It might not be the most exciting topic but I want to talk about stirrup length. I see so many riders who are struggling with their riding because their stirrups are (usually) too long. I think alot of this comes from the idea that having a longer leg lenth will make you sit taller but the reality is, unless you are riding without stirrups, you will actually just be out of balance with your horse.
How do you know you are out of balance?
Your lower leg will be moving around way too much, you may struggle to keep your feet in your stirrups and rising trot will be pretty uncomfortable. If you are not sure, get someone to video you.
What's the solution?
My general rule of thumb for general riding (jumping will be shorter again) is your ankle should touch the bottom of your stirrup iron when your feet are out of the stirrups. Of course, when you first put your stirrups up, this may feel awkward but please give it a go. Even clients have told me they keep their stirrups longer because of knee trouble have found that its more comfortable and more stable riding with a shorter length.
As an aside, please also check your stirrups are the same length and that the nearside stirrup hasn't stretched over time from mounting.
Please let me know if this helps you.
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