I've ridden huntseat for about...hmm...12 years
now, and I don't feel secure in the saddle with the stirrups at the
'correct' length. After getting bucked off, I think I proved my point, at
least to myself, that it's just not that beneficial to be riding with stirrups
that short unless you are jumping. I really don't enjoy jumping all that
much and I'm longing to start dressage lessons. I've seen many people
falling off when they shouldn't have because they were leaning forward and their
stirrups were too short. This also leads me on to comment on instructors
who insist that you push your heel down as far as it can go. I would
prefer to push my heels down as far as I'm comfortable with. And I groaned
to myself when I heard 'grip with your knees.' Yes, grip with your knees,
it'll provide a great pivot point for when you fall off.
