I got him with a spur that day is why he got all jumpy, I'm wondering if that saddle didn't get him. With shorter stirrups, I probably had more weight in the stirrups which pulled that crack open, especially when I went around the 1st barrel. My left stirrup could have lengthened some because you put your weight in the outside stirrup on the turns, which caused the loss of the right stirrup. After I finished the turn, it took the pressure off the left stirrup some. I thought I got him with a spur while trying to find the stirrup, but now I'm wondering if the saddle didn't pinch him which is why he got to jumping around so much.
Nothing we can know for sure, but it's a possibility I think.
Becky
Oh, and yeah, both my girsl complain that their knees hurt when they ride alot....I agree with you that it's because their stirrups are too short. But who wants to mess with moving stirrups around all the time:).
Becky
It sure is a possibility. Heck... even Rusty's hitchiness might be a manuever he learned to do to avoid getting pinched.
I've wondered that too....I just feel rotten when I think of all the horses I've put that saddle on. But who would have thought that MY saddle could have a broken tree....It just seems impossible.
Becky
There is an exercise I remember my trainer having me do to get better leg position. It's a little hard to explain in words... This would be easier if you were here on a horse, but I'll try.
When you saddle up, find your stirrups, stand up in the saddle and straighten your knee completely. Stand there for a moment and stretch your heels down, just like you will have been doing on the stairs. Rotate at the hip till your knees and feet are pointed forward and visualize stretching those heels to the ground. Not the toes, the heels. Then leave your lower leg in that position, leave that weight in the stirrup, and just bend your knees until your toosh is in the saddle. You'll feel it most in the calves, but it also has lengthened your thigh.
Whenever you find yourself losing your stirrups or bouncing again, or you realize you are just sitting on top of the saddle, stop and do that excercise again. It's hard to be sitting on your butt and do any valuable lengthening of the leg.
I get all the instructions except the Rotate at the hip till your knees and feet are pointed forward????
How do you rotate your hips and keep your knees and feet forward????
Becky
You can't picture it because you're used to already having your leg in the right position. When new folk stand in the saddle, usually their knees and feet end up pointing east and west.
So the instruction should be, if your feet and knees ~aren't~ pointed forward, rotate at the hip until they are.
What that excercise does is stretch you down to where your foot is firmly in the stirrup and your heels are down.
Too often, if someone is sitting atop the saddle, and someone says 'put your heels down', they'll rotate at the ankle and just bring the toe up, actually ending up with less weight in the stirrups, rather than more, and they lose them.
OOHHHH OK, I get it. Sorry:)
Becky
Makes sense now. Your excerise will also help with gripping with your knees more. I never thought of it like you explain it, but that is a great exersice. I'll have to remember it.
Becky
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.