Welcome to Trainer Tuesday! Each week we ask trainers a question and gather their answers for you. These trainers have a range of experience, backgrounds, and focus points of their programs, so the answers have as much variation as you would expect and also probably much more similarity.
This week’s question posed is: Do you have your riders change their stirrup length from jumping to flatting? If so, for what discipline and by how many holes (inches)?
Here are their answers:
“I don’t make it a regular occurrence to change the stirrup length, but if my intention is to work on specific flatwork exercises, I will have my students lengthen their stirrups 1-2 holes. When showing, some riders look better in the equitation flat with a slightly longer stirrup, but they need the shorter stirrup for stability over fences. I do feel that it can be very rider-dependent, but while performing flatwork exercises a longer stirrup is generally beneficial.” -Amy Kriwitsky
“My barn participates in the hunter, jumper, and equitation divisions on the West Coast show circuit. All of our flat work is done with a slightly longer stirrup to lengthen out their legs in case they participate in equitation classes at the horse shows. The slightly longer stirrups help all the riders understand how to really connect their legs to the horses.
Once we move to jumping, I encourage all my riders to up on their stirrup leathers at least one hole depending on the height at which they are jumping. If they are jumping 3’0” ft or above, I like them to go up two holes. Having that slightly shorter stirrup gives them more flexibility through the knee and ankle and more shock-absorbing support with the leg over the jumps. I also feel that it helps their balance stay more centered instead of throwing their shoulders forward at the apex of the jump.” –Julie Conner-Daniels
“For me, this isn’t a one-size-fits-all situation. A lot of my decisions around this are based on a number of factors, which include the natural length of the rider’s leg, the shape of the horse, the stability of the rider’s leg position, and the jumping style of the horse itself.
If I have a rider with a naturally long leg that easily wraps around the horse, I likely would not change the length of their stirrup.
For a rider who has a shorter leg or sits on a horse with a wide barrel (especially in the equitation ring), I’d likely elect to drop the stirrup length on the flat by a hole or two to allow the riders left to drop and roll around the horse a bit more.
In the case where a horse has a hard jump or a rider who has a leg position that tends to slide back, I’d choose to raise the stirrups to jump by a hole or two, which would help stabilize their position and allow them to stay with the jump, allowing them to be more effective in the tack.
Growing up, my trainers had us drop our stirrups 2-3 holes while we were schooling on the flat to encourage us to strengthen our legs while also maintaining the proper leg position. I find this to be incredibly effective and something I utilize in my program today.” -Brooke Farr
“Yes–switching from a flatting length to a jumping length when riding is so helpful! It really can take your riding to another level. Starting with longer stirrups, 1 or 2 holes below the ankle bone, helps the rider find more depth in the heel and ultimately more length in the back of the leg. It encourages the rider to keep a bit more contact through the entire leg and stay closer to the saddle which allows them to follow better.
If you can follow, you can feel–if you can feel, then you can influence. When you’re ready to start jumping, going up 1or 2 holes to be right at the ankle bone allows the leg to be more elastic and steady, which in turn allows the horse to be a bit more relaxed, comfortable, and supple.” -Lindsay Anderson
“In teaching hunters, jumpers, and equitation, I am a strong believer in doing daily no stirrups warm up for 10 minutes (if the horse is calm and good-minded). The purpose of this is to give the horse time to warm up their muscles and joints through walk-suppling exercises and to get the rider’s leg longer by elongating the thigh, knee, and lower leg. I call it a dressage-type leg. This encourages riders to sit down and around the horse rather than sit on top of the horse.
My general rule of thumb is a stirrup hole down or 2’ in longer on the flat. When jumping, I encourage riders to shorten their stirrups relative to the height of the jumps. The higher they jump relates to a shorter stirrup length.” -Connie Stevens
“Yes, I typically have riders adjust their stirrup length between jumping and flatwork. For my hunter, jumper, and equitation riders, I recommend dropping their stirrups by 1-2 holes (about 1-2 inches) for flatwork to allow for a deeper seat and a more effective leg. When jumping, especially over larger fences, a shorter stirrup provides better balance and security. The exact adjustment depends on the rider’s build, the horse’s movement, and the type of work being done that day.” -Colin Caporusso
“For flatwork, I think it’s important that riders learn to sit with the horse and be able to sink down around them. With that in mind, I frequently lengthen or lose the stirrups completely when teaching flatwork so riders can learn to absorb the motion of the horse and not brace against it.
