Toes in, heels down - why you should reconsider your priorities

We know that our riding posture is so important - if only to get those extra marks on our test!!!

But the postural corrections that we get corrected on (that are aesthetically pleasing) can get in the road of our core posture improvement; which in turn impacts how well our horse can balance and maintain self carriage without going on the forehand.

From the age of 7 I was getting 2 lessons a week, competing on the weekend and being critiqued on my posture regularly.

• Heels down,

• Toes in,

• Legs back,

• Shoulders back,

• Look where you’re going.

I was always trying to make my position “look” better.

• Lessons without stirrups,

• Pulling my legs up learning to get deeper in the saddle,

• Or hours on end practising the 2 point seat.

My biggest weakness was always rounded shoulders. It wasn’t until I started to work with an exercise physiologist after an injury that I learnt that posture and balance doesn’t come from tweaking arms and legs, but learning to use your body from your core.

The more self awareness and coordination you have from your core, the more balanced you are and the more control you then have over the rest of your body.

The thing about not knowing how to use your core and centre of gravity is that you curl and shrink your body down to try and gain your balance. The more you can isolate and engage your core the longer you can stretch your body and the straighter your upper body will be.

So at Equestrian Movement, our focus is first and foremost engaging the core and working on balance points that make us more independent in our riding - and then do the tidy up to look good. We want to stay out of our horse’s way so that they can move freely. We want to find the most important positional corrections that keep us on the horse, and THEN look good doing it.

It is why we made the course 3 Weeks to Improve Your Riding.

My students have done it and I have seen a huge improvement not only in their position and balance but also how well their horse works. The aids are clearer, firmer, more balanced and the horse is allowed to move freely.

The course contains 6 videos on how to ride from your core along with a 3 week exercise plan written by a PT to help you isolate and learn how to use you core.

Are you ready to improve your riding position? Click here to learn more.

Is Toes In Really Improving Your Riding Position?

For many of us, when we are riding under instruction, we often hear the command “Toes In!” - especially if you are focusing on the dressage discipline.

But is it doing your riding any good?

Why I don’t teach toes in:

My instructor that taught me to teach gave me the best piece of advice I have ever received as an instructor: “if you can’t explain it, don’t teach it”. This has lead to a life long, never ending pursuit down the rabbit hole of “why?”. Seriously you’d think I was a 2 year old!

Rather than observing our dressage etiquette’s as gospel I have asked why of everything ever taught to me before and since and everything that I have ever taught.

So why toes in? What purpose does it have? Mostly because toes out looks bad!

But that’s not a good enough answer for me.

I believe the purpose of any postural correction in the saddle should first and foremost improve our horses ability to move freely, secondly improve our balance in the saddle and lastly “look good”

In fact turning your toes in uses the exact opposite muscles you need to ride with an independent seat! It makes you tighten your thigh and knee taking your calf off and rotate your pelvis down hollowing your lower back.

So while I don’t teach toes in, I do teach how to control your lower leg to enhance your horses movement and be more effective with your aids and supple through your seat. And then AFTER you can do this we can tidy up your toes and make the look overall aesthetically pleasing.

We have our last workshop in April before I’m on maternity leave 😱 we cover how to use your lower leg, seat and body most effectively to enhance your horses movement and your balance, not limit it.