Three powerful ridden exercises to help you keep your heels down
Share
Keeping your heels consistently down as a rider is a huge challenge for many, not only as a beginner, but even for very experienced rider. However, most riders are able to improve keeping their heels down when they ride the following exercises. The more consistently you do them, the quicker you’ll improve.
- Two-point trotting
In order to keep your heels down, it’s very important that each of the joints in your legs acts like a spring - that’s the hips, knees and ankles. If one or more of those joints is blocked, it will be impossible to have your heels down and your seat supple. An excellent exercise to get your legs used to properly working as springs is two-point trotting. For as long as you can comfortably do it, think of hovering over the saddle and take your weight into your knees and ankles. Incline your upper body very slightly forward to help with balance, and let your seat rise and fall a little as the “springs” of your legs work up and down. Make sure to have a break before you get too tired, or your leg joints will probably “lock up” again!
- Think of “toes up”
Instead of thinking heels down, try thinking about “toes up” - this seems like a small distinction but can make a huge difference to your position. Imagine a line tying your toe to your kneecap and pulling your toes up. This will free up your ankles and let your heels fall down naturally without being “jammed” and causing your seat to stiffen. So, next time you think or hear “heels down”, say to yourself “toes up” instead!
- No stirrups
It might seem counterintuitive, but riding without stirrups can actually help you to keep your heels down much better when you put your feet back in your stirrups. For no stirrups work to be beneficial, you need to keep in mind your fitness level, as well as your horse’s strength and suppleness. Once your horse tenses or drops their backs, not only does it become almost impossible for you to properly sit, but it also can make your horse quite sore. So, if you need to, there is nothing wrong with doing a very small trot (as small as you need for it to be comfortable), and only for short bursts. You will still benefit in letting your seat relax, and relax the joints of your leg, for a better heel position.
Try these exercises on your next ride, and see how each of them helps you to develop a better heel position.