Q: What is a good guideline for jumping stirrup length for heights between 70cm and 1.20m?
Asked by Laura Paschini
A: As a rule of thumb, your flatwork stirrups should hand slightly above your ankle when your legs are hanging loosely around your horse’s barrel. Some riders are quite happy to jump smaller heights (50cm to 80cm) in that same stirrup length. From there you should shorten your stirrup length by two holes at least for heights upwards of 90cm. If you are jumping heights around 1.20m and upward you could shorten your stirrups to as much as four holes, depending on how comfortable you feel. Most of the time, it comes down to personal preference, but shorter stirrups give your upper body more stability, which is very important when jumping.