Get Your Leg Off that Horse –
Point them Toes Out
Get your leg off the horse and point your toes out! This was the invaluable advice constantly yelled by my instructor in the vast arena. I can’t even count the number of times he said it, but if I had a dollar for each time, I’d be wealthy! And trust me, I’m already richer because it’s exceptional riding advice. Have you ever wondered about those cowboy caricatures depicting men with bowed legs and heels touching? I used to find it slightly offensive towards cowboys, but now I can enlighten you on its origin.
To pursue my passion for cow-punching, I realized I needed some riding lessons. That’s when a trail-riding companion of mine mentioned her incredible experience with sorting lessons.
She said that she learned so much from her instructor and that she felt she was a much better rider in just after a few weeks. Well, I gave him a call, and a week later, my wife and I trailered our horses to Peralta, New Mexico.
In a very short time I learned that I was doing an awful lot wrong. From how to set a Western saddle, to the quietness of my hands, I had a lot to learn.
Point them Toes Out -Surprise!
A very interesting exercise was when the instructor had me place my hand between the horse and the stirrup leather of a rider just above the rider’s knee. I was quite surprised at the amount of pressure that a rider exerts on the horse by their legs, just sitting in the saddle, with their legs relaxed. But I wasn’t finished being surprised.
The instructor had the rider turn his toes out about 30 degrees from the spine of the horse. The pressure I was feeling released to a small fraction of what it was before, because pointing your toes out also opens one’s knees away from the horse. Not only that, but the spurs ride in a much better position to cue the horse; for the front quarter, side, and rear quarter. He explained (as we have all heard before) that horses instinctively move away from pressure.
Horses Respond to Pressure
A good Western rider uses his seat and legs to steer, followed with emphasis by the hands when necessary (more on that later). Also, a slight squeeze with both legs is the gas pedal to the horse. I was having a difficult time getting my horse to stop. One of the reasons being that I was holding on with my legs which was actually telling my horse to go as I was pulling back on the reins telling her to stop. Needless to say, my horse was very confused, and I wasn’t getting the performance we required, and we were both very frustrated.
During another exercise, I was to have my horse weave between a series of poles set in a straight line (they call is pole bending for a reason). The catch was, I was not to use the reins. After a few hundred times of hearing “point your toes out,” “get your leg off that horse”, and “press with this leg or that”, me and my horse got it sorted out. It only took about two minutes for my hips to tell me “this ain’t natural.”
Ballet to the Rescue
The next exercise would have made you laugh. Ever heard of a Demi-plié? Hell, I wanted to chase cows not take ballet lessons! Feeling sympathy for my old bones and hip pain, the instructor gave me the take home exercise of plié’s in order to help get my bones and ligaments used to going where they needed to be. Within two lessons me and my horse were weaving amongst the polls at a trot using only leg pressure. Hopefully, I’ll be able to walk normally again.
Get That Leg off That Horse
I got so frustrated I could scream. I didn’t need a riding instructor, I needed a tape recording repeating over and over again…”get your leg off that horse.” I used to tell Ed: “I don’t have my leg on the horse.” Then he would say, “then why is your pant leg up to the top of your boots.” That is a sure sign of gripping with one’s legs. But I didn’t have to look down. I knew it from the path the horse was trotting. Usually off to the right of where I wanted to go. I would compensate with the reins until I learned to “get my leg off that horse.”
Many riders because of ignorance or fear will keep one leg or the other (or both) against the side of the horse. It is instinctive to try and “hang on” with a leg until one learns balance in the saddle and to move with the horse. After hours in the saddle, one will eventually gain the confidence that they won’t fall off. How many hours? That just depends upon the rider and how much they practice.
If things are going the direction you want, then relax and try not to push it off course … that’s Cowboy Logic.