Sore feet and ankles when riding!

dollymix

dollymix

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After any advice / exercises from anyone on how to stop my aching feet and ankles?

I have also had weak ankles and particularly my left ankle gives me trouble now and then. This weekend I had a lesson on my Welsh D – we did lots of trot work and by the end of the lesson my ankles and left calf (along the outside on my calf) were really aching.

Then on Sunday, I took same Welshie to the local farm ride with the intention of doing some XC schooling – well I couldn’t do a thing!! As soon as we set off, I said to my friend who I was riding with that my left ankle was sore but by the time I had crossed a few fields in csnter (trying to control a crazed, over-excited, idiotic animal!), it was really sore. I have new stirrup leathers and have also changed my stirrups recently from safety stirrups (yes those kiddie ones with the elastic down one side) to bog-standard stirrup irons – I had put my stirrups up a couple of holes to allow for jumping, but after crossing the first couple of fields I had to stop and lower them as my left foot (across the top of the bridge – I have a very deep arch/instep) and up the outside of my calf and ankle were really hurting).

I had to give up on the idea of the jumping (I was now riding cowboy length – not helpful when trying to slow a super-sonic, over-excited welshie) and just cantered on behind my friend. She rode behind me at one point and said that I seem to sit with my right hip lower, but more weight down my left side??? Not sure how that would work!!

Also, to me, it felt like my right foot sits evenly on the stirrup tread, whilst on my left, the outside of my foot carries all the weight (which would explain why the outside of my foot and leg were so sore?).
By the time we got back (probably hour and a half) my foot and ankle were really sore. My big toe even had pins and needles and I had to keep taking my left foot out of my stirrup to let my leg dangle, which did relieve it a little.

TBH, I was worried about dismounting, but I did a very in-elegant slither down the saddle and landed ok and although aching, it was certainly much less painful being on the ground than in a stirrup!!

I think my legs are generally quite weak. I struggle to get my mare to listen to my leg a lot of the time and sometimes get cramp in my calf in lessons as I have to use so much leg. In particular, on the left rein, my mare does fall in and I struggle with the whole inside leg, outside hand idea to keep her straight.

Basically – does anyone have any ideas/tips/help? If anyone has any exercises they can recommend to strengthen my legs that would be great. Do you think changing the stirrup irons had a lot to do with it?
Also – given my straightness issue (i.e lower right hip and more weight down the outside of my left leg and foot) – any suggestions would be fab!
 
You are gripping too much. Try to relax. Have some lessons with no stirrups and learn to feel with your seat. A horse does not need as much "leg" as you think... Especially if i hurts you!! It could also be your stirrups are too short or your leg is to far forward making you work harder.

If your calf hurts in rising trot then you are not rising properly. Try to rise with the movement rather than a separate one.
 
Most people are not straight dollymix! Try and get yourself to a chiropractor. I have had to do this - always its been sparked off by my riding instructor telling me to get it sorted! Agree too that it sounds like you are gripping too much - for that I recommend a series of lunge lessons without stirrups. Yum, yum! Finally if you do suffer with your ankles, you might find that something like sprenger bow balance stirrups or endurance stirrups are more comfortable. Good luck :)
 
I would do three things .
Book a session with a good teacher and get them to assess your striaghtness and explain to you exactly what you are doing and how to correct it.
Armed with that information go to a sports physio ( one who rides or works with riders is best ) and see what they find.
Sports massage can help these problems a lot so that the third thing I would do.
 
After years of riding endurance - boots and stirrups ! Lots of boots have very hard soles and when you combine that with ordinary stirrup irons life can get uncomfortable and pins and needles is not good! When my back is out I get sciatica down one side - so yes to the chiropractor as well.
 
Having a bad back, knees and having had a broken ankle, I swear by springer stirrups. Well worth a try along with the suggestions above!
 
As others have said: get professional advice/help including (and especially) Chiropractor.

