# Why am I always sore?



## mmshiro (May 3, 2017)

I get "exercise tired" after every ride (so that often my knees buckle when I hop off the horse and hit the ground), but I don't get sore like someone would who's just starting an exercise regime (wake up the next morning in agony). By the time I took care of the horse and we're out grazing, my muscles have recovered.


----------



## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Sounds more to me you are sore from a saddle being to wide a twist for your anatomical frame...
Stirrups to long that you are constantly fighting your body for a pushed low heel...a heel only needs to be level for a safer seat and grounded balance point.

Certain medications also give muscle soreness as a side-effect....statins are one that I know {aka cholesterol meds}
If you are taking any medications, including herbs and such, all have side-effects of one kind or another you need to investigate.
:runninghorse2:...


----------



## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

No, no medications. I'm starting to wonder about the saddle width, too, although I've ridden in lots of different saddles and don't remember not getting sore in any of them. And the jumping saddle was advertised as having a narrow twist. I'm not sure about the dressage saddle, since I bought it used. Maybe it's because I'm always riding ponies or other wide-barreled horses?

@mmshiro thanks for clarifying the type of soreness. It *IS* the type like where you get really sore when starting a new exercise regime, because your muscles aren't used to it. I figured my muscles would be used to this by now...

Could I be inadvertently squeezing / gripping with my upper legs?


----------



## SteadyOn (Mar 5, 2017)

I found that if I supplemented with: calcium, magnesium, vitamin D (these three are usually available as a single pill), and a vitamin B complex in the evening after every time I rode, it reeeeeeeeeally helped recovery and I didn't feel anywhere near as sore. Something to maybe try!

Although, now that I've been riding consistently for the last four years -- after 16 years of no riding in my adult life -- I don't get sore anymore unless I'm doing something new and crazy. Or if I'm holding a lot of tension during my ride.


----------



## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

I think it's a combo of all of the above most likely. I'd just keep on playing around with different things.


----------



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Also, drink more water! after excersize, drink more water.


I ride about 3 times a week. I have sore knees, like @mmshiro, after the ride, for an hour, maybe, but I don't notice it much the next day. Rarely do I have carry over soreness, unless I do like a 4+ hour ride.


Do you walk some? that can also help loosen soreness. And, yes, you may be gripping and holding, which builds up a lot of lactic acid in the muscles, more than activating, and relaxing, over and over.


----------



## Kalraii (Jul 28, 2015)

Saddle can be a factor. My saddle is very comfy but some of the others i rode in every week I would come away ouch too. Some would even chafe. Try a seat saver and if that helps? They are relatively cheap as well. For me it's my ankles. I really have to go long or i even lose circulation. Breaking them 9 times total doesnt help. But i have to go short sometimes for reasons. The things we do to ourselves eh!!


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Yes, saddle can be a factor, but I think personal anatomy and position may play a part too. I know riders who are very fit (in ways not involving horses), yet who are sore after riding. On the other hand, I am not really that fit, and I can do pretty long rides without really being sore afterwards, and I only ride maybe once or twice a week these days. So yes, your position may be having an impact. Are you riding with a coach who can correct it? A seat saver may indeed help. And trying your stirrups at different lengths. 

One thing I cannot stand is a hard Western saddle. It kills my inner thighs (must be the twist). I've ridden in some really cheap, hard English saddles and was fine, but a bad Western saddle, I can't stand. So I do think the combination of saddle shape and body shape make a big difference.


----------



## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

Could be adrenaline. When it subsides, you are left with sore muscles. You might try alcohol before you ride...lol. A margarita.


----------



## AtokaGhosthorse (Oct 17, 2016)

I was constantly sore and exhausted the next two or three days when I first starting riding. It's taken 4 years for me to not regret my decision to ride the day before. I rarely get sore now, and if I do, it's because we did a loottttt of trotting on the trail and Trigger has a very rough, choppy trot, but I've started working hard on posting the trot, instead of trying to sit his trot, and it's going much better (I think for both of us). I barely registered any soreness yesterday and after Saturday's ride.

My knees still start to scream at me about 2 hours in, but I've found just taking a pause to get out of the saddle and walk around a little before taking off again, and doing it long before my knees are starting to lock up, helps so so much. I also take two Aleve the morning of a ride (Kinda like some horses need two bute). 

