{"id":347,"date":"2016-07-29T12:00:38","date_gmt":"2016-07-29T16:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/equestrianbootsandbridles.com\/?p=347"},"modified":"2021-07-21T07:06:18","modified_gmt":"2021-07-21T11:06:18","slug":"english-riding-tips-ankle-mobility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/equestrianbootsandbridles.com\/english-riding-tips-ankle-mobility\/","title":{"rendered":"English Riding Tips on Ankle Mobility, Heels Down!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In my experience, every\u00a0horse riding trainer will tell you to “get those heels down!” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what if you just can’t? Most people don’t think of that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below are some English riding tips on ankle mobility that will help you get those heels to\u00a0where you need them to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[UPDATE!] I want to start of by saying that if you’re REALLY struggling with ankle mobility and lower leg position, e-mail me directly<\/a> as I’m currently working on a complete course on how to go from 0 to excellent ankle mobility and complete lower leg stability when riding. I’ll give you access to a great deal when the course launches (no obligations, of course)!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Table of Contents<\/div>
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    \"English<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    If you want to be able to keep your heels down properly while you\u2019re riding then you need to have a certain degree of ankle mobility. Without this, it’s going to be very hard for you to keep your heels down consistently. You\u2019ll have issues with your feet coming forward in the stirrup especially during a trot or a canter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Why do you want to keep your heels down?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n\n\n\n

    The problem with your foot coming forwards is that you\u2019ll lose the level of control you should have in the saddle.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    With your weight down into your heels, it gives you a much greater sense of balance and connection with the horse. It also allows you to keep your bum deep in the saddle and match your horse\u2019s rhythm easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    When your feet come forward, you lose the foothold because your toes start pointing down and you have no more leverage through your legs. Now you\u2019re more likely to lean forward and it will be much easier for you to get thrown off balance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The issues you’ll face without ankle mobility<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n\n\n\n

    In order to push your weight down through your heel and keep the ball of your foot securely on the stirrup, you\u2019ll need to get your heel below parallel. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Parallel just won\u2019t cut it because there simply won\u2019t be enough force to properly get your weight down and get yourself as balanced as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you haven\u2019t already, try pushing your heels down as far as possible next time you\u2019re on a horse. And feel the pressure on the ball of your foot. This should give you a much greater sense of stability and balance on the horse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    You will be able to feel the horse much better beneath you and gain a huge advantage when it comes to a stable trot, canter and especially when it comes to executing a clean jump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Of course you also don’t want to go too far down<\/a> so that your entire body is starting to angle backwards and your legs are starting to straighten. This is not good either! You want to keep your posture inline right overtop of your heels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Why can’t you keep em’ down?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n\n\n\n

    If you can\u2019t consistently keep your heel down then you\u2019re probably doing one of two things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The first of is you’re not paying enough attention…<\/strong> in which case – you have have have to! I can\u2019t stress how important it is to pay attention to this! You really should not be doing a jumping course, especially an intensive one, or any sort of cantering\/loping routine even if you can\u2019t keep your heels down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The reason is because if your heels aren\u2019t down then you\u2019re going to bounce more in the saddle because your weight isn\u2019t being pushed down. This leaves your horse free to bounce you around. You will loose the ability to control your body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If your legs are very strong or you are very in tune with your horse then you may be able to get away with this. But if your horse does one thing you don\u2019t expect or if there\u2019s a tighter turn than you anticipated then there\u2019s a much greater chance you\u2019re off of there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Stiff<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    The second is that you have stiff ankles…<\/strong> This could be due to many different things. Some of the top culprits of this are ballet and tennis. Ballet dancers and tennis players spend an awful lot of time on their toes (especially ballerinas!) which means terrible dorsiflexion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Dorsiflexion is the ability to bend your ankle such that your knee is going directly over it. The further your knee goes, the better you will be at keeping those heels down!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    How is your ankle mobility?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n\n\n\n

    First, you\u2019re going to need to verify that dorsiflexion is in fact the problem. Even if you’re pretty sure that it is, you\u2019re not going to want to skip this step because it\u2019s a good way to keep track of your future progress towards more ankle mobility. So first things first: go get a tape measure!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You can measure<\/a> your degree of dorsiflexion by standing in front of a wall so that you are facing it. Then put your foot at a distance from which you can just touch your knee to the wall without raising your heel. Once you\u2019re at the furthest distance possible at which your knee is touching the wall and your heel is on the ground, measure the distance between your big toe and the wall. Voila! That is your starting point!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here’s a video of the test! Here he’s talking about running but the test is universal.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n