Riding without stirrups builds leg strength, core strength and a deeper, more balanced seat. It also sharpens your feel and your connection with your horse. Laps on the rail get old fast, though. These six arena challenges give your stirrup-free rides a goal. Start with the first two and work your way down the list as you get stronger. Mix and match them to build a full lesson.
To get the most out of these challenges
- Warm up with stirrups first. Vatterott recommends working all three gaits on straight lines, circles, and serpentines before you drop your stirrups.
- Pick the right horse. Start on a well-trained, steady horse you trust.
- Ride with help. Work with a trainer or experienced rider who can watch your position.
- Build gradually. Master each pattern at the walk and jog before you lope it.
- Leave the reins alone. Don’t balance on the reins or put pressure on your horse’s mouth.
- Ride both directions. Work every pattern to the left and to the right.
- Know when to quit. Take breaks and never ride to the point of discomfort or strain.
Meet the experts
These challenges draw on advice from these Horse&Rider contributors.
*Kelly Altschwager is a Western fitness expert who has written about no-stirrup riding for Horse&Rider.
*Will and Elizabeth Knabenshue train all-around horses in Whitesboro, Texas. Will is an American Quarter Horse Association and National Snaffle Bit Association judge. Elizabeth is an AQHA world champion and a multiple All American Quarter Horse Congress champion.
*LaRae Powell trains Arabians and Half-Arabians at Silver Aspen Ranch in Auburn, Washington. Her open, amateur and youth program has produced more than 250 national and reserve champions.
*Trisha Shields starts and trains horses with her husband, D.J., at Secret Acres Equine Boarding and Training in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma. She also competes in extreme mustang makeovers and rodeos.
*Patty Vatterott is a Wellington, Florida, horsewoman who coaches amateur and youth riders in all-around events.
1. The Basic 8
How to ride it: Ride a figure eight. Use the straight line through the center of the arena, marked X, to change your horse’s bend before you head the other way. Start at the walk, then try it at the jog.
Perks for you: Every change of direction tests whether your seat stays centered over your horse.
Success tips: Vatterott says to keep checking that your legs stay under your hips, your feet don’t drift forward and your upper body stays tall.
Change it up: Change gaits at X. Once you’re solid at the lope, try changing leads at X. Altschwager says, “Flying lead changes might be my favorite way to test balance.”
2. Transition Tuner
How to ride it: Ride on the rail and make a gait transition at the midpoint of each long side. Start at the walk, pick up the jog at the first midpoint, and walk again at the next one.
Perks for you: Each transition shows whether you can stay soft and balanced as your horse speeds up and slows down underneath you.
Success tips: Ask for each transition with your seat and legs, not your hands. If you catch yourself grabbing the reins for balance, slow down and ride more walk-jog transitions.
Change it up: Try walk-jog-lope-walk. Altschwager also suggests lope to walk and jog to extended lope. For a tougher test, add a full stop at some of the midpoints.
3. Work the Square
Setup: Four cones in a square, 15 to 30 paces apart depending on the size of your arena.
How to ride it: Ride around the outside of the square to the right. Treat each corner as three parts: the approach, the turn at the cone and the exit. Start at the walk, then move up to the jog. Reverse your cues to ride it to the left.
Perks for you: The Knabenshues use this pattern because it “allows us to evaluate a rider’s skill and attention to detail.” Without stirrups, each corner also shows whether you stay square in the saddle through the turn.
Success tips: Keep your horse off the cone and don’t cut the corner. Stay an even distance from the cones all the way around.
Change it up: Extend the trot between two cones. Stop at a cone. Ride a diagonal from one cone to the cone across from it.
4. Big Circle/Little Circle
How to ride it: Go down the long side of the arena. Make a small circle in one corner, then a larger circle in the corner diagonally across from it.
Perks for you: Moving from a large circle to a small one shows whether you stay centered or lean in as your horse slows and tightens the turn.
Success tips: Altschwager suggests checking whether you lean into the circle as you slow down. Keep your upper body tall and your legs under you.
Change it up: Switch which corners get the small and large circles. Once you’re comfortable, lope the large circle and jog the small one.
5. Straight-Line Challenge
Setup: Four cones set in two pairs, running parallel to the long side of the arena. Set the cones closest to the rail at least 20 feet off the wall.
How to ride it: Ride the rail. At the corner, make a tight turn so you square it off like the letter L. Ride straight through both pairs of cones and past the destination, then turn back to the rail. Start at the jog. Once you can hold your form, try it at the lope.
Perks for you: Many patterns, from horsemanship to reining to ranch riding, call for straight lines. Riding them without stirrups shows whether your seat and legs can keep your horse on track.
Success tips: Powell says to keep your eyes up and focused on a spot between the destination cones because “your horse will go where you look.” Use your legs, not your hands, to keep the line straight.
Change it up: Start with two hands on the reins, then move to one. Set the cones on a diagonal for a longer line. Set up cones in the other corners so you can work from every rail.
6. Cadence Builder
How to ride it: Ride on the rail. Increase your speed down each long side, then slow down and collect your horse around each short end. Start at the walk and trot.
Perks for you: Altschwager recommends adding speed to test your seat. Notice whether you stay balanced and soft or start to bounce and slide.
Success tips: Vatterott suggests using leg pressure and a cluck to drive your horse forward. You can tilt your upper body slightly back, but don’t overdo it. An exaggerated lean can push your legs forward and throw off your balance.
Change it up: Ask for an extended trot down the long sides. Once you can sit it, try an extended lope on the long sides and trot the ends. For a bonus, Shields suggests posting without stirrups. Start with five strides and work up to posting the full arena.