Stable Riding at Horsehaven Stables

01/03/2025

We are kicking off our 2025 Rider Line Series with a bang 💥‼️

For this week we have Mongol Derby Rider Lucy Joel!

Lucy met both Solange Ellis and Cain from Martial Equestrian at a clinic hosted by Stevie at Intergalactic Equine in Oregon back in the early summer of 2023.

She then went on to have a successful derby run and was lucky enough to get fabulous photos and videos of her flying across the steppe on this fabulous horse 😍

Lucy said that the lower leg position that she learned at the clinic helper her immensely at the derby and she was interested to see Solange’s take on her over all riding position via Rider Lines.

Photo/video credit goes to Kathy Gabriel and Erik Cooper 😎

Let’s dig in! 👏

First off, I want to point out some of the hyper specific details that affect the Mongol Derby Riders.

1. The riders are all provided with the same race saddle. A few years back I bought one which, is in my tack room for all the riders to practice in when they come for intensives. I also to ride in myself when I create bespoke riding positions for the Mongol Derby Riders who train here. It is a small seat and a seat shape that you do not encounter often. It is a better Light Seat saddle than Deep Seat saddle.

2. The Mongol Ponies are…ponies. So they have small compact bodies with shorter necks and lower head carriages. Mongol Derby riders have to balance having their stirrups short enough to fit the size of the ponies but also long enough to be comfortable when riding multiple hours a day for up to ten days in a row.
The Semi-feral nature of the ponies prevents the riders from adjusting their stirrups mid ride!

The lowest green line shows that Lucy took the toe out heel down instruction from both Solange and Cain seriously 🙂
Her foot position is correct, this gave her the stable base that she experienced when the ponies suddenly moved out from beneath her ✅

The yellow line shows her lower leg bones slightly behind the vertical, this could be for two reasons.
1. The angle the photo is taken at, this is a screenshot of a video of her hand galloping along taken from a moving car 🙂
2. The yellow arc is showing her knee angle which is a little closed, this may be because her stirrups were a hole shorter than they should be. As stated above, riders struggle with that stirrup length balance on the derby, she reported being stable so the data says that her stirrup choice was correct for the hyper specific environment of the derby. At home, I would drop her stirrups a hole. That would open her knee angle a few degrees and allow her leg to travel forward onto the vertical line to the ground in a deep seat sitting canter ( the position she is in here ).

The green line on her helmet shows her head is in the correct place with her chin level and parallel to the ground ✅

The Red lines show that her hand position is slightly too far in front of her. This hand position is causing her shoulder to round forward and her to collapse her torso position at her solar plexus 🚫

What this means, is that her weight will not land fully in her seat bones in her sitting canter as well as limit the range of motion in her pelvis. Causing her to lose connection with the saddle for a portion of each of her horses’s canter stride.

Again, in the specific environment of the derby riders ride the long distances with a backpack with their water supply in it. I am always concerned that the fatigue from the race mixed with the unusual occurrence of having weight on the riders back will cause them to lose shoulder structure, and that might be happening here in this screen shot.

Here is how I recommend riders find their individual hand position that is based on their individual arm length…

While in a deep seat sitting position : lift your rib cage and lean back from your waist until you feel your two seat bones in the saddle. Then widen your shoulder out from left to right. Next set your hand in-front of you below your belly button. Your elbows will be just un from of the side line seam of your shirt. Most likely your hand will be closer to your body than you think. If you straighten your elbow joint and let your forearm drop straight down, the bottom of your hand while holding reins will touch the front of your saddle ✅

As always! We are taking rider submissions 💪 Message us here on FB or email [email protected]

01/01/2025

Hey Ya’ll!

It’s Solange 👋

I wanted to share with you a text I received from a rider after her first lesson with me and the Stable Riding System 💪

“Hey Solange! I just wanted to send you a quick thank you. I had such a good time at my lesson last night and felt so comfortable and confident. I'm really excited to keep working with you and keep getting better at riding!”

What made me particularly happy was she said “comfortable” !!

I often hear from riders how nervous they are before they come in for their first lesson.

And for a plethora of reasons!

