Help with disabilities and riding.

[laurenmeylerxx]

Hi everyone,
I have just come across this forum and am amazed with how helpful it is.
I currently ride 2 times a week at my local riding school. I loan a 14.2 cob who is quite lazy.
I suffer from various health problems but really struggle with leg strength when riding.
My legs seem to flop around when I’m riding meaning I don’t give strong enough leg aids. I could give two good kicks with my leg and then their like jelly.
I’ve now been riding for a year and walk,trot,canter.
It means I can only canter one length of the school because I struggle to keep the horse going.
It makes me feel very defeated as I see people who have been riding less time than me flying around the sand school.
I would really appreciate it if anyone could offer me any tips.
Thanks

 

[Jessey]

Hi, welcome to NR

Do you suffer with a specific disability that effects muscle strength? Many of us jest that when you start riding you use muscles you never knew you had riding uses your body in ways you don't normally, so it can take a really long time to build up those muscles, to be able to keep that canter going and stop having jelly legs

As you get to ride the same horse twice a week it's perhaps more useful to focus on improving his response to light aids, than on making your aids stronger; What cues are you currently using? how light in the hand is he? how often is he 'allowed' to ignore an aid? being very consistent with expectations is probably the biggest thing you can do to help improve response, Do you currently ride with a whip? correct use of a whip to back up your aids can certainly help get a horse responding to lighter aids.

 

[carthorse]

Tricky one. If it was just strength to give leg aids I'd say ask for a more responsive horse - imo nothing should need constant kicking to keep it in a pace anyway, but that's a different argument. However if you lack the strength to keep your legs still that's a different issue & may be a disaster with a more responsive or forward horse who'd take every wobble as an aid.

The cob you loan could be trained to work from voice aids &/or rein aids. You may need some help to do it but if you're planning on keeoing him a while it could be worth it & you could then have your lessons on him. Again it may be easier to train a more forward horse, but under the circumstances a slightly lazy one is probably safer.

One other question for you to consider. Are you steady enough in the saddle that you allow the horse to do as you ask? If you're generally flopping around in the saddle then you make life hard for he horse as he constantly has to compensate for your lack of balance which will in turn slow him down. Can you work on your core strength & stability?

 

[Huggy]

Agree about the voice aids in particular. If it's just when you try the leg aids that makes your legs jelly, using your voice every single time will soon sink in. Most horses react too, when you shorten your reins - they know that signals that they're going up a gear.

 

[Silvia]

Hi everyone,
I have just come across this forum and am amazed with how helpful it is.
I currently ride 2 times a week at my local riding school. I loan a 14.2 cob who is quite lazy.
I suffer from various health problems but really struggle with leg strength when riding.
My legs seem to flop around when I’m riding meaning I don’t give strong enough leg aids. I could give two good kicks with my leg and then their like jelly.
I’ve now been riding for a year and walk,trot,canter.
It means I can only canter one length of the school because I struggle to keep the horse going.
It makes me feel very defeated as I see people who have been riding less time than me flying around the sand school.
I would really appreciate it if anyone could offer me any tips.
Thanks

Hi! I have wonky legs, too. First bit of advice is to stop comparing yourself with other people. Second is that it actually takes very little leg strength to ride a well trained horse. It might be all for the best if you are unable to kick a horse along. That is a terrible habit anyway. Work on giving subtle but clear aids instead. You could also use a long schooling whip to back up your leg if the horse is unresponsive. There is also equipment you cold try, like stirrups with wider threads. I find that these help stabilize my legs quite a bit. You should also think about weather the horse you ride is suitable for your individual needs. If it is not, ask to ride a different horse and see how that goes. Good luck! I know it can be frustrating.

 

[GaryB]

Have you thought about trying the RDA (if you are in the UK). They cater for a wide range of riders and will potentially understand your needs better than some other schools. For instance the one I went too had a rider who was very weak in one side and for her they had a sort of handle that the reins attached to so she could ride dressage one handed.