I also used to have problems of foot and butt cramps, charlie horse level cramps that would huge problems - I figured out I was compensating for my lack of balance and core strength by forcing all my weight into the balls of my feet and into the stirrup the. entire. time. I rode. Lots of water, bananas, avocados, and learning to just balance in the saddle have made all the difference in both cramps in my legs and booty, and knee soreness. 

Your body may just need more time.


----------



## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

I like the drink more water suggestion also. I know in my last lesson, I didn't drink anything the whole lesson, or even afterwards, and it was HOT! I just didn't feel thirsty. I will force myself to drink next time. But not margaritas, LOL.


----------



## AtokaGhosthorse (Oct 17, 2016)

ACinATX said:


> I like the drink more water suggestion also. I know in my last lesson, I didn't drink anything the whole lesson, or even afterwards, and it was HOT! I just didn't feel thirsty. I will force myself to drink next time. But not margaritas, LOL.



I'm not a fan these days of Gatorade - I feel they've crammed a lot more sugar in it since I was in HS and playing sports - it never tasted 'good' in the 80s and 90s. Just salty and mineral-y. Now it almost tastes like kool-aid.


But. Don't forget to replace the salt and electrolytes you sweat out. That can cause muscle cramps and soreness too. I don't know how warm it is in the summer where you are, but here, it's hitting high 90s with a high humidity.. and that's a cool summer. Triple digit days are more common. I can always tell if I've not recharged my batteries with the right drink. I skip the Gatorade these days, but keep lemons and salt around.


Also. Invest in a hot tub?


----------



## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

@AtokaGhosthorse LOL hot tub. Actually we had sort of joked about this when we get the new place, where we'll hopefully have the horses on our own property. The concern was that Pony might like it too much...

Yeah, I got some Gatorade for earlier in the summer and I never wanted to drink it. I found some other, "natural" electrolyte drink at the store and got that. It's not too sweet. I'll bring it next time.


----------



## QueenofFrance08 (May 16, 2017)

I write this as I sit head to toe covered in Icy Hot cream downing ibuprofen every few hours....

It takes me a little while to get used to riding new distances/amounts of time. Once I do I'm fine if I don't have too much time off in between (riding 2 miles in May feels 100x worse than riding 25 in October) but it can take awhile to get there.

I'm also starting to think riding a little when you're sore makes you feel better than not riding at all the next day. I was fine for the 12.5 mile ride yesterday but today at work I feel like death. 

From what I understand good electrolytes are supposed to be what keeps you from completely feeling like a truck ran you over. I mean good electrolytes as in the kind real athletes use (Hammer or Optimum Nutrition, you know things you can buy at GNC) not Gatorade. I had 2 bottles of electrolyte water this weekend but apparently it was not enough. 

Ok back to pretending I'm not wearing flip flops at work because I'm slightly less crippled in memory foam flip flops than dress shoes.


----------



## AtokaGhosthorse (Oct 17, 2016)

QueenofFrance08 said:


> I write this as I sit head to toe covered in Icy Hot cream downing ibuprofen every few hours....
> 
> It takes me a little while to get used to riding new distances/amounts of time. Once I do I'm fine if I don't have too much time off in between (riding 2 miles in May feels 100x worse than riding 25 in October) but it can take awhile to get there.
> 
> ...



I had it explained to me in college by our fitness coach that muscles get sore because you've done something out of the ordinary for those muscles, you've 'torn' the fibers of the muscles a little, and that's why they're sore. But every time you do this and the 'tears' heal (when the soreness goes away) you're building stronger, bigger, more toned muscles. Like wise, you want to keep them moving, rather than getting 'stove up' (as they say around here)... they get more stiff, more sore, if you don't keep them going than if you sucked it up and kept moving.

I... have no idea if she knew what she was talking about, that was in the 90s, but it seemed to make sense.

She's also the one that recommended lots of water and if you were having charlie horses at night, more than lots of water - keep the system flushed. So far, it's always worked for me.