I’m pretty simple and put a lot of focus on balance and timing, so that’s what I look for when considering stirrup length, both riding myself and teaching others. I think the fascination with symmetry is good in theory, but not all bodies are symmetrical–horses or riders. As such, I’m a bit of a compulsive stirrup adjuster to what feels right at the time. With that in mind, they’re not always necessarily even according to the holes on the saddle, shorter automatically because the jumps are higher, or even the same as they were adjusted yesterday.” -Morgan Parasher
“Where a rider’s center of gravity should fall on the horse is largely determined by the particular discipline they are riding—and a major determinant of the rider’s center of gravity is stirrup length. Perhaps the most striking difference in stirrup length is that between a jockey and a dressage rider. In horse racing, very short stirrups enable the jockey to carry their center of gravity over the horse’s neck and forehand; conversely, longer stirrups enable the rider to carry their center of gravity over the horse’s back in dressage.
In hunt seat riding, the rider’s center of gravity falls somewhere in the middle. For hunt seat flatwork, the rider should find their center of gravity over the horse’s back. Longer stirrups enable the rider to center themself on the horse’s back with their legs wrapped around the barrel, calves in contact with the horse’s side, and weight in the seat and thigh. This positioning facilitates the activation of the horse’s haunches and core requisite for advanced flatwork. In this instance, a shorter stirrup would hinder the rider’s ability to shift their center of gravity down and back, thus limiting their capacity to engage the horse’s hind end.
Jumping, on the other hand, requires freedom of the horse’s neck and back during flight. While jumping a fence, the rider shifts their center of gravity up and forward over the wither as they assume the half seat. Shortening the stirrup two to three inches eases this change in the rider’s balance. A longer stirrup can act as a fulcrum rather than serving as an anchor, thus destabilizing the rider. Longer stirrups encourage the rider to pinch their knee for security which can cause the rider’s leg to slide, further leading to jumping ahead at takeoff and falling back in the air.” -Jesse Fortier
“I have my intermediate and advanced riders change their stirrup length from flatting to jumping. For flatting, I like to be just below the ankle bone, and for jumping, I like the length to be at least at the ankle bone, if not above.
The higher the jumps, the shorter the stirrups! We even adjust for equitation flat classes at the shows. For beginners, I tend to pick a stirrup length that best suits their overall position at the time and adjust accordingly. Some need help lengthening their leg, and others need help with a little more knee angle to work as a shock absorber.” -Laura Reist
“I prefer to have my beginner riders who are just learning to jump wear their stirrups at the same length for both flatting and jumping just at or slightly above the ankle bone. I feel it’s important at these early levels to understand leg placement and create muscle memory as they learn to ride and jump.
At the beginner levels, changing the iron length can be confusing from a balance perspective, and it creates a lot of leg movement and pinching at the knee, and loss of stirrups as they learn to be comfortable in both a full seat and a half seat and the challenges that come with that.
Conversely, advanced equitation and jumper riders can benefit greatly from changing their stirrup length by one hole for jumping and flatting, as it gives them a greater range of seat and leg aid control and usage. I find that lengthening the stirrups by one hole on the flat, helps riders develop a deep seat, and a more effective and efficient leg position, allowing the lower leg to drop in at a more natural place by elongating the thigh.” -Rhonda Azra
“If riders are jumping over 3’0” ft in hunt seat equitation, we usually raise stirrups one hole to jump, depending on the rider. I find that shorter-legged riders fare better leaving stirrups the same for jumping to be able to get as much leg on the horse as possible.” -Cyndi Simpson
“For my riders (who are mostly under the age of 14), I do not have them change their stirrup length from jumping to flatting. The only time that I will change their stirrups is for a flat class at the show if I believe that their leg looks too loose. I’ll put up the stirrups by one or two holes, forcing them to sink their heels down better without having to think about it the whole class.” –Alliyah Antoniadis
“I do have my students adjust their stirrup length from jumping to flatting, especially when training for jumper classes at 1.20 m and higher. Oftentimes, a rider likes their iron a hole shorter for the taller fences, which helps to hold their position in the air. However, for flat work, I like the stirrup longer to help strengthen their base of support. I like them to work “down and around” their horse, creating a longer and stronger leg. We also remove the stirrup from time to time. Once returned, it’s likely the longer stirrup doesn’t feel long as the leg is now elongated and around the horse.” -Lainie Wimberly
“This is something I start at the 3’0” ft equitation level. Depending on the rider’s conformation and their positional balance and strength, I’ll have them adjust their stirrups 1-2 holes. This system works for me. From my experience, riders competing at the 2’6” level are not balanced and strong enough to quickly react to the change in their position, and the jumps are small, so there shouldn’t be a need to adjust the stirrup length. Usually at the 3’0” ft level, riders are able to benefit from the change in stirrup length.” -Rob Van Jacobs
“I’m a professional showjumper who now does the jumpers full time as well as when I’m training. I grew up doing the hunters and equitation, so I’ve grown up through the varied disciplines and a lot of different methods.
For me, I do like lengthening my stirrup length while flatting for both myself as well as for students! I like working with more length during flatwork than for jumping to maintain and develop leg strength. It also allows you to keep a very solid connection with the horse with your aids on the flat; the leg is so important for that.
It’s hard work flatting with long stirrups and it doesn’t have to be more length than what feels doable for you. But I go one to two holes down for flatwork from my jumping stirrup length.
