Horseback Riding is a Pain
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Horseback riding is a great sport. Although you don’t have to be a super-athlete to participate, just like you don’t have to be a super-fit athlete to go bicycling or enjoy skating, like many sports you will benefit from being active before you try riding. But even the most fit athlete may find there are a few body parts that will hurt, despite even a high level of fitness. So, the rest of us can be excused for feeling a few aches and pains as we begin to learn to ride. Here’s what a beginner can expect in terms of what is going to hurt after your first few lessons.
The most common pains new riders experience are in the muscles down the inside of the upper legs. While these muscles help stabilize us when we walk or stand, riding requires that we use them in a way they aren’t normally used. Many riders will feel pain on the inside of their thigh, either when they first start out, or after they’ve not ridden for a while. The muscles doing the most screaming after a ride are likely the gracilis and the adductor longus muscles. This is because those muscles don’t normally hold you in the static position needed to grip when you ride. They are normally quite mobile as we walk around and do other activities. Remaining static is more tiring than moving around. After your ride, you’ll learn exactly where these muscles are. As your muscles gain strength, the pain will subside. In the meantime, heat and gentle stretching, and if you’re really desperate some pain reliever will help you get through this pain.
Another set of muscles that might complain when you ride, and may actually start their whining while you're still in the saddle, are the muscles along the outside of your leg, from the knee to ankle. It’s probably the relatively slender soleus muscle and the fibularis longus, sitting just forward of the meatier and stronger gastrocnemius muscle that makes up the obvious shape of your calf. Poor soleus and fibularis get stretched in ways they’re not used to and start to whinge. This can happen to experienced riders as well as beginners. In addition to gentle stretching and heat, shimming the stirrups on the outside a bit can help relieve this pain. Angled stirrups might help too.
Your hip joints might feel a little cranky after a ride. This can be tied into the muscle fatigue built up by holding your core and lower body muscles static. Sometimes it’s the psoas muscle that needs building and stretching. But it can also be saddle related. Sore hips might be an indication your saddle doesn’t fit. If you find you can’t keep proper position in the saddle, and you're constantly struggling, try a different saddle. It might make a difference.
Another saddle related pain is chaffing. I know people that resort to dollops of petroleum jelly, sport lubricants, gel-lined underwear and other tactics to prevent chaffing in their seat area. And, some may find relief. But often, chaffing is related to saddle fit. Your saddle may be too small, which means you’ll be pushing against the pommel uncomfortably, or you might be in a saddle that’s too big, that lets you slop around a lot, building up friction.
Back pain is common for many riders, beginners or not. That’s because riding uses our lower back, which may be stiff and relatively weak, and our core muscles, which must be strong and flexible too. Strengthening these muscles is the answer, and riding will help that process. So doing something like Pilates or other core strengthening exercises to supplement your riding activity will help a lot. It’s worth working on this, because a stiff back can be transferred to the horse, who will also start to move more stiffly. Conversely, some people find horseback riding helps relieve a sore back. That’s one of the benefits of riding that keeps many people in the saddle.
For those of you who already ride, what do you remember being the biggest discomfort about learning to ride? What advice would you give to a beginner for avoiding or getting through the initial discomfort?
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www.basipilates.com/files/377/pilates-for-equestrians-pdf |
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