11/03/2025
No Stirrup November: Let's Talk About Doing It RIGHT
It's that time of year again - No Stirrup November is upon us but before you drop those stirrups and suffer through entire lessons, let's have a real conversation about making this EFFECTIVE instead of just painful.
The goal of no-stirrup work isn't torture. It's building:
- Core strength and stability
- Independent seat
- Proper leg position
- Balance without relying on stirrups
- Muscle memory for correct position
But here's what I see go wrong EVERY November:
❌ Riders pushing through entire lessons without stirrups
❌ Gripping and tensing to compensate for fatigue
❌ Creating BAD habits from exhaustion
❌ Horses dealing with tense, bouncing riders
When you ride to exhaustion, you're not building strength - you're building TENSION and bad patterns.
A BETTER APPROACH: One Stirrup at a Time
Instead of dropping both stirrups and white-knuckling through your ride try this:
Start with ONE stirrup removed. Ride with just your left stirrup dropped for 5-10 minutes and then switch and ride with just your right stirrup dropped for 5-10 minutes. This isolates each side and helps you feel differences in strength/balance
Then progress to dropping both stirrups, briefly. Start with 5 minutes, not 45, and remember quality over quantity ALWAYS
WHEN TO STOP:
The MOMENT you feel yourself:
- Gripping with your knees
- Tensing through your hips or back
- Bouncing excessively
- Getting sore to the point of compensation
Stop. Put your stirrups back. Rest. Tired muscles build strength. EXHAUSTED muscles create bad habits and tension patterns that take weeks to undo.
GUIDELINES FOR SAFE NO-STIRRUP WORK:
✅ Warm up WITH stirrups first! Get your body and horse warmed up properly before removing stirrups.
✅ Start at walk, progress to trot. Master walk without stirrups before adding trot. Canter comes later (if at all, depending on level).
✅ Use shorter intervals. 5-10 minutes of quality work beats 30 minutes of gripping and bouncing.
✅ Listen to your body - pain is not ok. Shaking muscles mean STOP.
✅ Stretch after! Stretch your hip flexors, hamstrings, inner thighs - they all need stretching post-ride.
✅ Not every ride needs to be no-stirrup, 3x per week is plenty. Your body needs recovery time.
✅ Consider your horse... a tense, exhausted rider bouncing on their back isn't fair to them either.
FOR INSTRUCTORS:
Don't make No Stirrup November a punishment or endurance test.
Make it purposeful and:
- Assign specific time limits
- Check in frequently about tension/fatigue
- Have students put stirrups back when quality declines
- Focus on FEELING and body awareness, not just "surviving"
- Celebrate small improvements in balance and strength
Remember: We're building better riders, not tough riders who can suffer through discomfort.
No Stirrup November is a TOOL for building strength and balance - but only when done correctly. One stirrup at a time is often more effective than both. Short, quality intervals beat long, exhausting sessions. Tension creates problems - stop before you get there. Your goal: End November as a stronger, more balanced rider with GOOD habits, not someone who "survived" a month of suffering.
Instructors: How are you approaching No Stirrup November in your program?
