Feeling constantly twisted/unbalanced while riding

[asmw94]

Hi all,

I’m hoping someone may have experienced something similar and be able to help me, Im at my wits end and about ready to give up on riding.

Ive been riding hunters and jumpers for about 14 years, and previously I was always a very balanced, stable rider. The last year or so, my riding has gone downhill, and in the past few months especially. I feel like Im always somehow twisted/unbalanced while Im riding, and the horses react to it so I know something is off - particularly to the left, they feel crooked, bulging to the outside, swinging their haunches in, I cant get them to hold a nice bend through a circle - I feel like Im slipping to the side constantly - everything is just all off. No matter how hard I try to focus on sitting straight and even, Im all over the place. I never used to have this issue and its becoming unbearable.

I have SI joint pain and have always had issues with my hips. Ive seen multiple physios, RMTs, chiros, and an osteo - none really help.

People who watch me ride cant seem to pinpoint what exactly it is that Im doing wrong. Has anyone ever experienced this? Im desperate and ready to stop riding at this point because I dont feel its fair to the horses.

[Fig]

I had a similar issue after I messed up my back in a riding accident. I saw a chiropractor who evened things out. He also helped me recognize how unstable I was in my core. One exercise in particular I did as homework helped balance me. Kneel on all fours (like an animal) head looking at the ground. I raised opposite leg and arm off the floor without allowing my hips to turn vertically. I was very strong one way and basically fell on the opposite side. I also do more core work such as crunches and pikes.

I would also recommend lunge lessons without stirrups on a steady eddie if you have someone who could help. I try and do no stirrups for 10 minutes every ride as it helps sync me up again. I hope this helps!

[sheltona01]

Is it just with one horse or saddle or on multiple horses and saddles?

[asmw94]

@Fig thank you for your reply! I just started seeing a new chiro, Im hoping he can help. Ill definitely try those exercises, thank you - did you find you were able to get back to your former level of stability? I feel like I used to not even have to think about balance, everything just felt “right”, and Im scared Ill never get back to that feeling! I have of course had many falls over the years that have probably not helped.

@sheltona01 I find its with all horses, worse on some than others, eg the particularly green ones who probably react more to the shifts in my balance. Saddle wise it seems to be multiple saddles but I think those with a straight flap seem to feel a tiny bit better - Im quite tall (5’11 and long from hip to knee) and I feel like forward flaps just throw me off balance, even though I always hear people say tall riders need those…

[Fig]

Yes I found it greatly helped. I actually started taking pole for fitness too and I have never felt so strong, even having been a working student with typical WS crazy 12 hour schedule! My trainer noticed a dramatic improvement. I was incredibly sore the first few weeks. I know it’s not everyone’s thing but I mention it because it improved my riding so much. Obviously I am not going to classes with quarantine. I have noticed a little lapse in my riding so time to up the at home workouts 😄

[sheltona01]

I am glad you are getting checked out by a professional. It does sound like a body unevenness. Maybe even try a physical therapist or someone like that too.

I would also maybe try yoga. It really highlighted to me how uneven I was and how to work on it. Also pay attention to how you sit. Force yourself to sit absolutely straight as much as you can. It sounds simple, but for me it was very hard at first to maintain.

As far as a straighter flap, it might be because of the longer leg and lower balance support. Just because you are taller, does not necessarily mean you need a forward flap. It just depends on your body proportions.

[hoopoe]

You may be experiencing the subtle issue of imbalanced muscle strength.

Riding is such a nuanced skill when done well. It does not take a lot to influence performance when done properly. Many people use Pilates and yoga to bring the body back in to symmetry of strength.

I found starting basic Pilates very eye opening at showing how muscular and neurologically imbalanced I was.

This may be a route for you to explore.

[GoodTimes]

I’ve had similar issues. I still can’t pinpoint exactly what it is, likely a combinations of a few very subtle things which keep adding up.
It started when I started my career in ultrasound, which is a very asymmetric job. For me it’s far more pronounced when tracking to the left.
The three things that have helped the most?

