Fixing an uneven rider

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Walrus

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I'm having problems with staying level and even in the saddle, my instructor has identified it and makes every effort to correct me but it is obviously a long term habit.

The physio came to the horse last night and he was quite sore in the saddle area and the soreness was bilateral (and matched my wonky-ness).

I've got a saddler coming out next week to look at my saddle but I am also wanting to get me sorted as well.

What have people found to help with correcting uneven-ness in the saddle; do I see a physio, chiro or something? I'm not overly fit so was considering a gym ball or pilates if I can squeeze it in.

Any recommendations from people who have managed to correct themselves would be most welcome.

Thanks

:)
 
Go and see a recommended physio or chiro to make sure you are as straight as possible, hopefully they will give you exercises to do at home as well.

Also check out your local gym for pilates, yoga or body stretch classes - anything to improve your core strength and also body awareness!
 
You could get yourself a gym ball and couple of dvd's and do some work at home. Have you got time to squeeze in a run at the weekends? The fitter you are the better for your horse.

Do you know why you are wonky? I would try booking into a good physio and chiro - perhaps a Mctimoney person.

How about a lesson on a horse simulator; I think you can get ones now that have sensors on them to show you where you are "wrong". It would be well worth a go on one of these a couple of times to help your riding.

Can you get some gait analysis done on yourself (ie tells you if your feet land right when you are walking or not). If you are wonky when you are walking, then it will make the rest of you wonky. You can then get insoles for your shoes that make you "unwonky"!
 
I've been going to a chiro to sort out my wonkyness. I was about an inch and half longer on one side. Appears to be due to my pevis rotating slightly. After 3 sessions I was level, had 2 more and I have stayed level.
I must of been over compensating for a while so working on that now but I would highly recommend a chiro. Maybe ask the people working on your horse for recommendations.
 
I am the most crooked person ever! I don't know why, I don't know if it is my horse that makes me crooked or me making everything crooked!
I go to the chiropractor regularly and my right pelvis is tight and a lot weaker than my left pelvis, therefore me right leg is weaker also.
When I watch videos of myself I look like I am constantly tipping to the right on my horse. I have to really focus on raising my right hip and dropping my left shoulder.
It's a pain, the chrio helps a lot and He straightens me out which works for a short while. At least you are aware of the problem, that is the first step :).
 
Wow, thanks for all the replies everyone. What is the difference between a chiropractor and a Physio? I don't know why or the root cause of my crookedness, my instructor noticed it and said it does affect the horse who escapes out through his shoulder and all sorts. Doesn't help that I'm a tall person on a short native pony.

Any recommendations for a physio or chiropractor in east yorkshire?
 
I've also had physio to sort out my wonkiness - on orders from my saddler.

Next step is Pilates with an instructor. DVD are fine if you are experienced, but newbies need handson to get the full benefit

Then add on some lunge lessons. Enjoy.....
 
I had a problem with leaning to the left...it kept being mentioned to me, but it was a long term problem that had come about from various injuries. Not easy to fix. I'm now sitting straight in the saddle, and am even through both feet, legs and seatbones. It has taken months though, of constant self correction.
It helps to have mirrors in the arena so you can see when you're uneven, and correct it. I also:

1) went to the osteopath
2) repeated to myself over and over when riding - sit straight, both feet into both stirrups 50% each...are they even? if not correct it. Both seatbones - are they even? are they both relaxed onto the saddle? (I had a tendency to hoick one seatbone up which then caused me to twist through the waist when rising). I'd spend twenty minutes in a session just straightening my body, and trying my best to get my weight even on both sides. Every day, every time I rode I worked on it.

The left-lean was first pointed out to me in May, it is now 1 November, and I am finally riding evenly on both sides, and I look like I am sitting straight in the mirrors from every angle, and my stirrups hang equally on both sides. So, it's a long process, it has taken several months.

To fix it, you need to be aware of it (which you are), start correcting it, keep correcting, the core muscles will start to change to support your new posture, and you'll keep correcting it, and at some point it will become permanent (after lots of practice).

Keep at it :)
 
Definitely go and see a physio!

I'm generally quite weak down my right side which is surprising since I am right handed.

I've been having knee problems and went to the physio for treatment who pointed out various other issues and gave me a load of exercises to help me.

Luckily, she's also a horse rider and working towards her vet physio degree too and is planning some mounted/unmounted rider position workshops so I'll be taking full advantage of these!
 
I've been wonky for years following one fall too many. A good physio is a must but I also have Bowen therapy which has kept me much straighter in recent years. I can always tell when I need to book another session as when I look in the mirror the waistband of my jeans or breeches is higher on one side than the other. I'd thoroughly recommend it.
 
I'm wonky and have been seriously impressed with Mctimoney chiro, which is also the treatment my mare has to great effect :). I can feel the difference in both me & her after treatment. However the results seem to be short lasting on me, which we believe is because I have high grade hyper flexion and because of this I have stopped having treatment recently because the cost is just too high with how often I needed treatment.

Ive been working as others have said at focussing on straightness to try to prevent myself being wonky in the saddle - i.e. raising shoulder and 'puffing out' ribcage on the side i collapse. I am also going to try a remedial massage session to help with the pain in my back while riding and tightness generally, however this pain went when having Mctimoney & so I think theres a good chance I will have to be to go back to it particularly for over the eventing season, although I may try a different form of chiropractics/osteo to see if the results last any better. I would definitely recommend Mctimoney as a first course of action as its very gentle and not invasive, and no "back cracking"!
 
