Small Adjustments Can Make a Big Difference
George H. Morris is the former chef d’équipe of the U.S. Equestrian Federation Show Jumping Team. He serves on the USEF National Jumper Committee and Planning Committee, is an adviser to the USEF High-Performance Show Jumping Committee and is president of the Show Jumping Hall of Fame.
Our first rider’s stirrup iron is exactly correct: She is touching the outside branch with her little toe and the iron is twisted so that branch leads the inside, making the iron perpendicular to the girth. This allows for a supple leg. The rider’s lower leg has slipped back because she has too much grip in her knee. As a consequence, her knee is acting like a pivot, sending her lower leg back. This is a bad habit that she can fix by riding on the flat and over small fences without stirrups, which naturally puts a rider’s leg in the correct position. She will