----------



## Jolien (Aug 19, 2019)

I am a beginner rider and the only thing that kinda really hurts are the bones in my butt (I am female and really skinny), I ride on a western saddle covered with leather (roughed up leather, suede).  My butt will hurt for more than a week after a ride of one hour (my instructor says I sit really nicely and also sit the walking and trot really good), so I guess it's just anatomy... :d I hope my bone density will increase and my body will adapt over time. (Will it?  )


----------



## MeditativeRider (Feb 5, 2019)

I have found a lot of pain I get (outside of hips and lower back) is from weak muscles around the core, glute, hip area, and it has greatly improved doing exercise to focus on that. Overall, I am a relatively fit and healthy person who has been a life-long exerciser and have always done a lot of running, walking, light weights, yoga, pilates, etc. But I still have weaknesses that cause pain.

Even if it is not your main issue, it cannot help to make sure that musculature is all healthy and strong. Just as an example of how it affects you, my daughter has to see a podiatrist at the moment for foot issues and apparently a lot of that is connected to core/glute strength as well. The podiatrist said the main thing is making sure we are strong enough to hold our own body weight up in the correct position without hurting ourselves. So I guess the same would apply in the saddle. Being strong enough to hold your own body weight in the correct position without hurting yourself. Although saddle fit does affect things to. I am fine in most English saddles but got terribly sore knees the one time I have ridden in a Western saddle, and chafing on the inner thighs and butt the one time I rode in a stock saddle.

Anyway I have recently added a lot of inner/outer thigh and glute strengthening exercises to my workouts. I like the channels Upright Health and Barlates Body Blitz on YouTube. If you are keen to check them out, I recommend searching for "Barlates ankle weights" and "Upright Health gluteus medius". The Upright Health exercises have mostly completely eliminated the hip and lower back pain that I had.


----------



## mmshiro (May 3, 2017)

AtokaGhosthorse said:


> I skip the Gatorade these days, but keep lemons and salt around.


I have a great way to check if you're salt-deficient: Open the fridge and look at that glass of pickles. Do you want one before anything else? That's your body asking for salt!


----------



## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

I probably shouldn't admit this but I am overweight and out of shape and I never get sore riding! I HAVE been riding for about 25 years, so maybe that helps. I can ride for 3-4 hours and other than maybe to get off and stretch once or twice opening a gate, I am just fine. 

Now that is pretty lazy trail riding, mostly walk, a little trot, rarely canter. If I did a lot of trotting or cantering, I would feel it in my core. I have done some rides up to about 14 miles or so and been absolutely fine. If I did much more than that I would probably be sore.

One thing I have learned over the years is how important it is to get a saddle that fits the shape of your body. I have ridden in saddles that were horrible after a few minutes and a saddle I like feels just like "home" even for hours. I actually like a hard seated western saddle. They seem to fit my "bottom" better. Western saddles with padding, usually means they put no effort into shaping the seat.....at least in lower end saddles I have tried. Can't comment on English saddles, I have rarely sat in any.

But I guess have been riding so long I just don't get sore anymore even though I am out of shape. So there IS hope!


----------



## BzooZu (Jan 12, 2014)

I agree with some other people who said that the saddles may be a problem.
For me this video helped with identifying why I was hurting after a ride, but it may not be the same for you:





Maybe also more stretching exercises? :confused_color:


----------



## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

horselovinguy said:


> Sounds more to me you are sore from a saddle being to wide a twist for your anatomical frame......


This I would disagree with. The video above explains it very well, - women need a wider twist rather than a narrow one. 

I know when I was having dressage lessons I would finish bleeding from being rubbed. I had a saddle made with a much wider twist and problem was solved.


----------



## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

I guess I'm different....
I find to wide a twist also gives to wide a seat-bridge-position between the thighs and the pull hurts, is uncomfortable to the point I want to pull my legs up to my chin in protection.
I find that more true in a western saddle than a English...but true no matter the saddle style. :shrug:
There is only so much pelvis width and then hip joint and seating of hip that can accommodate "spread".
:runninghorse2:...


----------



## etnorcross (Aug 20, 2019)

I read the first post and I immediately thought to my self, "this person must be over the age of 30 and rides horses." I took a bad fall last year and broke my back and I've been going through the same thing. My tailbone is what really hurts to be honest now. My physical therapist said that I should be doing specific stretches before I ride and weight training on days I can't ride. I laughed pretty hard at the weight training part. He wasn't impressed. Anywho, have you tried Yoga? I've heard that works out well.