1. Finding a saddle that fit both me and my horse. I stay straighter when the saddle helps me stay in the proper position.
2. Strength training focusing on my core, my back, and my glutes
3. Stretching, especially my hips and ankles

An exercise that can help you start to figure out what’s going on is the Greg Best stirrup exercise. Basically you buckle your stirrups together and lay them over your saddle. If you weight one stirrup more than you’ll slide off the side. Figure out which way you’re leaning, which way you’re collapsing. I like this better than no stirrup work for problem solving crookedness since you are less likely to pinch with your knees.

Since our barn is closed right now with the pandemic, I’m hoping to come back straighter than ever. I have lots of time for strength training and stretching. And since horsey is having an extended vacation he should be a clean slate when I get back.

[asmw94]

@Fig thanks so much! I took a couple pole classes years ago and youre right, theyre killer - Ill have to look into trying that again once quarantine is over. Thanks so much for the advice.

@sheltona01 @hoopoe I think Im definitely going to try to start doing some yoga and pilates, glad to hear that could help.

@GoodTimes I think the saddle is definitely part of it. Im looking for something that fits me better - but I definitely am going to try the stirrup exercise when I get the chance again! How exactly do you set them up?

[GoodTimes]

@asmw94 so you’re going to take the stirrups off of your saddle, buckle the leathers together, then slide them so the buckles are down near the stirrups so you don’t scratch your saddle. You may have to play with the length. Lay the leathers over your saddle, I usually put one leather over the saddle and one infront of the pommel, but if you think it’s putting too much pressure over your horses withers than put both over the seat of the saddle.
*And don’t forget that you can’t mount normally :winkgrin: You have to hop on as if you were riding bareback or without stirrups.

https://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/forum/discussion-forums/hunter-jumper/95306-correcting-a-rider-who-leans-to-one-side/page2

Post 35 on this thread has pictures of it if you need a visual :encouragement:

Riding bareback can help too, even just at the walk. I find it easier to feel if you weight one seat bone more than the other.
And don’t forget to switch your leathers around once in awhile. Even the ones with a nylon core can stretch a little bit.

[thebiggrey]

When this happened to me I was diagnosed with vertigo, but I think my most recent fall caused inner ear trauma that messed with my balance. The only thing that has helped (besides taking medication for it, which I try not to) is strength exercises listed above and not riding on days it seems bad. I can almost (and have) fall right over the side while standing though, so it happens out of the saddle as well, which it doesn’t sound like you do. But I thought I’d chime in just in case!

[chestnutgelding]

I often feel this way too. Sometimes a lesson without hands and stirrups on the lunge line can be helpful. If you have a safe horse, close your eyes and find your balance. I am trainer-less so I use Performance Refinery bands to help me strengthen and be aware of my core and helps me find my “center” while also helping me keep my hands still. I’ve used them a couple of times and I love them!
Here is the link if you want to check them out
https://p2performancebands.com/

[KnockedOut]

I have a similar issue. I’ve so far had ONE trainer who managed to straighten me out, literally lol. I told her i feel crooked all the time, she stepped back and was like oh I see what the problem is. For me, even though it feel like my hips, its actually caused in my shoulders. I dip to one side all the time. I notice it even when driving or sitting. If i remember to pull that dipped shoulder back (she would yell at me on course about it every single time), then all of a sudden my leg angle pulls back to where it’s supposed to be and all is right in the world.

Conversely ive told other trainers the same thing and their reaction is, you look great don’t worry about it. But same as you, I can feel my horses go better in one direction than the other and I feel like they get really annoyed with it.

Just know you’re not alone. But I agree that focusing on posture and getting a really stable core is incredibly helpful. Good luck!

[BayBondGirl]

Another sufferer here! Biggest issue was losing one stirrup at the canter all the time and have no “strength” in that same leg to give aids. I was able to cheat my way through it for a long time while riding H/J due to the shorter stirrups, but once I started taking some dressage lessons it became really apparent. After H/J shows one side of my back would be in complete spasm for days and the pain was vicious. I often got sciatica from my desk job.

I was finally diagnosed with (relatively mild) scoliosis. Fixes have been weight training, core strengthening, yoga, dressage lessons. I attribute the most success to weights and core development and can’t recommend them enough - I notice a difference if I skip working out for a week. Dressage lessons/riding helped me find correct balance from my hips and have to reach down into my legs equally; I’m still developing aid strength on one side so that’s ongoing.

