Thanks for being a leader and starting a group here. You rock.

Awesome. I will certainly try to keep up with my part of keeping this group active.

I am super excited to see that there is an active horse group!! the other ones kind of died out

Maybe odd but I want to ask all you riding folks-- the area on my image that I marked in red is where I'm having pain lately while riding. It's worse if I shorten my stirrups and I tend to ride with them a little long for jumping

@cessi0909 OMG i know your pain!!!! It got so bad sometimes i had no stability in my foot and it constantly felt like it was going to give in. I replaced my old fashioned stirrups for bendy ones... strengthened my hip flexors/adductors (yes believe it or not but it was a direct cause) did one million stair lifts every day...... some days its excruciating but only once every 6 weeks ish.......

also, walk around on your heels pulling up your toes and walking more on the inside of your foot.... weird i know but if you wear heels at all then your Achilles is shortened then when you ride you are shoving your heels down in the opposite direction and they protest!

Thanks to you both. I am going to use all of the suggestions. It seriously hurts and affects my riding.

showjumper wrote: »

@cessi0909 how has your ankle/leg pain........ did you invest in new stirrups?

Not yet but I am borrowing a pair and they are helping so I'm going to go buy some

And on to the fitness/heath aspect. I recently lost about 35 pounds and was doing really well last year. This winter I felt a few pounds creeping back, so I started back today getting on track and eating clean. Wish me luck. I want to be fit for my spring riding!

Bad accident - they were going to cut off my lower leg. Years of surgeries, wheelchairs and weight gain. Kept the leg but my shin and ankle are full of metal. Took years to get some flex back. Stuff that helped me includeded tenaciously hunting for the right physio who actually researched horseback riding, yoga, yoga, yoga, longer stirrup leathers and an endurance stirrup with a wider foot base - Clouds. Foot still goes numb but it's amazing what you can put up with if you love riding. Also ended buying a new RP saddle with a higher twist so my leg hung better. Keep working at it. It will get better. If you don't try it will stay the same or get worse .... this I know from when I slack off. Enjoy your journey.

We were crewing for friends at a ride in Maine last summer and there was a man there who had a winch to lift him onto his horse. He is paralyzed below the waist and still rides!! Horses and riding are so motivating to this of us with the bug. Good luck on your journey.

Rode on Sunday w hubby but Thor was a bit of a jerk ☹️. My hubby was getting a little testy as I didn't want to trot .... Thor really wanted to but walk requests were giving me the jig so kept correcting, giving him free rein and asking for a nice walk. I'd get it for a few strides then back to jigging. My hubby asked to try him and Thor started head tossing and some mild bucking. At least my hubby understood why I wldnt trot. Long story short they went off for a bit of a "discussion". Hubby said Thor improved after he loosened the girth. I didn't think it was that tight. Have y'all had a problem w a cranky horse due to a tight girth? Didn't ride yesterday cause I just didn't want to deal with it but tomorrow is supposed to be nice so will head out again. Suggestions?

Idk. He was weird. I haven't ridden since but my trainer took him out yesterday and said he was great. So maybe the girth was pinching or he was just having attitude. Horses always talk to us but hard to hear him sometimes. Still cold today but warmer tomorrow so will try again. Our first ride is April 30th so wld like to get some more mikes on him before then