11/03/2026
I often get questions from well meaning parents and riders about why we keep our beginners on the lunge line, and why we don't let kids jump around 2 ft courses at shows at the moment they don't fall of when their pony hops over 1 jump at that height at home. The reason is what this article is explaining: To successfully show at a level, you need to be able to handle the unforeseen moments, the extra wobbles, the extra little spice or spook or lack of confidence your horse might have on a day to day level. So, before riders here move on to riding off the lunge line (a long lead the instructor holds on to with the horse moving around in a circle), they need to be able to control their horse on the lunge line while trotting without stirrups, with the instructor still holding the lunge in case their is a need to intervene. Before they move on x-rails, they need to be able to canter, steer and control a horse without stirrups for at least as many steps as it takes until they get the horse back to the walk. You can't prepare for everything, but you can learn and train in a systematic way so you can be safe(r) in when the horse has a horse moment. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19yVwEJSKN/
We all have had those moments when a child is itching to move up to the next division, and you want to make it happen for them. Here’s a BENCHMARK (always listen to your trainer first) of when they might be ready. The most safe thing a child can do is be prepared for the groundwork and riding they are doing and it is every professional’s job to provide a safe environment, which means your child’s competence, timing, strength, and balance is paramount to them moving up the divisions.
Your child should be able to competently jump the division they're LEAVING without stirrups.
What that means in practice: before your rider steps into Short Stirrup, they should be able to jump around a cross-rail course at home, no stirrups, and do it well enough to be competitive at a local show. Before they move up from the Children's Pony Hunters, they should be able to jump around that height and step at home, stirrups dropped, and still ride effectively.
This matters because riding without stirrups builds the exact foundation that keeps kids safe, secure, and successful as the jumps get bigger:
- Real leg strength: Not gripping, but a deep, stable, independent leg that stays put when a pony chips, drifts, or adds.
- Balance & security: The ability to stay centered and with the motion without relying on the stirrup to "catch" them.
- An independent seat: Hands that stay quiet and soft because the body isn't fighting to stay on.
- Confidence: A rider who knows they can stay on when something goes sideways rides braver and softer everywhere
- Better feel: More connection to the pony, more feel for rhythm, pace, and balance.
Without stirrups, there's nowhere to hide. It exposes exactly where a rider is leaning on their tack instead of their own body and then it builds the strength to fix it.
So what if your child can't do this yet? That's not a failure, but rather current its information. 📚 It usually means they're simply not strong enough YET to move up safely, and pushing them into a harder division before they're ready sets them up to be behind, scared, or unsafe.
The fix is simple, and it's the best kind of horsemanship: ride more, and get stronger in and out of the saddle.
- More saddle time (yes, more no-stirrup work!), fun ba****ck rides full of laugher, riding in the field over varied terrain, extra two point position at all gaits, and building to long trot and canter sets going forward
- Fitness off the horse including core, legs, cardio, many successful young riders cross-train weekly in other sports for balance, strength, and coordination
- And don't underestimate BARN WORK including mucking stalls, hauling water, carrying hay, grooming, sweeping. It builds real, functional strength AND makes better, more well-rounded horsemen, and after you take the time to get good at it, provides value to your barn.
The best riders aren't rushed up the levels — they're built up, one solid foundation at a time. Strength, balance, and experience first, division second. Your pony kid (and their future self on course) will thank you.
Happy No Stirrups November!!
🩷 Emily Elek
(FYI…. Child in photo lost her stirrups due to a naughty pony moment… regrouped…. Got her stirrups and kept on going!)
