riding lopsided, any advice?

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sophiebailey

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Morning everyone!

Gonna try and cut a long story short; my saddle fitter came out on Monday and noticed the flocking on the left of the saddle was considerably flatter than the right. She watched me ride and said my entire left side collapses in as I go round a corner, putting my weight into the left stirrup and flattening the flocking.

She evened it out and recommended I see a chiro to see if there's anything wrong that's making me so wonky. Went to the docs this morning, he checked over everything and said my back + hips are fine, but my left leg is 2cm longer than my right.

So my question to you lovely people is; how do I condition myself to sit straight?! Any exercises\tips I can put into place? I don't want to be hurting pony's back by sitting wonky!

Any advice appreciated :)
 
I do exactly the same thing so I'm consciously trying to put equal weight down into both stirrups. I didn't realise how uneven I was until my instructor pointed it out as I was having an arguement with my youngster trying to get him to bend round a corner, I thought he was being a monkey, but it's me giving him the wrong signals with my wonky balance and will create an issue if I dont nip it in the bud... So I too would be very happy to hear some suggestions!!
 
Hi Sophie. Same problem here. I am very right sided and my left side and leg were not taking up their full share of the work and i always tip left if i lose my balance on the horse. I've been having Alexander technique lessons to make me more aware of my posture and where I hold tension in my body. It's really worked for me. I initially started it because I was getting neck pain and headaches after lessons. I knew that I held my head to the right and that was what we started working on. The discomfort got worse before it got better and I almost gave up but after two months we've ended up at the source of the problem..my right ankle! Pilates also helps I've been told and I'm going to find lessons now I've done with my Alex tec man.
 
I would def go and see the Chiro. My daughter rides in exactly the same manner as you describe and a session at the Chiros sets her straight again. My daughter is only 9 and growing very fast so I probably take her in every 4 months to get sorted - you may not have to go in as often.
You may be skeletally fine as your doctor suggests but a tight muscle in the wrong place can wreak havoc with your position. I had a really weak left leg and the Chiro tracked it down to the left hand side of my jaw being tight. She released that and my leg was back to normal! so might not just be your hips or legs having a problem - could originate from anywhere.

I would pay 10x the amount I have paid already to get the results my daughter and I have got.
 
Go and see a good Osteopath, and then find a good Pilates instructor and do some one-to-ones.

There is no quick fix, sorry! Start taking notice of how you move, how you sit, how you drive. Aim for even weight through your sitting bones when you are sitting everywhere, and you have more chance of maintaining it in the saddle.
 
I was going to post today about lop sided riders, as I find that I need one stirrup longer than the other so that they feel equal! However, if you have one leg 2cm shorter than the other OP I would have thought you would have a limp!
 
Thanks guys, will see about getting to a chiro and doing some pilates!! Hopefully this will help. Alma I don't know what to say lol I don't walk with a limp but according to the doctor my left femur is 56cm and my right is 54cm! With what you said about stirrups, perhaps one has stretched, it's common for the left stirrup leather to stretch longer than the right as this is the one most commonly used when mounting, maybe take your leathers off and hold them side by side to see if the hole's line up? X
 
I'd def be seeing a good Chiro!

I have back/shoulder/neck issues, chiro has been a god-send and spotted things my GP missed (or maybe noticed but failed to mention). He's made a huge difference to my position in the saddle over the last 6 months :)
 
I have the same problem which stems from my hip/knee. My left knee comfortably fits my knee roll where as my right knee is so forward its off the saddle!
But i do suffer from hip pain and really should see my GP.
 
I too found myself riding wonky for a while - particularly collapsing through the right hip. Have started doing Pilates regularly and have noticed a marked difference. Good luck
 
Def go see chiro! I get this too, my pelvis goes misaligned and the results are PRICELESS after a visit!

Don't bother with the doctor and I would bother with an osteopath for this either as they tend not to be 'rough' enough IME!
 
Chiropractors are great, worth a try. As another (probably stupid!) thought, if your thigh bone is genuinely longer, have your right stirrup a little shorter. I know we are always taught to keep them even but if one leg is longer then your shorter leg will always be reaching slightly for the stirrup if they are the same. You will then naturally weight your left more. Your muscles in your right hip will constantly be trying to hitch the pelvis up to make it level when you walk, and that tightness will then transfer to riding. I had an orthotic heel lift put in the shoe of my shorter leg so that my muscles quit fighting to even me out.
 
I found the chiro helpful. I also had a lesson with Gillian Higgins from Horses Inside Out who had me standing up in my stirrups which really helped with my position. Once I managed to get my balance lol. Also doing some work with no stirrups and some stretching exercises?
 
It is not unusual to have an apparent leg length difference which is a result of length changes in muscle fibres, usually due to spending long periods in a stretched position. This is often the case with the hip musculature, and can result in hip pain.

You need someone who will assess soft tissue issues, and muscle imbalances as well as joint position, as joint compromise is often the result of soft tissue problems. For this I would advise a good osteo or physio. Osteopaths also do the joint manipulations that chiros do, but will work on soft tissue as well, so have a slightly wider outlook.
 
I believe we are all one sided, do you remember an old adage that if you went off walking a straight line into the desert you would end up walking in a circle because one leg is stronger than the other?
 
A visit to a Chiropractor may help sort you out. Many of my mums that I teach have this problem from ferrying children around on their hips!

Those that have gone to the chiro have definately improved.

Do you mouont from the ground or from a mounting block? Mounting from the ground eventually causes the flocking to pack more on one side than the other.

Also suggest that the horse has a chiro to as you riding crooked can effect them too.
 
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