Its a great school all the horses are wonderful (but Storm's particularly a babe - I AM in love!) and the instructors are really nice. I don't want to change schools over something so minor. Looks like I'm just going to have to get used to it. In my other 2 lessons I'd been on horses that had the traditional stirrups and my instructor said that they were phasing in these safety stirrups for all their horses (good move and I do understand why they are doing it) and that some people tended to put their weight on the outside of the stirrup for support when riding, which you can't do with these safety ones because of the bend in them (all those years of riding as a youngster and I never knew I'd been cheating!). Think he was quite slightly spooked by it he looked worried - like he'd done something wrong, but managed to get him calm, get back on and give him a hug and told him it wasn't his fault! By this point, my balance was already poor and I found myself forward in the saddle, which caused my other foot to come out of the stirrup! I don't know how - I must've looked a right sight! I was trying to cling on for dear life but my leg muscles arn't what they used to be (10 year break from riding) so ended up falling off! Not his fault - all mine as no leg = no canter!). Managed the transition ok, but during the canter I lost total control of my (trembling) leg and my foot slipped out of the stirrup, so my leg came away from Storm's side and he decided to trot!. (I'd always ridden in the traditional stirrups before).Īnyway, half way through the lesson my leg kept trembling and I didn't have any control over it! I thought I could cope for the rest of the lesson, until I was asked to canter.
Storm's saddle had safety stirrups, which I'd noticed at the beginning of the lesson but hadn't really thought much of it. All went well to begin with until about half way through the lesson my right leg/foot kept collapsing on me. Had my third lesson on Sunday on an absolutely gorgeous dapple grey named Storm who I'd been dying to ride.