Definitely chiropracter first to see if they find anything wrong bone wise, then either continue with them, or if they give you all clear move to physio for muscle work. If you have long term muscle stiffness (often if chiro finds your back is "out" the muscles will also be sort of set wrong around that problem) sports massage will help too.

Once you've seen chiro start pilates too, it's brilliant. Agree you need to go to a class to start with, pref with a second day a week at home too, which will mean you'll feel the benefit much quicker.

This is all from someone who has to see chiropractier regularly for long term back damage caused by coming off too many times! Pilates has really helped me keep strong and straight, and has reduced the frequency of my chiro visits.
 
McTimoney Chiropractor, definitely. Ideally McTimoney Corley imho. I'd do this before physio, personally. I've tried lots of different types of treatments over the years and find these the best by far. it'll probably take a few treatments to get you right, since muscles compensate for wonkyness and then tend to pull you back to the same place, but it's totally worth it. Good Luck!
 
Some really good advice above. McTimoney Chiros are great for spotting and treating the wonkiness, and agree you need to retrain the muscles and habits otherwise you risk keeping reverting to wonkitude. Again echo: pilates is fab, and really worth getting some one to ones for the precise technique, and then doing a proper small class rather than generic gym stuff. You need someone watching for every time you try to go wonky, because you won't feel it, and you don't get that attention in a class of 25 people. You do need to change your habits too: no more sitting cross legged (feels super weird at first but you get used to it!) no more heavy bags or buckets on one side, etc.

One word of warning as a fellow wonky-donkey - it is often a vicious cycle between wonky horse and wonky rider, and it took five chiro/physio/other back type people to find the REAL route of my horse's wonkiness - much of which felt like me being wonky but it was actually a combination of both of us making each other worse, but hers definitely more marked than mine... Hers started right up at her poll, an area not all chiros / physios get fully involved with, and until we got to work on that bit all the other work we did further back would have reverted... So if you think you're still getting issues once you've both been straightened, I'd say don't be afraid to look deeper on the horse assessment front because otherwise it can go on for a long while... !
 
A good way that I was taught to 'spot' if you were crooked is if you drive, look down at the way you sit whilst you're driving - do you sit with one hip further forward, do you lean your back against one side more?

Its how I noticed I was crooked down my left - had never noticed it on a horse.
 
Thanks for your replies everyone.

Those of you that see chiropractors - do you see just a regular chiro like you find in the yellow pages or do you see ones that have a knowledge of horses?

I'm near Hull which is a bit like the back of beyond when it comes to services like this and I don't know of anyone in the area so am relying on google a little bit but not sure what to look for?

Thanks :)
 
Which bit near Hull? You will generally find a chiro/physio in every town. May not be a mctimoney one, but should get you started
 
West Hull. There are plenty of chiros in the phone book but was just wondering if I should look for someone who is equine-y as well or maybe sporty?
 
I think in getting your wonkiness diagnosed and straightened out then it doesn't really matter if they have horsey knowledge or not. But one who rides will do a better job of explaining to you how to notice when you're not straight in the saddle. But a good one of any sort is better than a mediocre horsey one, I'd say.
 
Chiro and physio for sure. (for info chiro is non horsey, physio is horsey).

Pilates and/or swimming if you can. Both low impact but great for strengthening and suppling.
 
I highly reccommend a good chiropracter. I have huge issues with my own straightness due to a misaligned pelvis caused by a childhood horse riding accident.......us horse owners would never allow our horses to suffer with back backs/hips eitc. but for some reason we never give ourselves the same care!!
 
Hi , everyone is wonky. It has a lot to do with our own one sidedness, some people are more one sided than others. As equestrians we spend a lot of our time, as right handed people at least tightening and compressing the strong right hand side , this when we are in the saddle makes it very hard for our RHS to allow our hips to stretch around the horse and consequently we find it hard to engage the left seat bone so we tend to lean to the left in an effort to get our weight into the left seat bone.
So , a two pronged approach , chiro as everyone has said, I have mine done regularly to open up the base if my spine and to allow me to engage my seat bones evenly and stabilise my lower right leg.
But also so work with an Alexander practitioner . This really helps you identify your own lack of coordination on your weak side
 
When I've changed areas I've always used the British Chiro Association to find someone. This is what it shows for Hull...

http://www.chiropractic-uk.co.uk/find-a-chiropractor.aspx?adv=true&town=HULL

The thing you need to listen carefully to is what their end point is (you will have a long initial consultation before they agree to treat you and you agree to be treated). They should say they aim to treat you to a point where you need twice yearly or yearly check ups. You don't want someone to adjusts and adjusts and adjusts so that you become so bendy the adjustments don't last.. I had this once and it was a nightmare, I'd turn over in the night and my mid back where the ribs join would all ping out. Happy to say I've been treated by several and only had this one bad experience.
 
If you want personal recommendation, I go to Chiropractic Plus in Pocklington - not that close, I know, but Carol is lovely and has uncovered the cause of my wonkiness. She described me as an onion, each time she treated one symptom it uncovered another, it has taken a while but I've finally been "peeled"!
 
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