[asmw94]

@thebiggrey I think I have a pretty bad sense of balance in general, so I wonder if some of the worse falls ive had the past couple years couldve thrown my balance off a bit too…might be worth getting checked out, thanks!

@chestnutgelding those look very interesting - how the heck do they work? do you ride with them on?

@KnockedOut I need a lesson with that trainer, lol - I think whatever im doing must be pretty subtle because no one seems to be able to pick it out from the ground, but the horses certainly feel it.

@BayBondGirl yes! I constantly lose my left stirrup in the canter and sometimes trot. When I get off, my SI and hips just ache. Thats good to know though, thank you!!

[kande04]

Are you sure that it’s not because you’ve learned to feel when a horse is crooked and you are riding crooked horses? After all, most horses are crooked to some degree, so it could be that you’ve just become more aware of it.

I started riding a club footed horse about 12 years ago, and while I could feel it before on other horses this one just drove me nuts to the point that all I wanted to work on was getting him to move straighter . And now, because I’ve been so focused on it for so long, I can feel even a small asymmetry in any horse, and have a hard time ignoring it to work on anything else.

I finally had to just stop trying to get my club footed horse straighter and accept that he’s always going to feel crooked so I might just as well learn to live with it.

[GoodTimes]

Another tip I got from a friend who is a physiotherapist is to pay attention to the things you do that are “one sided” and switch it up.
Examples; always crossing your legs the same way, always carrying your purse on the same shoulder, always leaning on your door or the Center console while you drive, always sitting in the same spot and leaning the same way to watch tv, etc.

[gahorseygal]

Yes. I’m experiencing it now. For me it’s lack of core muscle and a sign that I’m probably tighter on one side. Typically I tend to get tight in my hips. I need to start back with consistent yoga as I have found in the past that makes a huge difference!

[hairystockings]

A chiro might help, have you seen a sports med doctor? I have had issues with my hips and sciatic nerves and ultimately I saw a sports med doctor who sent me to physical therapy. The PT then later led to working with a personal trainer for strength training. My core was weak, a lot of things were weak. Strength training has been life changing for me. I still have some unevenness in my hips, I struggle to canter without stirrups, one hip wants to come up and send me over to the other side, it’s worst when I’m tracking left. To the point where it’s not fair to the horse to do much of it because I’m so off balance they are annoyed. I’m fine with stirrups to balance myself and occasionally do a lap each way at the canter without concentrating really hard on it. That I think I’m stuck with but I no longer have pain issues after doing PT and regular strength training.

[Pally]

@GoodTimes

Another tip I got from a friend who is a physiotherapist is to pay attention to the things you do that are “one sided” and switch it up.
Examples; always crossing your legs the same way, always carrying your purse on the same shoulder, always leaning on your door or the Center console while you drive, always sitting in the same spot and leaning the same way to watch tv, etc.

Always using precious toilet paper with the same hand… :winkgrin:

But truly, I agree wholeheartedly with this. Try doing some of those things opposite for awhile and see how that feels.

Also, besides paying attention to “lazy” tendencies like a lot of the ones GoodTimes posted, look for little repetitive habits of tension in your day to day life too. Clenching your jaw to the right when someone ticks you off, wrapping your shoulders around your ears in the cold, and that sort of thing. Then, once you’ve caught them, see if they are making their way into the saddle too. For example, I used to be a pretty nervous driver and realized every time I got stressed in traffic, I would clench and hike my left hip… go figure, same one that hiked while riding. Now, I don’t think this is the crux of your problem, but it can be a part of the viscous cycle, especially if you tend to get frustrated about the feeling “off”.

I think you’ve got a lot of great advice above. This is likely a combination of proprioceptive and coordination issues with flexibility and strength issues. (And of course, we on the internet can’t say for sure if there are underlying physical issues, so it’s good you are seeing professionals in person). The good news is, lots of different types of exercise off the horse will help with this. You’ve seen a good variety suggested already here. Try some out and see what feels best for you (because really, the best exercises are probably the ones you’ll actually do :sadsmile:)