Rider Discomfort - Advice please!

D

dubgirl

New Member
Oct 17, 2005
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Hi Everyone! I've just joined and I am really impressed with this site. I wonder if anyone can help me. I really do apologise if this seems a little bit of an odd question ....basically I am in pain!! I am too afraid to ask anyone else I go horseriding with because it is embarassing, but does anybody here ever suffer from discomfort in more discreet areas? (I don't know how else to put it, I am sorry)
I have tried 'Dressage briefs' from Equetech but I am still suffering from discomfort. Is it the way I am actually sitting in the saddle? It is obviously worse when we practice without stirrups but even doing jumping courses sometimes I find the same problem.

Any help would be much appreciated, or suggestions!! Again I am sorry if I have embarassed anyone asking this....it seems daft, but unfortunately it is a very real problem week after week. Thanks!
 
Hrm, you know I had about two months where I had pain in 'that area' ;) I later found out it was because at the sitting trot and the canter, I would put too much weight in the seat, combined with the movement of the horse gave me a very sore lower area.

Try going around in two point for a while and see if the problem lessens, and then go into full seat but be light in the saddle...think of something lifiting you're upper body up so that you arent' slumping and putting even more weight on your hips and groin area
 
I could be the saddle! There were certain saddles at my old riding school that ripped and rubbed skin from places where skin really shouldn't be ripped and rubbed :eek: It didn't matter what form of underpinnings I used (tried the lot) certain saddles would leave me in agony (I found that dressage saddles tended to be *kinder* than the GPs).

My advice would be to get a seatbone saver, my personal recommendation would be the Heather Moffett one, a bit on the expensive side but very durable, dressage legal and very comfortable. You can feel a bit 'perched' at first but once it warms up and moulds it's gorgeous :)
 
I had the problem with certain saddles at the riding school, as did some other women I knew there. Seatbone saver was the cure !!
 
It all depends on, how do I put this, if the pain is in your 'front bottom' or your actual bum cheeks! If it is the former there is a possibility you are riding on your 'forks' rather than your seat (tipping forwards), if this is the case you need to find your seatbones and make sure these are actually in the saddle, your instructor should be able to help. This should keep your bits out of harms way. If its your bum, its your saddle rubbing and you will need a seat saver. Exercise riding point to pointers in a racing saddle actually rubbed holes in my back side just in walk! They took ages to heal as I opened them up again every day.
 
Oh I had wanted to post this about 6 months ago!! I found it was partly my saddle and partly my seat. I tended to sit forward and it made me really sore but with sorting out my legs it made me sit back and it has helped!!

Although with the bl**dy lessons I am having at the mo (1hour of sitting with no stirrups :mad: ) I am getting back to square one...I swear I will remain childless for the rest of my life at this rate!!!

S x
 
Snort - I've heard this referred to as dressage crotch :D (am I allowed to post that?!) I wouldn't be embarrassed - lots of riders have had similar problems.

Are you riding in jeans? I have tried that on occasion & it causes me enormous discomfort & chafing in places that just shouldn't be chafed :eek: Most are made with seams in places that just are painful, esp if you are doing sitting trot :mad: If you are, I suggest you switch to breeches or riding tights.

If already wearing breeches, you should check a tack catalog (dressage ones especially), you can usually find a product designed to ah, provide some protection in this area (glide I think its called). Desitin after the fact helps immensely as well.

Also recommend you check your local bike shop - they usually have creams, balms, etc for sale there as well as bicylists frequently suffer from the same problem.
 
May i also recommend a decent bikini wax

i didnt realise until i had one done for holiday how much it makes the pain much better as there is no ...erm...hair getting pulled?

I also found that the heather moffett really helps you to sit back on your seatbones and get a better position, even when you take it off. if anything, mu instructor says i sit too far back now :)
 
Heather Moffett seat saver - brilliant! Some saddles do still manage to be evil even with one of those attached though. Never had problems with any of my own saddles but some riding school ones I've sat on have been evil. Some makes of jods do seem to be designed to do damage as well so might be worth trying different ones.
 
It happens to us all from time to time :eek: if you get sore at the front try to imagine that you are trying to sit on your back pockets a bit more, curling you hips under you, this should lift the pressure from the sore bits, if its you seat bones that are sore I would have to agree about a seat saver, if you don't want to spend a fortune there are some cheap fake fur ones that will help until you can afford the good 'uns, its good as you can just put them on any saddle any time.
Oh and I found the riding undies useless, I much prefer sloggi's invisible range, they are really stretchy, fine material and the don't 'bunch up' anywhere to cause painfull bits :D
Good Luck
 
As others have said, it's most likly to be the saddle - the older saddles at most riding schools have a high, hard pommel and are difficult not to get rubbed on. I never have the problem with my new, low pommeled cob saddles, but do still occasioanally on the riding schools older TB saddles. :eek: :rolleyes:

A seat bone saver will solve almost all your problems, as will wearing sensible knickers that won't ride up (i.e not a thong ;) ), Once you learn to sit well in any saddle, that will help too.

The heather moffat seatbone savers are not too expensive and you can get them even cheaper on ebay. It'll last you years and you put it on any saddle you ride in. The gel seat savers are nowhere near as good.

ebay here

here
 
Another vote for a seat saver here! I don't get sore at the front but I am cursed with a bony butt which means that on harder leather saddles I actually bruise when sitting on my seat properly (even OH winced last time it happened). I also have an odd coccyx (apparently it's known as a vestigial tail) which means that I have an extra vertebrae or two; it rubs raw when riding bareback and has been known to happen on certain saddles too. Very ouchy. I've never found riding underwear effective at all to be honest.
 
I actually find riding in a thong solves the problem for me (only cotton ones, nothing patterned or lacey, got some plain cottons ones from Matalans) I find the underwear then actually moves with me rather than me move within my underwear which causes the soreness (hope that makes sense)
I bought proper riding underwear = no good
I bought dressage underwear = no good

Its so horrible when it happens, everytime I try normal briefs it causes the problem but when I use thongs I get zero discomfort.
 
Oh goody, I get to pass along some trivia knowledge from the 4 day conference I've just attended!
This is from master saddler Schleese: did you know that english saddles are mainly built for male riders? The twist or tree (can't perfectly remember right now as I'm in information overload :p ) is narrower because males have narrower seat bones.
Women have wider seat bones for child bearing therefore when we sit in these saddles there's pressure in various "there" spots.
Depending on where the deepest part of the saddle is & your conformation, the saddle will put you in a position and if it's not the fit, you end up "fighting" the position in order to stay in a correct position.

So, from what you're describing, the saddle you are riding in is not suited for you.

What is so cool though is that Schleese makes saddles with a gel cushions where the crotch touches for comfort (I guess the same as a good running or walking shoe with gel or air cushions in the heels). They put it in their dressage saddles.

So, I guess someone should have a good look at how the saddle is sitting on the horse and determine the width of the tree/twist. Putting a gel seat saver in the interim would be a good "band aid" solution for now.

LMS
 
Thanks!

Thanks everyone for all your help! I am going to give some of these ideas I try...I agree with what you said about the specific 'dressage' underwear. It doesn't seem to help. If anything it has made my problem worse.

Also, from reading your advice, I really do think I have to watch my position. One of my worst habits is not having my shoulders back, so I suspect I am not sitting on my seat bones correctly. Will get my instructor to take a sharp look next week!

Thanks so much everyone! Looking forward to chatting more often! :)
 
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