Taking away your stirrups is good, but riding through targeted no-stirrups exercises is better. The goal in this flatwork exercise is to test an improve your seat and stability, and sitting deep and still in canter transitions is usually where a rider’s seat is most challenged.
This exercise will see you work on a 20m circle performing trot-canter and canter-trot transitions, aiming always for quality, precision and suppleness from your horse and independence of seat and aids from you.
Develop a deep, still seat and feel both your seat bones in the saddle
Test your balance
Focus on accuracy of aids and transition
The setup
No setup required. You can do this exercise in a field or an arena.
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How to ride this exercise
Take away your stirrups after warming up
In trot, ride a 20m circle
Ride an upwards transition into canter
Canter three-quarters of a circle, then trot and repeat
After a break, ride the exercise on the other rein
Tips and troubleshooting
1. Stamp out grippy knees
If your seat isn’t as secure as it could be, your instincts will kick in to try and help you feel safe. One of these might be tightening through your knee and thigh in a bid to keep you glued to the saddle. Unfortunately, this doesn’t tally with your horse’s movement and will cause you to draw up your heel and perch on top rather than move with him.
Instead, lengthen your leg and focus on pushing your weight down, as you would into a stirrup.
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2. Look up
Keeping your posture in check and your upper body tall is a sign of good balance. You are more likely to achieve this with your head up, shoulders back and looking ahead around the circle.
3. Neck straps are your friend
Many of the world’s most accomplished and decorated riders use a neck strap as a fail-safe. Neck straps (like this adjustable one on Amazon) can be especially useful when your balance is challenged with no-stirrups exercises, so never be put off reaching for one.
4. Accuracy
When an exercise is simple, it’s easy to discount its usefulness. However, when you accept nothing less than perfection, there’s suddenly a lot to work on – especially with 20m circles and transitions.
Your horse still needs to be set up correctly for a quality transition on the correct lead. Focus on a rhythmical working trot, slight bend around the inside leg, connection and correct canter aids – i.e., apply the inside leg on the girth, the outside leg just behind.
Focus, too, on riding a quality canter, an accurate circle and a well-planned downward transition.
A horse owner and rider with more than 20 years experience, Bethany has been writing for equestrian publications since 2017. Over the course of her career, she has reported from major British Riding Clubs and British Dressage championships, covered Badminton Horse Trials and interviewed equestrian sport’s best athletes. Her work can also be found in Country Life, The Field and Breathe magazine.
