# achy muscles



## poultrygirl (Sep 11, 2010)

Been there! I use to get so sore it was hard to walk due to my lower back being so stiff. I still get giant bruises on my butt from long rides, but it's worth it. And its not as painful as it use to be, as my seat improves. Regardless, my knees still hurt when I get off (but at least I can post now.)

Just hang in there  My sore butt has been from a western saddle..english would be even worse! It'll get better! You'll be back to position in no time! Your muscles have memory!


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## Jess Angela (Jun 24, 2011)

Have you tried a mineral bath soak? Usually that and a massage work for me. Even after 15 years riding I still manage to find muscles I didnt know I had!


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## serafina (May 5, 2011)

+1 on the mineral soak... also, you might consider doing quad stretches and yoga's "pigeon pose". That yoga pose is something I think everyone who rides in an English saddle should do, like maybe 5 times a day.  It really stretches out the bits that get worked hard in the saddle - including all of those weird little muscles that don't seem to get used for *anything* other than riding.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Faye, 
I seem to remember you had some other physical issues, was it disks in your back? Something that caused you pain while riding. I salute you for your courage to ride in the face of pain.

I know that some horses make me soreer than others. If they have big movement, or if the saddle doesn't fit ME. I still get charly horses in my inner thigh after a day of vigorous riding.


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## Jess Angela (Jun 24, 2011)

Serafina- Im going to try that pigeon pose! Thanks for the idea!


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## faye (Oct 13, 2010)

Yes I have 2 crushed discs in my lower spine, they only actulay play up when I'm riding the horse and I've learnt to ignore it, get off the horse and the pain goes away, it is worse with a wide horse. Yoga is out of the question as that realy does hurt my back.

Have tried the muscle soak, I spent a couple of hours in a realy hot bath with some Radox last night. It helped but I'm still walking like john wayne today.

I havent ridden since christmas for the simple reason that I havent had a horse to ride and I HATE riding riding school ponies as I tend to get NOTHING from lessons on them (or certainly the ones round here). I lost stan in August last year but my friend had a dressage horse that she let me play with regularly and I used to ride a huge black section D show horse for someone else. the dressage unfortunatly was PTS in december due to a tumor and the Section D had ringbone which degenerated to the point he is too lame to ride. 

This dressage horse I rode yesterday is a replacement for the one who was PTS, it has taken 6 months to find something suitable. She picked him up last week and I had great fun taking him out for a hack and playing for a little bit in the school.


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## EmilyandNikki (Sep 7, 2010)

I like baths and ice cold gel for the most hurting


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## Farleyv (May 17, 2011)

About the first two weeks riding again, my lower back was agony! It would show up an hour or so after riding.

I just waited it out, and all of a sudden the pain disappeared.

I can't say that will happen to you, but something changed:? I dont know what!


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## commonfish (Jan 2, 2011)

Plain old Epson Salt will work wonders on sore muscles too. My instructor swears by it, and I usually find that it takes most of the soreness out of a pulled or "new" muscle, but bruises and such it doesn't do so much for.


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