Exercises for Strengthening a Rider's Lower Leg Position

Coming out of MCTA, I shortened my stirrups and researched exercises to help improve lower leg position. I figure I can focus on my equitation during Leo’s light flat rides. Here’s what I’ve tried so far and like…

• Posting at the Walk: I feel absurdly ridiculous doing this. I haven’t posted the walk since I first learned to ride! But what I learned from reading online, is that posting the walk requires core strength and a stable leg position because nothing in the horse’s walk motion supports the movement. It’s an easy enough thing to do when I am walking around the ring letting Leo stretch his legs to start. Yes, I feel stupid but I will feel even stupider if I fall off because of an insecure lower leg.
• Posting a double beat: It took several attempts before I evidentially found the coordination needed to do this exercise. Rather than posting every step (up-down-up-down) which allows you to stay with the movement of one leg of the horse, this exercises has you post every other step step so you stay up in the air for an extra beat. The rhythm is up-up-down-down-up-up-down-down. By holding your "up" position for one step longer, your lower leg is forced to be a stabilizer. It can’t move around and has to be in proper alignment with your upper body or else you lose your balance and fall backwards into the saddle. (This entire exercise can be extended to a 3-beat as well: up-up-up-down-down-down.)
• No Stirrup Posting Trot: This is a classic but goody and I forgot how hard it is. I haven’t done no stirrup work in forever. In fact, normally the only time I don’t have stirrups is if I am riding bare back or I lost them unintentionally over a jump or sitting the trot. J Since I am motivated right now to go back to the basics, I am dropping my stirrups a couple times during my rides and doing a lap or two around the ring with out them. Then I pick them up again and go back to whatever I am working on with Leo. 

I have only had one ride with Leo where I worked on these exercises, but I actually think taking the focus off him for parts of the ride actually helped our ride. That double beat posting requires all my brain power! If I don't pay attention my body just switches back to normal posting on its own.  

Here's a picture from my ride with Leo today...this is one of the few undeveloped plots of land in our suburban location which we can ride on. 

The "Cross Field" - where Leo and I do his fitness work