----------



## AtokaGhosthorse (Oct 17, 2016)

mmshiro said:


> I have a great way to check if you're salt-deficient: Open the fridge and look at that glass of pickles. Do you want one before anything else? That's your body asking for salt!



Daughter's softball coach always kept Best Maid dill pickle juice around. Frozen pickle juice pops were a huge seller at the concession stand too. And I do the same! I will drink pickle juice, esp Best Maid on a day when I'm hot and sweating out constantly.


----------



## avjudge (Feb 1, 2011)

Foxhunter said:


> This I would disagree with. The video above explains it very well, - women need a wider twist rather than a narrow one.


Actually, if you go to 17:55 in the video, he explains how pain is often caused by too wide a twist, and he uses his hands to indicate that he's referring to the area behind the stirrup bars, and says "the twist is what is between your upper inner thigh . . . in the saddle in this area; you don't see it, . . . you feel it . . . male saddle has wide twist, puts you in chair seat; female saddle has a narrow twist, her leg fell down." (I.e. when Julia sat in the women's saddle her leg fell straight.)

I think you were (like I had before watching this video) relating the width between the seams to the width of the twist, but he differentiates between the two. The male saddle is narrower at the very top, so the seams are closer together, but he's clearly saying that that is not the twist.

Thanks for linking that video, @BzooZu!


----------



## its lbs not miles (Sep 1, 2011)

ACinATX said:


> It seems like I’m almost always sore, at least a little, after I ride. This was true when I was just starting to ride, and it’s true now (1.5 years later). It was true when I rode only once a week and also when I rode five times a week. It’s true regardless of what I do when I’m riding (although I guess it wouldn’t be as bad if I were just walking a little). It’s true regardless of what saddle I use (Western, dressage, jumping, or even bareback). It’s true regardless of which horse or pony I ride. It’s true even though I stretch thoroughly before I ride (although it’s a lot worse if I don’t stretch). I’m usually sore in my inner thighs and lower back.
> 
> I have some questions about this.
> 1.	Does this happen to everyone?
> ...


There is not enough information to give an experienced response, but here's something based on what you provide.

1. Pretty much everyone, if they start spending long hours in the saddle will have a sore muscle here or there initially.

2. How long it will happen is bit like asking how long will I be out of breath when I go running. It depends on different things.

3. Riding position or how you ride might account for it. A saddle or even a type of saddle can account for pain.

4. There is always something that can be done once you have an idea about the cause.

Now, all that being said. When the hot weather ends and I go back to all day rides I'll have some muscle ache after the first 4 or 5 rides while my muscles and joints adjust to that many hours in the saddle after 4 or 5 months of very short riding. Just as if I went back to running 4 miles I would have muscle pain until my muscles and joints got use to it again. I can ride anytime for an hour or more and not have any aches, but going back to 5 or more hours after a long break requires reconditioning. If I rode for an hour every day and just did one all day ride a week I would likely always have some aches after a lengthy ride, because short rides don't provide the conditioning I need for longer rides.


----------



## its lbs not miles (Sep 1, 2011)

ACinATX said:


> It seems like I’m almost always sore, at least a little, after I ride. This was true when I was just starting to ride, and it’s true now (1.5 years later). It was true when I rode only once a week and also when I rode five times a week. It’s true regardless of what I do when I’m riding (although I guess it wouldn’t be as bad if I were just walking a little). It’s true regardless of what saddle I use (Western, dressage, jumping, or even bareback). It’s true regardless of which horse or pony I ride. It’s true even though I stretch thoroughly before I ride (although it’s a lot worse if I don’t stretch). I’m usually sore in my inner thighs and lower back.
> 
> I have some questions about this.
> 1.	Does this happen to everyone?
> ...


continued.....sorry about that (I hate laptops)

Saddles can also be a problem. i.e. I can ride in a dressage seat for a couple of hours and feel no ill effect, but if I'm in a dressage seat for say a 20 mile ride at some point between 3 - 4 hours my back is going to start hurting and the pain will increase for each hour I continue riding to the point that I'll need medication to ease it off after 7-8 hours.


However, as I said to start with, there's not enough to go on here. Such as how long are you riding each of your 5 days a week, what size is the horse, is it the same horse or same size horse, etc....


----------

