Lopsided and lower leg issues

Dannii5691

Dannii5691

Owned by Ponies!
Nov 16, 2009
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major plea for help here! longgggg post!

I adore my new saddle. I really do. But My riding is atrocious. I rode the other day and got off In tears of frustration. Im lop sided, I know this. The muscles in one side of my back are constantly tight, even after a good sports massage and because of this im crooked.
First day of riding my ankles on one side were agony. Second werent to bad but still bad. 3rd on a hack in straight lines we werent overly bad. But still not great.
Looking back, i know the problem. Im lop sided and wombles unbalanced and we both havent schooled for 18 months properly in a school. We mainly school on hacks - leg yielding etc. Im trying to compensate for both of us being unbalanced and putting all my weight in 1 stirrup going round corners and my saddle is slipping (tbf with 15 and a half stone in 1 stirrup ofcourse its going to slip) and then im trying to ride and my saddle isnt sitting central bla bla bla.

Last night we went on a hack (and took juney, much to her disgust) and before i set off i dropped my stirrups a hole and took the knee blocks off. Im used to riding in a dressage saddle so thought this might help and it did. During the hack we were sat central 80% of the time and then we went in the school on the way back and played about in trot and a little canter (still with june. Still to her disgust. ) and there was a defo improvement and and i felt more comfortable. This morning no achey ankles. The problem is i feel like im reaching for the stirrups in trot and cant get into a forward seat as they feel to long for that.
I have tried to ride with no srirrups but my weight still moves my saddle about if im really wobbily and tbh womble is to unpredictable atm to do it. Everything is still new and scary to him.
I have rang an instructor for help (midnight ashes from here) and shes coming to give me lessons but when she has some time.
Is this a muscle issue within my legs. Is it fixable

Any ideas. Suggestions. Words of encouragement.
 
I'm lop sided as well and I am sure I need some sort of work done on me to help improve. I have dropped my stirrups as I compensate with one leg and it was painful, but I know what you mean re reaching - I'm especially uncoordinated in canter and my legs flail about (or that's how it feels). I'm finding no stirrups work is helping - even the tiny little bit I'm doing in walk at the end of my hacks is making me think and feel my position more.
Another silly thing that is helping me, is riding in leggings rather than jods. They are thinner and it's weird but it makes me feel like I'm sitting deeper and closer to my horse.
As for saddle slippage, I know folk will say this shouldn't happen if the saddle is correctly fitted but gravity isn't something to be defied easily and if your womble has a thick skin like my rhino, I'd maybe try sewing some shelf liner to both sides of your numnah - my saddle fitter saw no with this. She said she wouldn't recommend it to a thin skinned tb, but then they have withers!
 
He is muscling up nicely which means his razor withers is no more! Hes developing more into a round cob hw cob that he is. And if you put that much pressure on one side of the saddle of course its going to move. Unfortunately being heavy sucks :( I will have a go at sewing that into one of our numnahs. Thanks for the idea!
Having no feeling in 1 leg defo doesnt help the reaching. He loves to shoot off at his driving cob trot pace and trying to coordinate my rising, heels down, sit centrally, slow pony, inside leg to outside hand bla bla bla I just fall to bits :')
Do you have normal stirrups or flexi stirrups fm?
 
I just have normal stirrups, I thought about changing as I had numbness in my ankles after about half an hour in the saddle but after dropping them a couple of holes, that's totally gone. Might be an idea to try though?
I'm now getting hip ache, and totally see what the likes of kis vihar and skib talked about from wide horses. Think it's because I'm now sitting deeper and don't have my legs as forward, so I'm just persevering with no stirrups to help my position a bit more.
As for the flopping about imbalanced while your horse motors on - practice - it will click back very quickly I promise and at the same time, maybe womble will calm it down a bit aswell. Flipo was doing his 'tank' in trot a few months ago and I ended up in foetal position bobbing about trying to cope and not actually riding with him. He was just fresh and wanted to canter all the time. Now I have my response better managed - I slow my rising immediately but at the same time go with him so that he slows himself really - I think it was about trust that it would happen. I'm sure MA will help with all of that coordination and stuff but practice and you'll be surprised how quickly you'll improve with subtle changes.
 
I would firstly find yourself a good physiotherapist and get some treatment, honestly mine has worked wonders for my crooked spine.
I only ever ride with flexi stirrups now as my knee's and ankles just can't cope for more than twenty minutes with normal stirrups so would definitely recommend them, also as FM said try leggings instead of johds, I love my kerrits breeches but leggings are fairly similar and massively cheaper. I agree they do make you feel 'deeper' in your seat somehow. Good luck and stop beating yourself up about it, I'm sure most of us are crooked, we had a conversation at my yard about it last night on how we all have our faults but everyone just accepts that it's 'normal' well on our yard at least.
 
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I have found physio really helps, massage alone isn't enough. I've just had my third session, and i'm a lot more flexible than I was just a week ago. Apparently your muscles over compensate when you've injured your back and can actually end up causing more pain in the process.
I have exercises to do every day, to maintain suppleness. My lopsidedness has actually improved immensely since starting physio, and i'm walking straighter. The horse tends to highlight our own issues by mirroring us.
 
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The more you ride, conscious of collapsing or being off balance it will help strengthen you also try out some therapists.

I have messed up knees and hips and broke my back 5 years ago and at one point my right hip would lock just getting off the sofa. I tried physio and chiro which helped a bit but I was going up to 3 times a week, then I met a naturopath who is a qualified osteopath (found her for the horses only to find she treats people mostly) and I haven't looked back, I go about once every 3 months for a tweek and feel 100% better than I used to and am generally much straighter and more flexible.