Worried about a new place, a new horse, a new teacher. If they will be welcomed, if they will be safe, if the atmosphere is “judgy”.

So if you are thinking of giving Stable Riding or the LAB a try, but aren’t sure…

This is your sign ✨✨

Give us a try!

12/31/2024

First Rule of Goat Club.

If you leave your hoodie at the barn we will put it on a goat.

Second Rule of Goat Club.

Cardio.

…..wait, that’s zombie land.

Well, you get the idea!

12/30/2024

🎶 Stirrup Talk Time! 🎶

Video 2 of Stirrup Talk is all about physics 🧐

The purpose of this video is to show how having your stirrup the correct length allows you to have your lower leg in a stable position 💪

Solange talks a lot about “having your lower leg bones on the vertical like to the ground” and this is why and what she means ✅

As always! Let us know if you have any questions or if you have a request for a Stable Riding video 💪

12/29/2024

Hello Stable Riders 👋

We are thrilled to announce that Solange was asked by Frankie Lovato to film some instructional videos for Equicizer!

These videos are designed to give owners guidance on how to practice at home 💪

We truly enjoyed making this StableRidingXEquicizer collab and we hope you enjoy watching it!

http://stableriding.us and http://equicizer.com Solange of Stable Riding offers tips and exercises for English riders on the Equicizer00.00. Intro0:43 Mounti...

12/27/2024

This week’s Rider Lines is brought to you by one of our very own Stable Riders, Pam!

Thanks Pam 🙏🙏

In her recent lesson with Solange, she asked to be featured in Rider Line Friday 💪

As luck would have it, her stirrups were one hole to long her in her posting trot. So before shortening them Solange took a before video and then another after shortening them.

Here we have two comparison photos, one of Pam in the up beat of her posting trot and one in the down beat of her posting trot.

The left side photos with the red line on her leg are with her stirrups one hole (about an inch) too long. The right side photos with the green line on her lower leg are with her stirrups the correct length, one hole shorter!

If you look at her upper body position it is almost identical, her chin is level shoulders open, hands in the correct position…with both stirrup lengths.

But her lower leg is very different🤨🧐

In both the up and down beat of her posting trot with her stirrups too long she has too much pressure on her toe which is causing her heel to come up and her lower leg to be behind the vertical line to the ground.

If her horse was to trip, spook, bolt, buck or shy in that lower leg position she would be unstable and pitched forward, possibly into a fall.

The green lines show what a correct stirrup length does for a rider. Her heels dropped and her lower leg came to the vertical ✅

This photo set really highlights how stirrup length is key!

Pam is a beautiful rider who has spent her entire riding career with Solange, and even she cannot ride correctly with her stirrups the wrong length.

One hole makes the difference when it comes to stability!

Questions about your stirrup length?
Message us here or email : [email protected]

12/24/2024

Dear Santa,

All I want for Christmas is a good meal, and warm bed and total world domination.

Love,
Teeny Goat

12/23/2024

Let’s Talk Stirrups!

We all got ‘em! But how do we use ‘em?

Solange is here to help all riders understand how their stirrups work and how you can use them to become a Stable Rider 💪

12/20/2024

Today’s Rider Lines are brought to you by Bri In New Hampshire 🤩

Diagnosis =

The green line on her helmet indicates that her head is in the correct position, with the bottom of her chin level with the ground ✅

The red line on her back show that her shoulders are slightly infront of her hips taking weight out of her seat bones. This top line position is a direct result of her hands being too far forward 🚫

I drew a red line where her hands are, the green line behind it is where her hands should be.

Moving on to her lower body, her toe is out at the 45 degree angle which is correct and her heels are down ✅

The red line on her calf indicate that her lower leg bones re behind the vertical line to the ground, this is robbing her of vital stability 🚫

The green line is where I would position her lower leg bones.

Her stirrups are I believe one hole too short which is causing her knee to be too high and pushing her pelvis too far back in the saddle. I added a red line where her knee is currently and a green line where I would like to see it.