 

[joosie]

You do not need strong legs to give effective leg aids - and leg aids do not have to be strong to be effective! - but that depends so much on the horse's schooling and level of responsiveness/forwardness and is not just about the ability of the rider. The problem with many riding school horses is that due to being ridden by so many beginners they become quite dead to the leg and subtle leg aids simply do not work. You might find a more forward-going horse doesn't require so much effort from you to keep going, but as carthorse pointed out that would not necessarily be a good idea, particularly if, as you say, you can't keep your legs still. Ultimately it is important to be on a horse that's safe for you - ie. suitable for both your ability and in view of your physical limitations - so I would tend to agree with the plan of trying to find ways to make him more responsive, rather than going for a horse that is potentially going to bomb off with you because your legs don't stay still! Should you ride something that turns out to be too much / ends up scaring you then you may well learn that the grass really is always greener on the other side

But really like Silvia said it's important that you stop comparing yourself to other people and letting it get you down. For a start, you have health problems that they probably do not, which may naturally make your progress a bit slower but doesn't mean that you aren't capable of achieving the same things in the longer term. Learning to ride is not a race, it's far more important that you are happy with the improvements that you make at whatever speed you make them, and enjoying yourself while you do it! I'd been riding for about 10 years - and having a thoroughly good time - before I started working for a professional rider and found out that I really couldn't ride at all

My friend has EDS and has these special stirrup leathers and stirrups designed to give stability to weak legs. I have messaged her asking for the name of them so will share that when she gets back to me. They might be an option for you.
Edit - they are called K'vall stirrups

 

[laurenmeylerxx]

Hi, welcome to NR

Do you suffer with a specific disability that effects muscle strength? Many of us jest that when you start riding you use muscles you never knew you had riding uses your body in ways you don't normally, so it can take a really long time to build up those muscles, to be able to keep that canter going and stop having jelly legs

As you get to ride the same horse twice a week it's perhaps more useful to focus on improving his response to light aids, than on making your aids stronger; What cues are you currently using? how light in the hand is he? how often is he 'allowed' to ignore an aid? being very consistent with expectations is probably the biggest thing you can do to help improve response, Do you currently ride with a whip? correct use of a whip to back up your aids can certainly help get a horse responding to lighter aids.

Thanks for getting back to me. I have a connective tissue disorder called ehlers Danlos syndrome. He gets away with a lot because he’s on a riding school. However he’s coming of it in the summer so hoping I can get him listening and more willing to work. I use a schooling whip which does make him more responsive but he is just very lazy. X

 

[laurenmeylerxx]

Tricky one. If it was just strength to give leg aids I'd say ask for a more responsive horse - imo nothing should need constant kicking to keep it in a pace anyway, but that's a different argument. However if you lack the strength to keep your legs still that's a different issue & may be a disaster with a more responsive or forward horse who'd take every wobble as an aid.

The cob you loan could be trained to work from voice aids &/or rein aids. You may need some help to do it but if you're planning on keeoing him a while it could be worth it & you could then have your lessons on him. Again it may be easier to train a more forward horse, but under the circumstances a slightly lazy one is probably safer.

One other question for you to consider. Are you steady enough in the saddle that you allow the horse to do as you ask? If you're generally flopping around in the saddle then you make life hard for he horse as he constantly has to compensate for your lack of balance which will in turn slow him down. Can you work on your core strength & stability?

Thanks for your reply. I’m actually very stable in the saddle lol just very floppy in the legs. Voice training is an excellent idea. I will definitely look into that. I hope it’s something time will help but I just get a little frustrated. Thank you for the suggestions x

 

[laurenmeylerxx]

Have you thought about trying the RDA (if you are in the UK). They cater for a wide range of riders and will potentially understand your needs better than some other schools. For instance the one I went too had a rider who was very weak in one side and for her they had a sort of handle that the reins attached to so she could ride dressage one handed.

