How to Stand Up in a Western Saddle
- 1). Bring your horse to a stop and ask a friend to hold him. It is best to begin this exercise with your horse motionless, so unless your horse is very quiet it is helpful to have another person hold on to the bridle.
- 2). Drive your heels down as far as you can in the stirrups, striving for the correct leg position. Keeping your heels down and your toes up is always important when riding, but it is even more critical when standing in the saddle.
- 3). Lift yourself up and out of the saddle by placing your weight on your feet and pulling yourself up. The first few times you do this, you may want to grip the saddle horn to make it easier, but as you progress you should not need to do that anymore. It can also be helpful to securely tie a short piece of cotton rope to the saddle horn and use that as a grip.
- 4). Continue standing in the stirrups as long as you can. You will probably feel a strain on your inner thigh muscles as they get used to the new position. Do not be discouraged if you cannot hold this position long; as your muscles become stronger you will be able to stand for longer periods of time, and even keep the position as your horse moves around the arena.
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