Teach the Basics – Heels- part 3
No Force
Heels don’t need to be forced down. They just need to be lower than the toes in order to help the weight to stay down . Forcing the heel down will create stiffness in the leg instead allowing the ankles supple (loose) and springy.
It’s easier to have springy ankles if the stirrup is on the “bubbling spring” or Kd 1 point. Bubbling spring is a common term for a reflexology point that is on the ball of the foot.
Lifting
Lifting toes instead of dropping heels will cause ankles to stiffen Lifting the toes is easy and you can do it sitting in your chair. Try it and you’ll feel your ankle stiffen and the muscles along the shin tighten. You have achieved getting your heels down but you have added a great deal of tension to your lower leg. “Toes Up” is better used as an exercise to stretch and strengthen muscles, rather than a method to lower the heels.
Foot in the Stirrup Incorrectly
Foot mispositioned in stirrup will cause ankles to stiffen. Stirrups that are “home” ((foot all the way in) rob the ankle of it’s ability to flex making it very difficult to use the leg aids correctly.
Lifting the Heel to Use it
The tiny rider in the picture is sitting over her feet and would probably have a good heel if she were not lifting it to make her pony move. Lifting the heel happens when the riders and horse are not matched in size. For instance a tiny rider on a big barreled animal or a long legged rider on a pony. Unfortunately, lifting the heel is a difficult habit to change, so care should be taken to mount riders on horses that suit their size. Lifting the heel also occurs when the rider’s stirrups are too long. The correction is to shorten the stirrup length
Curling Ankles
This occurs when the rider places more weight on the little toe and tries to turn toes so they are parallel to horse. This is another fault that takes an active effort to correct. Most people can’t, because of conformation, make their feet hang parallel to the horse’s side unless they roll their ankle out an press their little toe on to the stirrup. Often when you look at this foot foot position you’ll notice that the whole ball of the foot does not press onto the stirrup. The result is a cocked or rolled out ankle that can’t allow the heel to go down and a rider whose ability to use the lower leg correctly is diminished. Often riders who curl their ankles will suffer pain or numbness in the ankle or in the muscles on the outside of the calf. The rider’s toe must be allowed to turn out slightly in a position that permits the foot to step flat all the way across the tread of the stirrup. Any correction to the turn out of the toes comes from repositioning the leg from the hip down, not the ankle. This repositioning takes time as the rider conditions her muscles, tendons and ligaments to a new position.
Tension crops up in riders in many different ways. Sometimes it’s hard to know what’s going on inside a riders boots! Kids come to lessons in boots that they will “grow into” and sometimes you have to ask. The same goes for riders who clench their toes. Inside those boots could be toes that are wadded up into toe “fists”, tightening the wrong muscles and blocking the heel. To begin to correct this habit, ask your riders to wiggle each toe, one at a time, from little toe to largest and largest to little toe. This will help the toes to relax.
Boots too Tight in the Ankle
Paddock shoes are the biggest culprit here. Riders lace them tightly as if they were ice skates. Ice skate need to be tight to support the ankle. A flexible ankle for an ice skater is sure to spell disaster. Paddock shoes need to be loose in the ankle to allow flexibility. Loosen those laces. Make sure boots fit well and are broken in.
Ankle Cocked In
Another faulty heel position is the ankle that is broken inward with a heel that is well down. The ankle is rigidly flexed inward creating stiffness. The heel is down but the usefulness of the leg is diminished and the rider will not have the ability to apply subtle aids.
Lack of Flexibility
Some ankles are less flexible than others just by the nature of a rider’s conformation. This rider may find it hard to get the heel down more than slightly. If the rider has the weight down through the seat, leg and into the heel properly, the slightly downed heel should be very functional. Lack of flexibility due to injury should be treated the same way.
This blog post is an excerpt from “Basic and Building Blocks- Curriculum for Equestrians” copyright 2010
If you want to be certain not to miss the next part of this teaching series, be sure to sign up for updates by filling out the simple red form on this page.
And if you’re interested in horsemanship history, why not visit my other blog “U.S. Horsemanship” at http://ushorsemanship.com/
Thanks for reading “The Riding Instructor”
Popularity: 80% [?]
