My younger mare is a big mover. She’s actually easier to ride in the moment when she’s moving her biggest, because she’s getting her swing through her whole body at a nice tempo so mechanics of riding her gaits are pretty simple. However, my muscles have to work for stability through a range of movement for which I haven’t yet found off horse exercises to replicate. So how I feel varies, and it’s usually worse 2 days later. I’ve recently been doing a lot more collection in the canter which means it’s jumping more and it takes a lot more quad and hamstring strength to keep my legs from swinging. I’ve had dead legs and been struggling with the 15-ish flights of stairs I typically walk at work over a whole day.
Then there are days like today - I don’t know whether my crippling headache caused muscles spasms along my spine or the other way around, but today my back muscles were tight and sore. Swingy sitting trot on the big mover really helped loosen that all back up, and while it’s getting tight again 6 hours later, because we specifically worked to help me, I’ve been feeling better all morning.
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After i shorten my stirrups to a jumping length my body is destroyeddd… i cant even walk up steps without pain. Ill take a dressage lesson any day.
Omg. This.
Why?!
I used to love short stirrups and struggled with longer stirrups. I loved the feeling in my leg in a jumping saddle. Now? Well, I can’t even get my stirrups short enough to jump properly 
my hips can’t do it, my body can’t do it. It feels weird too. I never thought it’d feel so…foreign!
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Yes!!! I used to love jumping. Now I have to jump them in my own head. 
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