“Heels down!”
Sound familiar? Your trainer’s persistent direction of keeping your heels down is a very important one. It is also a very difficult charge for many people to learn to do, not just during the first few lessons, but long into your riding career. Having the proper heel position will help prevent your feet from coming out of the stirrups if the rest of your body does, and it is also a step into correcting the rest of your overall balance.
The calf muscles that are located on the back of the lower leg are pound for pound the strongest muscles in the body. They are under constant load and tend to be strong and “tonic,” meaning they are prone to shortening. Tight calves are often responsible for joint pain in the knees, hips and feet and incorrect leg position in the stirrups.

To focus the stretch on the calf, try the following exercise. Stand on the edge of a free weight and allow your body weight to drop your heel to the floor while keeping the supporting knee slightly bent (picture 1). Of course, you can use any sturdy support structure other than a free weight such as a step on a stair, the base of a piece of furniture, etc. The only requirements are that it doesn’t slip out from under you and that your shoes will cling to the edge and not slip off. Shoe soles that have lots of ridges also help. The free weights should be two feet apart from each other. You can use another light free weight or medicine ball to hold in your hands to help counter balance your weight as you squat back. It is not necessary in this exercise but it will also combine upper body work.
Begin by standing upright with a nice flat back and head up. Next push your weight back onto your heels, keeping your toes up on the free weight as much as possible without falling over. Arms come up until they are parallel to the ground. Sit back like you would be sitting on a chair. Hold down for two seconds and pull yourself back up to the starting position. Repeat two sets of 12 repetitions with a one-minute rest between the sets. Do this exercise three times a week and you should notice a vast improvement in your heel positioning, as your muscles will get used to what you are asking of them.
Remember that the idea of doing this type of work off the horse is to create new feelings and new movement patterns that will eventually become automatic when you are riding. It takes patience and practice, but it really does pay off as you see your riding improve!
Sylvie Quenneville is the Founder and Head Trainer at Equestric, an equestrian athlete fitness company in Rancho Santa Fe. Sylvie is a certified personal trainer, functional training specialist, myoskeletal therapist, former scholarship and professional athlete and a member of the American College of Sport Medicine. She may be contacted by email info@equestric.com or visit by visiting www.equestric.com.