Funny you say that I have just been in touch with a local rda centre and I’m going to be riding with them once a month to help give me some pointers to apply with my loan x

 

[laurenmeylerxx]

You do not need strong legs to give effective leg aids - and leg aids do not have to be strong to be effective! - but that depends so much on the horse's schooling and level of responsiveness/forwardness and is not just about the ability of the rider. The problem with many riding school horses is that due to being ridden by so many beginners they become quite dead to the leg and subtle leg aids simply do not work. You might find a more forward-going horse doesn't require so much effort from you to keep going, but as carthorse pointed out that would not necessarily be a good idea, particularly if, as you say, you can't keep your legs still. Ultimately it is important to be on a horse that's safe for you - ie. suitable for both your ability and in view of your physical limitations - so I would tend to agree with the plan of trying to find ways to make him more responsive, rather than going for a horse that is potentially going to bomb off with you because your legs don't stay still! Should you ride something that turns out to be too much / ends up scaring you then you may well learn that the grass really is always greener on the other side

But really like Silvia said it's important that you stop comparing yourself to other people and letting it get you down. For a start, you have health problems that they probably do not, which may naturally make your progress a bit slower but doesn't mean that you aren't capable of achieving the same things in the longer term. Learning to ride is not a race, it's far more important that you are happy with the improvements that you make at whatever speed you make them, and enjoying yourself while you do it! I'd been riding for about 10 years - and having a thoroughly good time - before I started working for a professional rider and found out that I really couldn't ride at all

My friend has EDS and has these special stirrup leathers and stirrups designed to give stability to weak legs. I have messaged her asking for the name of them so will share that when she gets back to me. They might be an option for you.
Edit - they are called K'vall stirrups

Thank you for this. It’s really helped. I will look into the stirrups as I suffer with EDS. Thanks again x

 

[ReturneeRider]

I have early-onset arthritis, plus other disabilities that affect my co-ordination. Strength isn't an issue, but joint pain and coordinating my various limbs is. One thing that makes a massive difference to me is having the right tack. See what your local RDA recommends - they were very helpful in identifying the tack that would allow me to be most comfortable. There is also customised/adapted tack out there, if you need it.

As for comparing yourself to others, I struggle with this, especially when it comes to things like tacking up. My coordination problems and arthritis make undoing a simple buckle or heaving a saddle back onto its rack very difficult, and as I don't use a wheelchair or have a massive sign on my back reading DISABLED, some people seem to assume that I'm just careless or clueless. I've been on the receiving end of some unkind judgemental behaviour in my time. This stings a bit, and it sometimes makes me want to be brilliant on horseback just to make up for my clumsiness and slowness on the ground. This is when I remind myself that riding is ultimately a partnership between me and the horse - if I'm learning something, the horse is learning something, and we're happy and healthy, then it doesn't matter what other people think of me or how I compare to them in terms of capability. : )

 

[newforest]

A good voice and a schooling whip.

It's the horses job to keep going Imo, not yours to keep having to remind them.
Saying that mine is the type that you do need to say, and keep going round the bottom and yes the other long side!
Its just a gentle nudge from my inner leg. (which is great as I can't get my foot anywhere near her unless I dislocate my hips!)

A dressage saddle with decent knee rolls may help your body develop muscle memory. A little more weight in the stirrups perhaps.
A private lesson on the lunge where you focus on your position and someone else gets the transition. Some time without stirrups and let your legs just be. Swing them around, do legs away, you may find they don't move as much as you think afterwards.
Maybe going up a hole. Mine is more forwards with just the one hole up, I tried dropping and she stops. But she is very sensitive to weight.
Walk to canter may help your balance if you are finding the actual transition itself hard to sit, balance and give the aids on something that probably is just trotting on.
Asking away from home at say B or E so you get a steady canter capable of carrying on towards home. As oppose to a fast unbalanced but we've got it one that can't balance to turn at the other end and has to trot.