I like to go up one or two holes from my flatwork length to jumping stirrup length, which, to me, feels like nice support for jumping after working with plenty of length in my legs on most days! I like going back up to jump because that way, you’ve done your work on the flat already after having your leg very long and strong for flatting, so you can enjoy that extra bit of stability for jumping.
I think its also better for your joints to allow yourself to go up for jumping. That being said, I wouldn’t recommend going too short. I like flatting fairly long and then going up to the point where you feel more support but your leg isn’t overly flexed at the knee to where it feels unnatural. Jumping requires your body to move more and also needs a lot of extra support for its demands. A correct and strong leg position is our foundation of strength on a horse and our source of balance!” -Kerry McCahill
“I definitely believe in having myself and my students flat in a longer stirrup. I usually drop their flat stirrups a hole when they start learning more advanced flatwork, such as lateral work and counter canter. When they are jumping above 1.0 m, I will have them go up a full hole for jumping, and as they jump 1.25 m and higher, maybe 1.5-2 holes.
I have always thought of it as going down for the flatwork and to get the rider’s leg longer around the horse and then back up for higher levels of jumping to be able to stay with a more powerful jump.” -Serah Vogus Cassells
“I always encourage our riders to use different lengths flatting versus jumping their horses. The biomechanics of our leg works very differently in different positions, and what the horse feels and responds to also varies based on stirrup length. There is a reason dressage stirrups are long, jumpers are short, and jockeys are shorter!
Normally our riders adjust anywhere from 2-3 holes down for flatting from their jumping length. How many holes depends on their leg length/anatomy and their riding level. I ride dressage in addition to show jumping, so I may go down as many as 4-5 holes or more when flatting compared to my jump length (depending on the horse I’m riding), but a less advanced rider may find even a one hole difference difficult, so adjusting accordingly is important too!” -Jessica Goldstein Holmes
“It depends on level for me; for a beginner rider, I keep one length of the stirrup, and once my riders start to do more intricate flatwork/lateral work, I’ll want their leg long enough to wrap around and help with that. Then have stirrups go slightly higher for jumping. Each horse is also different, but when the jump becomes athletic enough that it would benefit the balance of the rider’s hip to have more flexibility in the angle to accommodate their bascule, I’ll put the stirrups up more. Higher-level riders will have a difference of 1-3 holes from flat to jumping based on these factors.
It also depends on the holes. Some leathers have tiny 1/4″ in holes and some larger, but that’s just me calling out the variable factors in this question.” -Kelly Jennings
“Most of my (hunter/jumper) students do not change stirrup lengths from jumping to flatting unless they are jumping higher than 1.20 m, and then we would go with longer for the flat and shorter to jump. I frequently change mine depending on the shape of the horse I am riding. I ride a little longer on a bigger barreled horse and shorter on a more narrow horse.” -Julie Pickering
“We train hunter/jumpers: I’m totally old school until science can prove otherwise. 1-2 holes (comfortably) below the ankle bone when flatting, at the ankle bone when jumping below 3’ ft, and only above 3’ ft do you go up a hole (1/2”-1” depending on leathers and feel), and as you jump higher, you can choose to go up after that.
I do feel that saddles and excessive blocks, etc., play a huge role in comfortable stirrup length and the ability to actually open your hips and thighs around the horse. Tons of studies are out there that blocks are worse for your (human) joint health so it’s important–even though I believe in this–if the blocks are in the way of a proper flat position, just make an exception. Work as if you had a long, relaxed feeling without stirrups, but never compromise your horse or your confidence.
Lastly, I tell anyone that trains with me this philosophy, but it’s entirely up to them to listen and improve the daily hard work of their position.” -Priscilla Godsoe
“We don’t usually unless the jumps are higher than 3’9” or the rider has a habit of using too much seat, and we want to them to be lighter, and away from the horse’s back.” -Carolyn Biava
Yes, rider balance is improved by riding a hole or a hole and a half longer on the flat. Two important things happen:
1. The rider’s weight will be easily moved to the front of the saddle and down into their feet/heels, and the leg will be longer around the barrel/rib cage of the horse, which is a very secure position.
2. If a rider’s stirrups get too short, flatting horses on a daily schedule, the tendency is to develop a chair seat that is behind the motion. This short flatting stirrup length is often seen in equitation flat classes where the rider’s knee angle is too closed, and the rider is in a chair seat slightly behind the motion. A chair seat encourages ducking and other position issues jumping.
So my riders ride longer on the flat and shorten their stirrups to jump.” –Diane Carney
“My riders ride a hole or two longer on the flat. Sometimes just below the ankle. It develops proper balance, leg strength, and seat. For jumping we go a hole, sometimes two up. It helps with the release over bigger jumps. The bigger the jumps, the higher the stirrup but no more than a hole or two.” –Caroline Mercier
