Knees, ankles & long rides

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hairycob

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I love really long hacks but, with the current hard ground, we are walking virtually all the time & by the time we get back my knees & ankles have gone dead. Any tips? My boy is only 5 & if I stand up in the stirrups/fidget he still thinks I want to canter so my options are maybe a bit limited.
 
Mine do this if my stirrups are shorter - am bloody crippled so I ride long all the time, and occasionally drop my feet out of the stirrups to flex my ankles on a long hack.
 
Flexi stirrups. I really notice a difference when using them, but they're the sprenger ones not sure about other makes. I also ride with my stirrups as long as I can reach! Lol! And take my feet out every so often. Doesn't eliminate the pain but improves it!
 
Sprengers :)

I have the Bow Balance ones and am so grateful for them, my knees now ache after trotting but didn't ache over the winter of walking we've just endured! Probably just now too used to being still and don't want to move!

Definitely money well spent :)
 
A few other things to try:

Stirrups for endurance riding...their bearing surface is 3-4 times that of regular stirrups.

Stirrups with the head twisted 90 degrees so the stirrup hangs open facing your foot, this is less stress on your knee.

Use boots that provide more ankle support (Ariat sort of thing)

Offset stirrups can help too!

Thinner saddles...a monoflap type saddle can reduce the angle of your leg on your horse..less stress. A thinner barreled horse helps.
 
I noticed a real difference with flexi stirrups and I've only ridden in them once :D
I have odd legs so one of my ankles usually takes a bit more strain than the other and I can really feel it when I'm trotting :rolleyes:
 
Funny that - my physio recommended a narrower horse too but he wasn't offering to buy me one! :)
 
Thankgod its not just me then, I thought it may be because I had a bad riding position. My knees are fine its just 1 ankle that really hurts and I get pins and needles in my foot, I also ride quite long. Must look at these new stirrups it would be nice not to be in pain within 20 mins of getting on.
 
I've got flexi stirrups but not sprenger ones. Don't think my feet would reach if I put my stirrups down - short little legs.
The narrower horse comments are interesting -mine is a barrel shaped cob who is most definitely not narrow, maybe that's my problem! Even more reason to make sure he doesn't get tubby.
Went out for 3 hours today, all in walk & I didn't think I would be able to get out of the saddle ever again.
 
Wonder if you are riding with more tension than you realise, as this can contribute to aching joints.
Don't worry about fidgeting in the saddle with your youngster, I'd positively encourage moving around, twisting and hanging off the sides to desensitise young horses. If he misinterprets you moving about, just quietly correct him, bring him back to the pace you want and carry on.
 
This might not be viable, but have you considered a western saddle? They are designed for long periods in the saddle and are really comfortable. An elderly friend of mine got an extra few years of riding on a western saddle, when she thought she was going to have to give up completely, because of hip problem.
 
Horserider - you are right. I'm hacking by myself today so I shan't be bothered about setting the whole ride off & shall faff around more. I shall not make the same mistake I made yesterday though - tried to open a muesli bar mid ride, waste of half a muesli bar LOL.
 
I bought myself a pair of swivel stirrups, after looking at endurance ones, which I sent back untried, they seem so huge, I have never had a problem but I sometimes adjust the length of leathers if on a long ride, or ride without for a bit.
I love the swivel stirrups as they absorb concussion, they need a good wash and a spray of WD every so often, as there are springs inside the mechanism.
I always use ariat boots, they have a steel shank and absorb concussion, also good grip. I have used both lightweight ariat cobalt boots and the Tellurite style in winter and the lightweight Terrain style in summer.
 
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My suggestion is gonna be an expensive one I'm afraid! and that is to consider your saddle coz if your backside ain't comfy, the rest of you won't be either.

At the mo I'm using a sheepskin seat saver which has helped a lot; plus have some fab endurance stirrups which have a larger area where your foot rests plus a cage for safety. They're a bit cumbersome when storing the saddle BUT I wouldn't be without them as far as comfort goes.

You can get fenders instead of stirrup leathers which apparently means you can ride in jeans for example, without getting pinched legs, but I've never tried these.

Also, you could try riding a bit longer; especially on a more rotund cob, as this should take some of the strain off your hips/upper leg and knee area.

I went on a pleasure ride a year or two back, and used a conventional stirrup; was in agony on the ball of the foot - simply because I had a corn there, and after visiting the chiropodist for a treatment, riding was much easier after that. So just a thought ......
 
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