Also it might pay you to book a private session with a Pilates or similar discipline instructor. It sounds basically like you need some exercises to specifically strengthen your lower legs/ankles & feet. As a dance teacher I regularly help people who're having trouble with weakness in this area: one exercise you could do at home is to stand upright, and squarely, feet facing forward and hip width apart. Hands by your sides.

Then, gently, breathe in, and as you do so, project your balance forwards and upwards, and very gently allow yourself to rise onto the ball of the foot. If you can only manage a very slight lift (i.e. half an inch) at first, then that's fine. As you rise up, bring your arms up gently, you can visuallise that there's an inflatable balloon under each armpit......... then breathe out and as you do so, come back to your original position. You could try five of these breathing lifts to start with, then increase. This will help to strengthen the muscles of your lower feet and instep area.

But there's nothing to replace being in a situation where someone can come alongside you and watch to make sure you're using the right technique.

May I recommend that you find a dance class somewhere? It would help you a great deal, IMO, and would strenghten your lower limbs & feet area. To start with, you need a gentler system of dance rather than something fast........... it depends on whatever's on in your area basically. Whereabouts are you??
 
Thanks everyone for your replies. They are much appreciated and do give me a few things to try.

Re actual riding - a lesson to assess my straightness would be good I think. MY RI is great, but with each horse I have had we do tend to focus quite a lot on the horses way of going, rather than my physical straightness. She has acknowledged before that I am heavier to my left, but not necessarily that I grip. She did say something on Satuirday though about opening up my hip so maybe this would help? I think I'd have to find another hrose to do no stirrup work and I actually discussed this with a friend on Sunday - my mare is quite dippy backed and we are gradually teaching her to lift her rib cage and lengthen her back (she tends to trot round looking very pretty with her head in, but its a false outside as she is basically hollowing - she finds long and low very difficult due to her conformation). I am therefore reluctant to do a lot of no stirrup work on her yet as I think she would hollow even more?

Re Flexi stirrups - I had thought about trying some. I once tried those 'wedge' treads...I think they are designed to encougahe even weight distribution in the stirrup...but I was in agony after about 5 mins so took them off!!

Re Dance - thanks for the suggestion - I can apprecaite that dance would help to strengthen my legs and feet. I am based in Lancashire - close to the town of Clitheroe and I imagine there are a few dance places around. However, not to make excuses, but with the horses and my job (fairly long hours and very irregular) I do struggle to find time to attend regular classes...

which leads on to Chiro / Pilates etc. Would love to find the time! It's funny isn't how we don't mind spending the money and time on physio etc for our horses but neglect ourselves?!

I will try to find a chiro near me and give them a ring about a visit....if I can perhaps see them a couple of times nad then get a few exercises I can work into my daily routine, hopefully that will help!
 
I have very bad ankles following injury a few years ago and simply can't ride in normal stirrups - a couple of minutes leaves me really sore. I use flexible ones and it makes a huge difference to comfort and I can ride for long periods of time in those. Also when dismounting I can't absorb any landing as have little-no movement at all in my ankles (they're fused) so when getting off I hold onto the saddle and slid down which stops any impact (my mare is ace :-) )
 
I get really sore ankles when I ride and sometimes end up with a dead foot after really long rides. I have flexi stirrups but the only thing I have found the make a different is to wear boots and chaps rather than full length boots. I think it must give my foot more movement so I am not in such a fixed position.

Also I now ride out with an instructor who constantly reminds me that I am sticking my toes out and I have found since trying to improve my leg position I rarely get a dead foot, I seem to put less pressure on my feet with my leg slightly further back
 
I can also recommend getting some orthotic insoles to put inside your boots. Those and flexi stirrups have made quite a difference to the length of time I can ride without my feet and ankles becoming very painful. I would also suggest seeing a physiotherapist.
 
I would say differently get your back checked out after years of leaning to the left and having pain in feet and ankles when riding i found out that at 34 years old i have a curved back but low down so not pick up till i had to have a xray. Doctor asked if i had it operated on which i had not

once this is ruled out i would go on with the rest good luck
 
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