# my leg & hip pain when I ride



## barrelsnbeads

Hello! I am brand new here & hope that maybe someone on here will be able to give me some advice. I am a barrel racer(when my body allows me to anyway). When I get on my horse I have a heck of a time swinging my right leg over to get on the horse & once I am there it really hurts. I always stretch & walk quite a bit before I get on to try to alleviate the pain but this does not work very well at all. some days are better than others but I never have a pain free day of riding & it does not seem to matter if I ride every day or take alot of time off between rides. yes, I have been to numerous doctors & have tried just about everything under the sun for my pain. the pain is mostly in my thighs, buttocks and has just started on the outside of my knees too. Both sides of my body hurt the same.

I sure hope that no one else out there has my pain but if you do, what have you been able to do for it? thanks so much & I look forward to being on here with all of you other horse lovers.


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## kevinshorses

I don't have it to the degree that you do but I have problems with my hips rather I ride or not. I feel much better after a visit to the chiro and everything is nice and aligned. You've probably tried that. Also you may want to make sure your riding in pants with a lot of room in the hips. I once had a pair of levi jeans and if I wore them to ride it was misery because there was no room for my hips to spread. 

I hope you find some way to ride with less pain.


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## Kiviknon

This may sound crazy, but have you gone to a doctor?


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## kevinshorses

This may sound rude but did you read more than the heading?


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## bsms

Sorry to hear about your pain. A few months after I started riding, I took a tumble back first on some rocks, and I've had pain every time I've ridden or jogged for the last 3 1/2 years. I did a few months of physical therapy, but they recommended a program of a year or more, which I felt was soaking the insurance company so I turned it down.

Here are things I can think of, although it may be none of them will help:

Try a different saddle. The Aussie-style saddle I normally use is more inverted V shape than inverted U like the western saddle we own. I find it allows me to hang my legs down straighter without pull. Maybe a different saddle would fit your hips better.

Try a different event. 

Don't stretch. I used to stretch before jogging, but I found I hurt less when I skip the stretching and just jog gently for the first 1/2 mile. When stretching, it is very easy to stretch the wrong spot, or to loosen something that is better off tight. I'd try skipping the stretching, and just ride gently at the start - maybe 5 min walking, 5 min of walking with lots of turns, then 5 min of light jogging.

Maybe try a different horse. Some of the horses I rode when taking lessons had backs like table tops. The Arabians I own are fairly narrow, and my legs hang down straighter on them than on most lesson horses.

Like I said, I've been riding with pain for years, but in my case it is getting better. You might also try some cross training, like bicycle riding or LIGHT jogging.


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## tinyliny

Off hand, that sounds like a nerve related problem. Did any of the doctors have you do an MRI to check out your spine? Have you ever tried a course of steroids? ( I hate steroids and would not recomment them lightly. But if there is bad inflammation around the area where a nerve exits the spinal column., this can be one part of treatment. Not to be done and redone and redone. but 5 or 6 days and them off . Well, the docs will tell you how to do it.)


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## kait18

if its not a nerve or muscle problem it could be a saddle fit problem...just throwing it out there. it happened to my sister who was 16. she did barrels and almost anything under the sun. and eventually her hips, butt, thighs and knees hurt. doctors ruled out nerve and muscle problems. 
so she went looking into other things to find out why it was happening. she eventually switched saddles to a saddle with a smaller crotch area that was designed for women riders. not even a month later the pain was slowly getting better when she was riding and eventually stopped altogether in and out of saddle. the barrel saddle and another saddle at the time were designed for men and it caused problems in her hip and leg movement which we think caused some sort of muscle irritation. she is 18 now and swears by getting a saddle designed for your sex and it has helped her tremendously.
i hope you find something that will take away the pain. that is never fun!!! feel better soon


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## Remington22

when i start riding it was about 10 years ago i was quite young at that time it was really paining but day by day i m use to now if is there any joint dislocating problem u must go to the physical therapist......


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## Radar Star Stables

they did an X ray of my back at the chiro and told me that my spine between my shoulders was slightly crooked and that i had minor scoliosis in my lower back and it made my tail bone protrude out some and also my pelvis is shifted. the right side of my pelvis is lower that my left so when i ride one stirrup is lower than the other. i close my eyes when i adjust my stirrups and feel it even up. it helps but i will never ride pain free and it will get worse as i get older. my doctor said that all of those factors put together are wearing on my hips especially my right one and said in about 15 to 20 years i will need a hip replacement...im 23 years old. all i can say is when i gain weight it hurts worse. also ive heard alot of good things about Cetyl M joint supplement. they make it for horses, humans, and dogs. i havent tried it yet because its expensive. im going to though because the pain often hinders my exercise and like i said weight affects it alot so its best to not let yourself get out of shape.


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