Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

There are many, many excellent teachers out there, each with their own 
take on what's the "correct" way to do things.  I think communication 
style has a lot to do with whether a particular teacher's message 
resonants with a person.  A teacher who really says and does things in 
ways that make sense to me is Peggy Cummings/Connected Riding. I had 
been struggling with instability/butt out/arched back/gripping with my 
knees.  She showed me a very different way of riding including using 
shorter stirrups to free up some joints as well as working not to grip 
with my knees.  The change in my comfort and security level is amazing, 
and what's even better is that my horse feels better and isn't a spooker 
any more!!!
Laney

Beverley H. Kane, MD wrote:
> Angie--Certainly you know what works best for you. (Tho, I too have felt the
> mortification of being videotaped with the resulting film title, Curious
> George Rides a Horse.)
>
> Intuitively, and for my body, shortening the stirrups results in some
> destabilization of the legs and body.
> The shorter the stirrups, the more bent the knees.
> The more bent the knees, the more I tend toward bum out, chest forward,
> bigger angle for the pelvis to rise through, more work for the quads and
> knees, more angled contact w/ inner thighs.
>  Hence all this practice posting w/o stirrups, as others have mentioned, so
> the post comes from the motion of the horse, the thrust of the pelvis, and
> light contact w/ the inner thigh--not by pushing off w/ the feet.
> My Arab mare has a really rough trot (tho...I can now actually -sit- it in
> my Barefoot Cheyenne.)
> So I try to ride w/ stirrups as long as possible, still being able to keep
> heels down.
> (I suspect a lot of people w/ knee problems are riding w/ stirrups too
> short.)
>
> When I did my Sports Medicine Fellowship, we dissected the gaits of runners
> in slo mo video on ourselves and on world champions. It has never ceased to
> amaze me how theoretically bad a runner's biomechanics can be and they're
> still champions and pain free.
>
> Beverley
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: <rides2far@xxxxxxxx>
> To: <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Thursday, April 06, 2006 4:55 AM
> Subject: RE: [RC] posting?? manes??
>
>
> [snip]. Before an endurance ride I have to shorten my stirrups a lot on
> Kaboot just to make my "up" arch long enough to come down when he does and
> not have to tip toe. Does that make sense? I readjust my stirrups a lot. If
> I plan to ride slowly, I ride with them longer but if my horses are going to
> do their power trot I can't maintain what feels like the correct position,
> with ankles, knees and hips relaxed and in that "perpetual motion" groove
> unless my stirrups are shorter and I'm up longer.
>
>
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Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp

Ride Long and Ride Safe!!

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