Recommendations =

Hi Bri! To start lengthen your stirrups one hole, and scoot up in the saddle a smidge. If you turn your hand sideways and place it behind your butt you should comfortably be able to fit 4 fingers between you and the back of your saddle seat.

Keep that toe out/heel down position but press your foot in-front of you enough to put your lower leg on the vertical line to the ground, you will be able to see your toes past your knees 👍

Next, lengthen your reins and place your hands where the bottom of you fists can touch the front of your saddle. From there your arms will be in a position to widen your shoulders from left to right and lean back from your waist to really feel your two seat bones in the saddle 💪

Once you are properly aligned your hips will begin to move free-er with the horses hind and and you’ll be able to pedal in your ankle and stirrups to absorb the motion of the horse better.

Try it out and let me know if you have any questions!

We are still taking submissions for our Rider Line Series!

If you would like Solange to analyze your riding position you can message us here on FB or email : [email protected]

12/18/2024

We have a HOT story to share this week!
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Solange met Trevor and her rock star of a horse Raven all the way out in Washington State where she taught a joint clinic with Cain from Martial Equestrian this past Spring 💪

Recently, they were the stars of Fire and Police Desensitization clinic!

Trevor reached out to let us know that thanks to what she learned from Cain and Solange was confident in the saddle through the flames 🔥💪👏😎

Her quote : “I can say that I was never even a little bit worried about falling off”

Would you like to stop worrying about falling off? Fire or not? Hit us up!
We got you covered 💪👍

12/17/2024

Goats eat flour.

(( long story ))

12/14/2024

Rider Intensive Update from Ariyana’s mom ♥️👏👍

“This was such an awesome day and Solange you were an amazing instructor to work with!

The atmosphere was relaxed and inviting for questions!

Thank you for such a fun day and helping our daughter to become a more confident rider!

Each week she continues to practice these skills and guess what?!

Last week she was on one of the horses that became a little feisty, typically in the past Ariyana has fallen off but this time she stayed on!

That smile and excitement I seen from her was the best! Thank you for that!”

We are here for the triumphant kid smile!

12/13/2024

RIDER LINE FRIDAY!

This week we have Pam from New Hampshire, who sent a video of her and her lovely horse for Solange’s assessment 😎

Diagnostic :

While we build rider stability from the feet and stirrups up, humans think from their head down. So I often narrate from the head down ~

Green Line = shows that the riders chin is level with the ground, this is correct! ✅

Red Lines = show one of the most common body position faults, hands placed too far forward for the riders arm length.

Our hand position is unique to each rider, which makes sense as we all know we are different height and shapes.

Yet riding instructors tend to insist on one “correct hand placement” in-spite of our obvious physical differences.

Hands too far forward that they are in-front of the saddle indicate that the ride has now rounded their shoulders forward to place their hands in that arbitrary spot. This pulls the riders torso too far forward and makes them unstable 🚫

Yellow Line = this line shows that the riders weight is being centered in-front of their seat bones due to the should position caused by the incorrect hand placement.

For a deep seat position (like sitting walk as shown here) the rider should have their weight on their two seatbones. 🚫

Orange Line = the rider has their heels down a bit, which is good!
And their toes out at a 45 degree angle which is correct! ✅

Along with that though, we see their lower legs are behind the vertical line to the ground, this is the main cause of ride instability.

Remember, we build our position from the ground up!

Our feet and stirrups are the most critical component of our riding position 🚫

Recommendation :

I suspect your stirrups are one hole too short, try lengthening them. Western fenders are often punched with the holes really far apart, so you may need to punch an in-between hole ~

This I suspect will let you unbend you knee and drop your femur down, so you can then drop your heel more and put you lower leg on the vertical line to the ground.

Next you should be able to then scoot your pelvis forward in the saddle giving you a little room behind you.

With your hips more forward it will be easier to lengthen your reins to bring your hands closer to your body and then open your shoulder wide and lean back from your waist to keep your shoulder over your hip. I’d like you to be able to feel your seat bones fully :)

Thank you so much Pam! We hope give this a try and are able to feel more stable in the saddle 💪

If you’d like to submit a photo of video of your own riding you can message us here on FB or email [email protected]

12/12/2024

Stable Rider Story : Ariyana part 2!

