uneven weight distribution when riding

[phoenix21]

hi,
hoping someone may be able to suggest some exercises to improve my riding position. i suffer from lower back pain on and off and the pain also runs down my right leg, resulting in me putting more weight on my left leg when walking. presently my back is about 90% ok, but when i am riding, i seem to put more weight into my left stirrup resulting in me feeling unbalanced especially in canter and my saddle tends to slip to the left. I work at a riding centre where i take hacks out every day so apart from the odd lesson i have only been hacking every day for the past 3 years so i am limited to things i can do whilst riding out to help this. i also have problems feeling if me stirrups are even which i never had before i started getting a bad back about a year ago.
feel like i cant ride anymore! i dont want to imbalance the horse or cause them problems, would it help if i visited an osteopath, would this affect how i sit in the saddle?

thanks x

edited: sorry this might be better in another section of the forum...feel free to move it if necessary!

 

[kayjayhorses]

Have you ever investigated the cause of your bad back?
Do you warm up your muscles before you ride, maybe stretching and warming up your back muscles might prepare them before you get on?
Does this happen with every horse you ride or do you only ride one horse?
Do you find that you're turning around alot to look back at the ride?

 

[Jessey]

Have you had a diagnosis from a doctor as to what is happening in your back/leg, if not I would start there If you have then depending on what it is it may be worth you visiting a massage therapist, osteo, physio or chiro, they all do slightly different things but yes all of them could effect how you ride.

As for you inbalance I would suggest something like pilates might help as they help to develop all of your core (trunk) muscles evenly and this would help you generally be more level. I would also try riding without stirrups as much as possible, this forces you to ride from your seat and not rely/lean on your stirrups which obviously is what you are doing. When you lean on a stirrup its quite hard to tell but when you have to sit from your seat you will feel if you are sttting unevenly very quickly as you will start to slide off

J x

 

[phoenix21]

no ive never had my back looked at...to be honest when it was extremely bad i was living by myself couldnt get to the doctors, and when its not too bad am one of them people who never go to the doctors unless i am dying! lol
my mum often has a bad back and when i get round to it i hope to go to the osteopath she goes to as he is also a doctor and doesnt make you go back for a lot of follow up appointments (and get more money out of you!)

i do look back at the ride occasionally but maybe only once on the canters, and i turn to my left.

i do nothing to prepare muscles before i ride (no time!) but usually have walked treks for about an hour before i ride.

is beginning to happen with most horses actually, ones with comfier saddles are better and seem to balance me better. doesnt help that some of the saddles have odd stirrup leathers so sometimes never completely even. the saddle seems to feel like its slipping with most though.

thanks for the help btw!!

i think no stirrups would help, its just really hard to get the time when i am hacking all the time, hopefully when work is quieter there will be some time to practise in the school. had some practise racing up the field bareback lol, but seriously i think i maybe should book some lessons do you think? hacking seems to make me lazy in my riding as well, and prehaps i should go back to basics.

 

[kayjayhorses]

I know you may not have the time but maybe you should get it looked at first, really you shouldn't be having any discomfort whilst hacking and having lessons might aggrevate it more. I think most people are the same things get put off until its really necessary, once you know what the issue it with your back he might have suggestions for you and you'll be on the road to recovery in no time, if you put it off then you be suffering for a lot longer! I promise I wasn't wanging my finger at you like a parent as I was typing this

 

[Jessey]

What you are saying about your pain just sounds very like my OH has, his is siatica, not saying yours is but definatly get it checked out, and soon

Why can't you do no stirrups out hacking?, so long as you are on a pretty good horse just do it during walk sections for just a minute or two each ride.

I would also say when ever you turn to check the ride try to turn to the right, which ever way you turn you will put more weight so that won't help, also you will find you stretch muscles on that side but not the stiff side which will only make you more one sided.

Osteo sounds like a plan, go on......pick up that phone I am also the slowest person to get to the Docs etc, thankfully my mum is a massage therapist so she will work on the muscles but I also have deeper problems that I should have gone to a chiro for months ago but haven't yet, been too busy riding etc

J x

 

[LMS]

Hi Pheonix,
I too suffer from lower back pain. With me it's genetic (runs on my father's side).
At the age of 14, I began suffering very bad back pain with excrutiating pain down both legs (sciatic nerve). It was so bad I couldn't feel parts of my legs & felt a cold sensation.
First doctor said they were only growing pains. My mother being a RN didn't believe him & promptly switched doctor who took the time to investigate.

Luckily here in Ontario we have a health plan & most medical inquiries are covered by the province.

In a nut shell, my lower back pain was caused by weak lower back & abs which causes the vertebraes to become misaligned & push the nucleus out which pressed against the sciatic nerves. I've been doing physio ever since then.

Every 5 years I have to go for a reasessment because of body changes as I mature.

Now, the pain is different but I have had to go for a spine stretch and then a realignment at one point (after had kids) then once a year for a couple more years. What a difference that made! I would strongly recommend a realignment in conjunction with physio. Beware though of chiropractors that will want to see you more than 3 consecutive visits. If that becomes the case, what they're doing is not helping you.

At my last reasessment, we found out my lower back was fusing & that I have scoliosis (again this runs on my father's side). I really have to focus on strengthening the core muscles (so yes pilates will help like Jessey suggested) & stretching.

Do you spend a lot of time on your feet? Also, spending a lot of time sitting is just as bad. During the day, take a few minutes to stretch your lower back, such as knee hugs, think about breathing & relaxing the muscles. Another is: imagine pushing your belly button to touch your spine. These only take 5-10 min & can be done standing near a wall (balance), sitting (can even do it in your car) or lying down. Do a count of 5sec & repeat 5X.

It's a shame I can't show you excercises that I've been taught over the years (going on 24yrs now) on how to cope with this ailment. Unfortunatly this is not something I can describe over the computer. I'm not that eloquent & wouldn't want you to get hurt.

Too much exercises without stirrups may not be good as you will tense up, so be careful. If you have a good moving horse (foreward & lateral movement) think of relaxing your lower back & let the horse's movement move your pelvic area, breathe in & out & do warm up exercises slowly. This can be done in the first 10 min of your ride as the horse walks out to warm up.

 

[phoenix21]

i can ride with out stirups at the back of a ride but when i am at the front of the ride with customers behind me i cant really much...and am usually up front. the boss doesnt like us to ride without stirrups as it doesnt look good in front of the customers or some other reason i have no idea but will try when i can.

i am on my feet most of the day. at work i walk for about 2hrs or more a day and ride for about 1hr to 2 hrs a day, and also walk our dogs on top of that so pretty active. i dont sit down much at all except for an hour or so here and there on the computer in the evening or my day off (like today) or watching tv for a few hours at night.

the osteopath my mum goes to i think will be best as he says that he only needs to do an initial assessment then a follow up appointment and after that things should be ok for a year or more. i'll let you know how i do there when i get there!

will try some of those exercises you have mentioned LMS thanks very much.

 

[Belle1]

A good osteopath would definitely help a lot. I have a spine which curves in an s-shape viewed from behind, and also twists from front to back so that my right hip is carried further forwards than my left. On top of that my pelvis is tilted one way and my shoulders the other so a bit of a mess really
I went to see an osteopath and although I will never be totally straight I am already sitting much straighter than I was after just 2 visits, and I am more mobile.