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What to do when riding causes you pain?; sigh...
Topic Started: May 15 2007, 05:39 PM (323 Views)
Fish Cheeks
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I've had chronic back pain for the past few years. I've been to chiro, acupuncture, massage, and now physical therapy. The PT has been the best so far and I was doing REALLY well until last week. I rode Miles out on the trail (which I frequently do, so nothing unusual), but afterwards, my back was killing me and I feel like I'm back to square one.

Today I rode him in my jumping saddle. And now I know. Miles is the source of the pain in my back! :brickwall: He's hi/low and uneven through the shoulders. The jumping saddle (which I hadn't been riding him in for a loooong time before today) sits very far to the right on him and makes me tweak my back in order to get "balanced" (which I'm really not). I have to drop my stirrups so that I can ride without pain.

I've been talking to my farrier about it, and I think he's doing a good job with his feet. Looking at his knees, they are level, but his musculature is so out of whack that the saddle isn't centered on him.

I am going to pick up a treeless saddle tomorrow to try on him. I've actually tried one on him that I felt very balanced in, but it wasn't comfortable for me when posting (pommel was too big and hit me in the thighs). When I ride him bareback, my balance isn't a problem and it doesn't hurt my back and we actually do quite well together. That's fine for schooling at home, but I'd like a saddle for long rides on the trails.

Has anyone had a horse that caused them pain? Did you ride through it? Were you able to solve it? Did you sell the horse? Miles isn't and won't be for sale, but it is depressing to have it hurt me so much! Mr. Fishy suggests just sticking to trail riding with him and skipping the arena work altogether.

:sigh:
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Dancinglite
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Fish Cheeks
May 15 2007, 08:39 PM
I've had chronic back pain for the past few years. I've been to chiro, acupuncture, massage, and now physical therapy.

Has anyone had a horse that caused them pain? Did you ride through it? Were you able to solve it? Did you sell the horse? Miles isn't and won't be for sale, but it is depressing to have it hurt me so much! Mr. Fishy suggests just sticking to trail riding with him and skipping the arena work altogether.

:sigh:

Yup been through all that and still no relief.

Does my boy cause me pain...yes and no. I find that he makes me move when I ride so exercises the back muscles. They get very stiff when I either stand too long, sit too long or adapt any position too long. ( BTW...too long is more than 45 minutes.)

Problems of getting old but I have also had back problems for over 20 years. groan!

It is my guys bounce that kills my back. I try to sit back and deep but usually inwardly grimmace when I do. I try to do the easier work like canter or walk rather than sit trot. And no I will never sell him but I have shortened my rides to no more than 40 minutes, which is all my back can take now.
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OpticalIllusion
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I find that if Im not actively doing something (trotting, cantering, bending, etc) that my back starts to get soar. I can not just sit on my horse because I loose my posture. I can usually ride several in a row (about 25 minutes each) without feeling any pain as long as I never really stop to slow down. If I sit to take a break, thats pretty much the end for me. All my muscles start to tighten up. Its also alot harder for me to ride western now because my butt never leaves the saddle so my back is absorbing a lot of shock. If Im going to ride western, I start with a lot of aleve first.
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DairyQueen2049
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DRAGON BREATH. DRAGGIN' BUTT
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Weeeellll, I had knee issues .....

till I got a gaited horse.

And then I discovered that I had also had back issues with the QH. I've found the gaiteds help me in ways I had no idea I had problems.

I kept my old QH till she passed, and plan to do the same with this TWH.
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SnackPack
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I've had back issues since I was 15 and got left behind REALLY badly at a jump. Whipped back hard, but continued the lesson...in tears. By the time we were done, I could hardly get off the horse...and crumpled to the ground when I finally did. I had to crawl into the barn and my friends had to take care of the horse. Since that time, I've had issues, although I haven't had my back "go out" for many, many years.

I do have certain horses that hurt my back. One that hurts it enough with his canter that I won't sit on him. I almost always two-point the canter on him so I can control the tweaking my back gets. But for the most part, I don't have a problem.

What I do experience is bad beds that make riding almost impossible. If my lower back is sore at all...I just cannot ride well. One bed where I housesite has me in knots in about 2 days. I'm to the point that I bring an air mattress so I don't have to sleep on that bed.

I hope you figure something out for Miles.

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Fish Cheeks
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I've heard about gaited horses...tell me, how did you learn to ride one? Is it hard, did you take lessons? How did you know what to do!?

My mom never told me that getting older would hurt my body so much! :jaw:

I tried a treeless saddle yesterday that was wonderful. It was the first time that my back felt BETTER after a ride! I'm looking forward to riding in it during the trial period for the next couple of weeks. If I like it, then I'll probably put my dressage saddle up for sale!
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Big Day
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Ok, George Morris would kill me for this one, but have you tried the Herm Sprenger 4-way stirrups? I find that their "give" helps with back and knee pain. Maybe it's just me. I know there are a lot of opinions on them, but I have personally found they help relieve my riding pain.

A woman at my barn has rheumatoid arthritis and her back is in constant pain. She owns a gaited horse and says that riding him has helped her strengthen her back and when she doesn't ride it gets worse.
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JointVenture
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I have chronic back problems from several herniated discs in my lumbar spine and one that is very thinned. I suffered pain daily UNTIL I started riding again. It's funny, because I was concerned that my back wouldn't hold up under the stress of riding and the opposite proved to be true. Now, if I go more than 4 days without riding, the pain returns. I chalk it up to strengthening my core muscles. Still, sitting trot can be painful. One of these days I'll have to 'fess up to my trainer about that. I don't want to sound like I'm trying to worm my way out of work. :innocent:

I hope the treeless saddle gives you some relief. Has anyone tried the "tempur pedic" saddle pads? That might be a "two-fer" in that it might be a good thing for both your horse's back and yours. They don't claim to reduce shock for the rider, but it seems logical that it might help? :huh:

http://www.equipedic.com/English_Pad.htm
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gracetw22
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I get muscle spasms, which are fairly common among riders. My 550 mg naproxen that I actually got for cramps works wrll on the bad episodes (usually when my crumpled tailbone is hollering in conjunction), andf otherwise I just pop 4 tylenol. Have you tried the tylenol double dose before you get up? They key is to keep it from starting.
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Kikki
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I have bad problems with my back. I have Spondylolisthesis and so riding can really cause a lot of problems. But the pain in my back is very much related to the horse I am on. Unfortunately my BIGGGG LLLOOONNNNGGGGG horse hurts my back a lot. I can be trotting around, not doing anything difficult, and all of the sudden get a very sharp pain in my back which leads to muscle spasms that can have me on my heating pad for the rest of the day (and night - I even have to sleep with it at times). But, I just push through it and deal. But it can be a real problem when I have to spend the rest of my time with a heating pad around my waist and popping Advil all the time. But I go through periods were it doesn't bother me in the least. Go figure.
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