Friday, July 31, 2009

Hurts! when i ride?

are there any suggestions of what to do? when i ride (english) my crotch eventually starts to hurt. this mostly only happens after i sit the trot for a long time.. i don't wear jeans, so it isn't the seams.. it isn't so bad until after i get home.
i feel better after a day or two (have a lesson twice a week) , but i want to go to a riding camp (riding every day) and don't want it to be a bad or uncomfortable experience.
i am also concerned about it bcause i am worried that it might affect my riding - i have to shift in my seat quite a bit sometimes.. and i don't like stopping a lesson when my crotch hurts instead of my muscles being tired..
this month is no-stirrups month, which makes it worse! i know i have a problem with sinking into the saddle (sitting the canter) and don't want this to add to it..
i have only been riding a year.. and it usually isn't so bad, but it has been red and irritated and even swollen once..
any suggestions? thanks!!
Answers:
being a young rider you probably don't have a perfect seat (something a great number experienced riders don't have ether) and you are probably sitting too stiff and griping the horse with your thighs. try to relax and sit up as strait as you can. you want to be able to feel your seat bones and have equal pressure on both sides, you want your lower back relaxed and your shoulders should be back so your sternum is pushed out and your head is level. make a mental check list of things like this and check your self from time to time. another thing you can try is to ride bare back to improve your seat. if this doesn't help you may need to get a gel pad or try a different saddle. Good Luck
Dont ride?
maybe try to find a way to have extra padding, in that area that would be the only sulution that I can see.
I wonder if the saddle isn't fitting you correctly?
Is there another saddle you could try during a lesson to see if maybe thats the case.
When I used to trailride english I ran into that and it was my saddle. If its the bum part, you can always use A%26D ointment ahead of time and that helps tremendously
I hear stretching helps. You should ride a smaller horse.
I believe they sell padded riding pants, Check it out.. Im not sure of a website but just type it in and look? Actually try this website!
TheEquestrianCorner.com
that sound pretty weird! are you a guy? or a gal? even weirder!! all i can say is maybe youre sitting to far fowards, your sitting on it, you should be sitting back on your butt cheeks i really don't know perhaps if your a gal wear a thick wel padded pad with some soothing lotion? idk, the only time ive ever hurt there was with jeans and crotch seams...
sorry dude.or dudette
don't ride it or use extra pading
Riding english I think hurts more then western. I can't ride english because it hurts so much. I think you can by padded riding pants and other padded things to sit on to be more comfortable.
I had this same thing happen once or twice and I changed a few things about the way I rode. One I got a sheep skin seat saver and I starting sitting a little differently. Can you change saddles? The saddle could be too small or too big for you or the saddle could be a POS. And can you get a sheep skin seat saver or a gel seat saver to use? Then I would try sitting a bit more on your butt bones instead of your crotch and stay soft in your pelvis and rock with the motion instead of getting stiff. And then I would talk to your instructor. I know this might be a bit embarrassing to do but you have got to do something. I have used the sheep skin seat savers many times and I really like them. Not the ones that go part way down or cover the entire saddle just the ones that cover the seat from the cantle to the pommel of the saddle.
And I would certainly be going to the doctor and having things checked out. There could be some other problem. Or this could be causing some problem that could get worse until fixed.
Judging by some of your other answers there sure are a lot of idiots in this world.
Can you try a different saddle? Does your barn have school saddles so you can ride in different styles/brands? Depending on the style (A/O, close contact, stadium jumping, all purpose) and the brand, the saddle's seat and flaps will place you in a slightly different postion-some will tilt you more forwards, some will sit you deeper in the saddle, some will have a very flat seat. The pommel of the saddle will also vary-some pommels will be flatter, some higher, some rounder-if your saddle has a long pommel and a short seat and your pubic bone is prominent, you might need an entirely different saddle-it simply does not suit your body. I worked at a tack store for 2 years, and had 2 customers who had this problem with some saddles and had to be careful when using school saddles at the barn. Both customers ended up buying saddles of their own that better suited their particular anatomy.
Try a different brand/style. Just switching brands might help.
Another thing: does your saddle fit you correctly? Another possibility is that your saddle is too small and you are being pinched between the pommel and the cantle, which could cause rubbing to your groin area. This actually happened to me with the 1st saddle I used to own- a .5 size larger and a wider seat corrected the problem.
To check if it fits you correctly, sit in your saddle, either on the horse or on a sawhorse, in a relaxed manner with your feet properly in your stirrups and sitting up straight. Reach behind you and place your hand sideways between your rear and the edge of the cantle (your pinkie touching your behind, your thumb the edge of the cantle). If the saddle fits correctly, you should be able to fit 4-5 fingers between your behind and the edge of the cantle. Any less and the saddle is too small. I learned this from a certified saddle fitter who did custom saddle fittings for our store customers.
If your barn doesn't have any school saddles you can use, try talking to friends at the barn who have saddles of a different brand or style from yours -just try saddles of the same size or larger than yours; don't go smaller! Ask them if you can ride in their saddle for 20 minutes or so (some people can be leery about lending their saddles, but 20 minutes trotting %26 cantering should be enough to give you a feel for the saddle) because you are considering getting a different one and want to see what theirs feels like (you don't have to give the details if you don't feel like it.) See how it goes.
In the meantime, while riding in your saddle, try using a maxi pad! :) Get the regular (shorter) kind, so it doesn't show through your breeches. This was what I used when I discovered I needed a larger saddle while I waited for my new saddle to come and it worked wonders!
Another option: try bike shorts/pants! Get the padded kind and wear them under your breeches. Or wear the padded long pants instead of breeches. They won't have the clarino patches, but they will work and still keep you cool during those hot summer days at camp.
