Hi gals

I saw a thread about equestrians and I it made me think about my form and how it has been affected by riding horses. I'm still new to cycling and I don't know if I am stopping and starting correctly. I don't want to start any bad habits that will be hard to change later, so here goes...

I'm right-dominant. Right now, unclip my right foot while I'm slowing down, then I put my left pedal down at 6 'oclock. As I come to a stop, I place my right foot on the ground. I spin my left around and unclip. When the light turns green, I shift my weight to my left leg (still on the ground), spin the right pedal up, and push down with my dominant right leg to get going.

When I think about it, I know it seems more efficient to unclip on my left, put my left foot on the ground and keep my right clipped in. Simple to take off, more efficient. However, I tried this and it just plain feels WRONG. It feels like I am about to dismount a horse on the wrong side. I can't help feel like my pedals are "stirrups" and trying to get off on the "wrong" side makes me feel unbalanced and insecure.

For the more experienced gals.. is this a hangup I should just try and get over... or is there a better way?