I find for faster work or more trotting I need my stirrups up to two holes shorter than for flat work schooling, if I start getting pain on a hack I might adjust the length once or twice in a ride to relieve it.
 
Flexi stirrups, I cant speak highly enough of them, my ankle and hip pain is so much better since getting my lovely stirrups, had to sell a pound of my flesh to afford them though, but well worth it.;) I am way beyond straightening up with physio or anything, however I am concentrating on doing my utmost to re tune my core muscles and this has helped me to get back to a lighter seat, and Dolly is going much better for it. TBh I dont think your weight is an issue Dannii - I have seen some very large riders with the most enviable light seat that probably bang about in the saddle far less than I do at nearly half their weight....but I am working on it. I wish I had an instructor near me, I would love to have a go at a few lessons to tweak me into a bit more shape to help Dolly carry me with as little hardship to herself as possible.:)
 
Everyone is one sided, horses and people alike.

I used to physically ache riding until I went to a yard with a BHS instructor who was hugely old fashioned but straightened me out in more ways than one riding.

I also don't think your weight has a bearing on it, but I do think that lessons are the way forward to correct it.

Really difficult to correct it yourself because you know it is there but you don't see it from the ground.
 
Thank you for your comments (especially those about my weight!) And you have given me much to think about. I will try and ride more positively, concrete on strengthening my core and may invest in some flexi stirrups (though my ankle is in a much better state today), they are on ebay rather cheap atm.

This morning I rode again, still with longer stirrups and still with no knee rolls, we had a big argument and there was bucking and he was genrally being a prick. He was really being difficult and not helped by the fact the school over looks his field and his friends all were having a jolly good time playing.
I did a little trotting and the arguments started so we stopped trot. Instead we worked on our walk without stirrups and cantering on the straight (we attempted corners but he zoomed round and i almost landed on the floor) in a light forward seat on both reins before attempting trot again.
We managed to do a full lap without me falling all over. Doesnt seem alot but im pleased as this is a step forward.

I have tried not worrying about him working correctly and in an outline but if I leave him to his own devices he zooms round corners and his trot isnt consistent and he tries to move up to canter or his more favoured driving cob trot. He also likes a firm contact over a soft one, almost as if im holding his hand. He gets unsettled if I just drop my reins and he has to think for himself.

Him working (and bending) correctly and infront of my leg and balanced helps me enormously however he isnt schooled enough to keep going and im not strong enough in my core and legs atm to keep him going.

Though a marginal teeny bit of progress is progress right. Im clinging on to it. Theres a dressage arena marked out in one of the fields. I may ask if I can ride in there as theres much more room for bigger circles and a nice long stretch I can work with.
Also the yard owner watched his epic tantrum and commented on my ability to ride him threw it. Though I must admit I may have used some profanity and threatened a trip to the superglue factory at the time
 
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Progress is definitly progress, the more you both work correctly, even if only for short periods the more you will build the correct muscles and it will get easier to maintain it. Sounds like he can really throw his weight around when he wants to, if he is very reliant on you to hold his hand all the time perhaps some confidance building exercises might help x
 
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Jessey said:
Sounds like he can really throw his weight around when he wants to, if he is very reliant on you to hold his hand all the time perhaps some confidance building exercises might help x
Click to expand...

He can defo throw his weight around, he likes to have temper tantrums when he doesnt get his own way, though he is also green as grass. He did 6 years in a cart and had his accident then had 2 off and I bought him. But hes only been broken a year or so and hasnt ever schooled. He likes to have fun! Loves to jump (not always very well) and he finds schooling hard. Hes coming in at almost 600kgs on the weight tape and is solid muscle. Pack that into a 13.2 cob whos sharper than a pin and it makes for a fun ride :oops::(

im clinging onto progress, going to go for a hack tonight to blow away the cobwebs instead of the school again. Or may ask if we can use the jumping field (we can do that as long as theres no tight turning involved)
 
Well about 575 on the weigh tape, give or take a bit. Id like to get dengie out to weigh him actually to see how far the tape is out. He does eat an extraordinate amount but if he has a stressy few days it drops off him. He gets a full to the brim net every 12 hours hes in of good quality hayledge, a large scoop of chaff with some mix and pony nuts in, another scoop of nuts in his play ball, a good glug of oil and hes on extremely rich grazing (june has gone from living out unmuzzled to out for 6 hours muzzled as shes put so much on from the grass)
Hes absolutely solid.
 
Lol Dannii, I would love to see him stood next to flip, two wee tanks together. From the photos you've shown I've never thought he was overweight, so my surprise is just how solid he must be for his height, if he is that sort of weight.
 
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He isnt your typical heavyweight coblet, as he is quite deceiving. But to ride him he is broad, 10" of bone, 9" wide saddle, I will get the tape out today and report back
 
WOW! whats his BSC like? that is a lot for a 13.2, I thought Jess was bad at 602kg (weighed weight) on a 15.1hh (BSC 3.5), out of interest she came in at 545kg on the weigh tape, definitly worth getting someone to weigh him.
 


About a 4ish. He has dropped a fair bit since we moved, he was so stressy it fell off him the first 4 days we moved to the new place. He looked like a hat rack. But hes putting it back on now and looks in good condition.
 
Id love dengie to come out (for the pony to id like them to twll me exactly what asbo lami pony should be getting) as if heard weigh tapes can be out a good 75 each way :eek: I may speak to the yard owner tonight and see if it would be something she would be interested in
 
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