heels down!!!

[sugar4eva]

Im forever ben told to keep heels down - i try i really do, but as i ride, up they go again!! Instrutor say heel s down and i do then cannot keep down in canter or tiny jump.She shouted you are" not a feking ballet dancer "once - you get the picture.If anyone could make suggetion to train my body to stop reverting its been grateful- a visual thing tens to work for me .thanks

apologies poor typing - worse than my heels !!Was not looking up.

Lunge, lunge lunge with no stirrups to lengthen and wrap your leg round rather than gripping up. It hurts, it's hard, you'll get seriously out of breath, it takes a while, but it works.

One visualisation that helped me was to imagine I was giving leg aides with the insides of my shin bones rather than the insides of my feet, or any other bit of my leg. That way I used my LEG and not my feet which helps to keep your feet in the right position.

Maybe if you think about relaxing your knee, and ankle - actually your whole leg.....visual use them draped around your horse.....

This is something I do when I am a little tense, but it starts at the knee, I grip with that, pulling my heel up, hence the focus on relaxing knee and stretching leg around.....

Agreed it is in the knee you are probably balling up a bit in the faster work so try to relax down from the hips it comes in time don't worry you will get there

Lots of no stirrup work, concentrate on sitting deep and letting your leg relax done than wrap round

"Your head and your heart keep up
You hands and your heels keep down
Your legs keep close to your horse's sides
Your elbows close to your own."

Not helpful, I know........

Thank you all for advice ; much appreciated

Get a new instructor! You need someone who can actually coach and undertands what they are doing - no one should ever be told 'heels down' without explanation of why, what that will achieve and perhaps different imagery if she can see that is not working for you. Oh, and don't even start me on the swearing...

Hi I am new here and came across this post. As a qualified instructor I am with poppysaid, time to find an instructor that can actually teach. Being unable to keep your heels down means you have not found your centre of gravity causing tension, so you are constantly out of balance with your mount. To practice and ensure the correct seat you could do with lunge work and lots of walk and trot without stirrups with a clear explanation of what that entails muscle by muscle from head to toe :) Wishing you well.

Try varying the length of your stirrups (both together, not one side, that would be silly!) just to see if riding a little longer or shorter makes a difference.

Trying to force your heels down can make your leg swing forward too
My instructor told me to think knees down to keep my legs in the right place