Third option: a tush cush! (That's what they are called *lol*) Get a seat saver cushion for your saddle. Cashel makes one made of foam (the Tush Cush), Ovation has an awesome gel seat saver (though it's pricier) and you can also get it in sheepskin (about the same price as the gel, but even cushier, IMO). They have straps to attach it to the saddle and keep them in place while you ride. This is a great investment, especially for summer camp or days you spend hours in the saddle. I've included links below so you can take a look at the options available.
Hope this helps! I know what it feels like! A saddle switch might really work, though.
And have FUN at summer riding camp! :D
I would check out a different saddle like previously suggested, just to rule that out.
Are you riding Dressage? Hunter? What?
Hunter and Jumper tends to sit more forward, but still you wouldn't be directly on your crotch (or men wouldn't ride English). Dressage sits deeper and more on their butt.
Sounds like you are sitting way to far forward (now matter what sport you are riding) and putting all your weight on your crotch. You should be sitting more on you butt bones, and stretching up with your body towards the sky. Shoulders back, slight arch to your lower back (to much arch and leaning forward to far would put you on your crotch). If you are equitating properly and using your legs properly, then this would not be happening to you. Is my guess.
Have you talked to your instructor? Maybe you could look into getting a separate instructor, just to help with your equitation?
Also, I would recommend you do some leg exercises to strengthen your inner thigh and calf muscles. A good exercise to try: walk around the house with a ball (soccer, basketball, etc) between your legs at your lower thigh. Your leg muscles are not only to keep you on, but to also keep you in the right position.
This is definitely not good no matter how you look at it. It has to be so hard to enjoy riding when you get into that type of pain! I wish you the best!
I rode jumpers for most of my life and all I can think is maybe the saddle you ride in is too small and that forces you to ride more on the cantle and the pommel then actually riding in the center on the seat. I would definitely talk to your coach about your problems, you don't have go all the way into it with them if you are embarrassed,just say you are having a tough time being comfortable while riding with no stirrups and maybe they can spot something. It would probably help more than getting a bunch of uneducated answers from an internet site! I hope you can get to the bottom of it before it spoils your desire to continue with what you are learning.
Get a Heather Moffatt seat saver - they are made from memory foam so you sink in and it stops you shifting around too, they are great, but I found if I was riding for a long time then I added a sheepskin seat saver over the top! Sounds like a lot and made me sit higher on the saddle but boy was it comfy! Good luck, this product was made for you - look it up on the net and see what you think, there are usually a few on ebay too. I would also either get padded riding pants or if you don't mind the visible line, put a pair of thick underpants over your knickers - all padding helps!
There could be a couple of reasons why you are feeling discomfort.
First, when you sit in the saddle, are you actually sitting on your seat bones? You might be riding with you pelvis tilted too far back, which brings your crotch in contact with the saddle rather than your tush. Try to concentrate how you are sitting and make sure that you are in the correct position. Aside from keeping you more comfortable, this will help keep your seat secure and will improve communication with the horse. Don't be afraid to tell your instructor where you are hurting so she can pay attention to how you are sitting and to make sure that you are in the right position.
When riding without stirrups, focus on keeping your heels as far down as you can manage. This will help keep you in the saddle and if you are sitting with your pelvis in the right position, you won't bounce so much during the canter. The deeper you sit in the saddle, the less you will bounch. Relax your frame so that your body will flex with the horse's movements and not be jarred so sharply.
It could be that you have a particularly hard saddle, so you might want to consider investing in a little padding. There are padded undergarments for riders that help cushion your sensative bits. And if you are going to be out riding for more than an hour at a stretch, you might want to get a saddle pad. They will help make the seat more comfortable.
hi, have you tried a padded seat which you can attach to the saddle?
also, perhaps the horse/saddle you are riding on is too wide for you, if its a riding school you could ask about changing horses but do try a saddle cover, it really helped me get back my 'crotch muscles' after not riiding for ages
hope i helped
Many people have this problem. I dont but alot of people do. I know those flaps on the side bother me. I dont ride english. Only when i ride someone elses horse. But there are sheep skin or whatever pads. Like this: http://www.statelinetack.com/itemdy00.as...
You wont get disqualified at show or anything. Just clean it also. Theres this one : http://www.statelinetack.com/itemdy00.as...
and
http://www.statelinetack.com/itemdy00.as...
I was riding up and down hills a bunch when I was training my stallion. Ouch!! I started wearing a kotex and taking a hot bath when I got home and saved the bottom half. By the way I am a senior now and have two dents in my behind from a saddle. I was always small, not a bunch of natural padding.
I'm going to make this short and simple.
Could you be sitting your trot incorrectly? eg. too far forward in the saddle, too small/big saddle for your size? Are you bouncing around lots?
You may just be sitting too far forward.
Could it be your pants rubbing?
Talk to a trainer or someone,they might be able to help.
that used to happen to me.. generally its because i was gripping too much with my upper tighs and tensing the muscles there.. relax. it wont hurt as much =]
make sure that your saddle is the proper size for your body it sounds like your saddle may be to small for your body. I think that you may be able to find padded underwear and they do make padding for the seat of your saddle. If the soreness is from friction i have herd that monkey butt powder works well for that
well they sell padded under ware or you could ware bike shorts too (under riding pants). there are also things called seat savers they pad the seat of the saddle and they are removable so you can put them on any saddle.
you can find seat savers at- http://www.doversaddlery.com/search.asp?...
and the underware at- http://www.doversaddlery.com/undergarmen...
If you are posting the trot, this takes time to get used to. If you are sitting the trot, it sounds like the horse is trotting too fast for too long a time for you. Try slowing the horse down so you can enjoy it. Good luck.

No comments:

Post a Comment