Our intensives come in all shapes and sizes for all types of riders.

We chose a half day Intensive for Ariyana, this included 3 hours of one on one instruction with Solange both in our LAB and on horses.

They started in the LAB talking about stirrup length.

As a junior rider in a lesson program, Ariyana is frequently changing both horses and saddles. So being able to accurately gauge the correct stirrup length was a vital skill Solange wanted to give her 👍

From there they talked deep seat on the Equicizer and Home Horse!

Junior riders as well as small framed adults have to ride a certain way to stay stable. This is because they have a shorter inseam as well as less mass overall.

Assessing the rider’s current individual body geometry is large part of the work Solange does with her Stable Riding System. Working with the rider’s body she is able to create the best possible riding position for that riders stability.

Next up was light seat with posting and rising up over fences as well as fun on the Might Bucky with bucking and rearing.

After a little snack break we saddled up the amazing Sweet Baby James and had huge success in the sitting canter 🤩

Ariyana was able to canter correctly and securely, keeping her seat bones in contact with the saddle as well as appropriate weight distribution in her stirrups and heels 👏👏

Baby got tons of treats as did the goats…of course! 🐐

You were a star kid! 🌟⭐️✨

Happy Birthday and thank you for choosing Stable Riding 🥳🙏💪

12/11/2024

This 2 part Stable Rider Story is brought to you by the cutest junior rider to ever grace our presence!

Miss Ariyana :)

Ariyana and her parents first met Solange in booth at the Columbus Equine Affaire, Inc. (Official) after watching Solange give Ariyana a stability check on our Equicizer they signed her up for a virtual lesson a few weeks later.

They spent an hour via zoom going over the riding videos they submitted while Solange made some recommendations to keep this cute kid stable over fences 💪

Fast forward a few months and they reached back out, this time for a Stable Riding Intensive in Hinckley using both the LAB and our horses…and to make it even better the intensive was a Birthday Present for Ariyana! 🎂🎉🎁🥳

Can it get any better?!

Stay tuned for part 2 😎

12/10/2024

hihi!

Teeny Goat here reporting from the top of Hay Mountain.

I am officially the Head Goat since I’m at the Top of the Mountain!

(( that’s how goat-ing works silly humans))

My first act as Head Goat is to demand sun chips as tribute so get to the store and bring me something crunchy.

Dictated, not read.
Teeny Goat

12/06/2024

🚨🚨CALLING ALL RIDERS 🚨🚨

Solange is looking for riders to send photos/videos of them riding for her Rider Line Friday Series!

You can send them via message here or email her at [email protected]

Today’s Rider Line Rider is James!
He was kind enough to pose in the LAB on our Equicizer to illustrate correct and incorrect skeletal positioning in a deep seat. Such as sitting walk, trot or canter.

The green lines show :
Shoulder over hip
Lower leg on vertical line to the ground with toe out at a 45 degree angle with heels down.

The red lines show the most common skeletal position faults that rob riders of stability :
Rein hand too far forward, pulling shoulder forward and rounded.
Inclined forward from the waist
Pinched at knee
Toe turned straight
Lower leg behind the vertical line to the ground, heel up.

Solange is making it her life’s mission to stabilize riders everywhere she goes…including social media 💪😎👍

12/04/2024

Hot off the presses! 🚨🗞️

Stable Rider Story 💪🤩

Jason came to Solange with zero riding experience to prepare for his Mounted Elk Hunting Trip! In just 6 lessons he was walk, trot and cantering and was able to test out all his hunting gear in the saddle.

Solange received this text when he got home 😎

“Hi Solange,
Just wanted to say thanks again for all your help with lessons!
I had a great and safe time and successful elk hunt. I was confident on the horses.
I never had to canter but trotted quite a bit. We rode everyday and one day 16 miles which seemed long.
I was the best trained out of all the hunter group. My friend who didn’t take lessons actually fell off (not hurt thankfully)
Jason”

Thanks for trusting the Stable Riding System to keep you safe Jason!

And maybe give your friend our number! 🤣