Correct Toe Angle for Your Leg to Be Effective on Your Horse

I have a problem with my lower leg. I know that it has to be wrapped around the horse sides with the toes pointing forward, but the problem is that when I try to point my toes forward, my calves get away from horse sides and the contact is only with my knees.

My question is: what’s more important? To have the calves hugging the horse’s sides while my toes are not pointing forward, or pointing them forward and losing the contact between my calves and the horse’s sides? Is there any way I can obtain both at the same time?

🙂 Thank you in advance!

Ahmed, the angle of ones toe in the stirrup is more or less determined by your conformation.  Seeing as many riders as I do each weekend in my clinics, I come across all sorts of toe angles. In general, most folks toe angles are between 10-30 degrees open. This I would say is normal. When I see an excessive open toe angle, say 45-60 degrees, the first thing I do is ask the rider to totally relax the ankle and see where it falls naturally. You can quickly determine whether they are conformed that way or training their toe out excessively. If they are conformed that way so be it. An excessive toe angle has the tendency to take the knee away from the saddle and put the hard part of the back of the calf always on the horse. In addition it’s more difficult to control the use of your spur with a toe turned out excessively.

You are under the belief that the toe has to be straight. This is not so. The toe should absolutely open to some degree or it will do just what you described. I just encountered a girl this weekend with a unusually straight toe which actually turned in, due to conformation.  Her ankle broke to the outside. She had a very hard time using her leg effectively!

The contact and strength of the calf is definitely decreased with a toe intentionally pointed “straight.” Let your toe be natural according to your conformation and you will find all the contact points of your leg will be in place.