Painful Privates - Will Sidesaddle Help?

[Ruth0552]

[QUOTE=Gidget;7441790]
Hi Chachie (cute name!),

Thanks for writing. I agree with you on SO many levels.

First of all, a “hiatus” is definitely in order. Things won’t heal if I keep aggravating them…period, end of story.

And I LOVE your analogy about the “two shoes.” Buying a saddle (which I’m more than willing to do) doesn’t make much sense unless I’ll be riding the same horse for quite a while. I’m sure there’s something that can be worked out.

As for my instructor, I’m inclined to say the problem’s not her. She’s an ex-professional, Grand Prix dressage competitor and I can tell by the way she analyzes movement and breaks it down she knows her stuff. All the other students RAVE about her and not one of them seems to be having the same issues I’m having. Sadly, it’s gotta be my anatomy.

I’m definitely going to try to dig up a saddle fitter in my area. I think getting assessed by a professional will make all the difference in the world.

Oh, and I LOVE the tip about Depends padded undergarments. Just goes to show you, I’m willing to try ANYTHING! :lol:

Thanks again![/QUOTE]

I was actually putting money on you were riding with a high-end dressage trainer. Are you doing a lot of sitting trot? Riding in a dressage saddle? They often have a high pommel, depending on the brand. Do you know what type (brand/model) of saddle it is. I can see how one would have chaffing issues doing a lot of sitting trot in a not great dressage saddle. Were the other 6 instructors you’ve tried all dressage trainers?

In my experience, a good beginner barn is hard to find. You want a trainer that emphasizes safety first and foremost, then basic horsemanship and a functional position. You need to understand that the riding position that dressage people, eventing people, and hunter-jumper people have is different. But, at least I think, the basic design behind it is the same. And at a beginner level, it’s best to have those basics down before messing with more specific aspects of position and seat. I also don’t think it’s fair to start someone off in a designated field- I think after getting the basics of horsemanship a rider/student should be given the choice of what field they want to pursue. Way too often, a student finds a trainer they like, and just follow whatever that trainer does. And since trainers want more business, money and students, they usually don’t stop someone and say, I think you might be better suited for this other field. Or, have you thought about trying x? Anyways, off my soapbox.

I think you have a serious position vs. saddle issue. Do you feel that you are putting all your weight forward into your erm, pubic bone? Like with your pelvis tilted forward? Or is the rubbing/chaffing from the front of the saddle rubbing against you? Or more toward the, um… middle section? You haven’t had any plastic surgery down there have you? I’ve heard of women getting some of the outer bits, pared back, sort of, to expose the inner bits more. And what size is this saddle? If it’s too small, that could be a problem also.

Hope you can make some adjustments to solve this issue!

[Bristol_Bay]

^^ Gidget meets Chachie!

[QUOTE=SpaceWaitress;7443454]
Hi Gidget, I was just looking at Heather Moffat’s website today and I saw that she has some latex and memory foam saddle toppers for sale, perhaps something like that might possibly help with the direct contact issue somewhat? http://www.enlightenedequitationshop.com/seatbone-saver-hipsaver-and-latex-toppers-8-c.asp[/QUOTE]

I have one of those in my closet. PM me if any of you has any interest or wants a spare.

I think I have read all the posts, but I may have missed it: did anyone suggest trying bicycle shorts? I was riding a friends horse a few years ago, and her saddle was an ancient Passier that was rock hard. I had serious private pain after riding in it. So I went to REI and bought the cheapest bicycle shorts they had, and what a difference! It eliminated the friction, like App’s compression shorts, and the gel padding was heavenly.

One other suggestion is to ride in a close contact saddle, not a dressage saddle. I don’t know what you are riding in, but it sounds like with your conformation, you need something flat and with a wide twist.

There are MANY people with saddles and no horse. A saddle with foam panels, a flat seat, a MW tree, and a good pad with an assortment of shims, like a Thinline, will allow you to ride many different horses comfortably for your and the horse.

[Gidget]

Hi Ruth,

Thanks for your post.

Two of the people I’ve trained with have been Dressage types and the rest were more Hunt Seat oriented. I will say riding with a longer leg and being more “centered” over my pelvis makes things worse , but even when I shorten my stirrups and try to sit back on my seat bones it still happens.

To answer your question in proper medical terms, I get chafed on the labia majora, labia minora and sometimes on the edges of the clitoral hood. Occaisionally, the urethera will sting too, which makes peeing LOADS of fun.

No plastic surgery down there and my doctor swears there’s no infection. She thinks it might be a contact allergy, which could be PART of it since my skin’s so sensitive, but I know it’s primarily from riding. I felt irritation on my very first lesson and it’s just gotten worse over time.

Honestly, I don’t know how I’ve put up with this so long. I’m not exagerating when I say it’s affecting every aspect of my life.

[Gidget]

Hi Bristol,

Thank you SO much for your suggestions. I haven’t tried the bike shorts yet, but my landlady keeps telling me they saved her cycling career…and her marriage!. I’m relieved to hear they made a difference for you.

Yes, Justine has me riding in her old dressage saddle. Come to think of it, while she’s done wonders for my balance and ability to communicate with the horse, my “problem” has gotten worse since I started working with her. I hate to even say that because I have SO MUCH respect for her, but it is what it is. More proof that an honest talk is in order.

And thank you for telling me it’s not unheard of to own a saddle when you don’t have a horse. If it gets me out of pain and enjoying life again, I have NO problem coughing up two or three grand if necessary.

[Beaver_Breeze]

I can get that way just wearing clothes, particularly in the winter. A little vaseline to reduce friction goes a long way. As for the riding, you’ve gotten useful advice. My personal opinion is that gel seat savers help, as well as a different saddle. Some will really cut you, some won’t. I also suspect that just riding once a week contributes to the problem; if you were able to ride more frequently (once healed, of course), just a little at a time, you’d improve. While not “callouses,” necessarily (wouldn’t THAT be unfortunate!), I do think one gets less sensitive with more practice.

The most important thing to know is that you’re not some mutant, and this is not an unusual problem. You WILL find a solution.

[RMJacobs]

I second the bike shorts suggestion.

Rebecca

[nycequestrian]

I haven’t read this entire thread so please forgive me if I suggest something that has already been suggested.

I definitely suggest getting your own personal saddle, fitted to you if your budget allows. A flatter seat may help ease the chafing as you will not find your self wedged between the cantle and the pommel. I have a flat seat close contact saddle that I love for that very reason. Sometimes when I ride for long periods of time in my friends’ deeper seat saddles (and by deeper seat I’m talking hunter jumper deep, not dressage deep) I find that I have discomfort.

I hope you find a solution soon! Best of luck!

[Gidget]

Hi Beaver! (Did I really just call you that? LOL)

Thanks for the positive encouragement. I’ve been a little down this week, but it helps knowing I’m not the first woman to have to deal with this. I think having people to talk to and keeping a sense of humor is helping tremendously.

[Gidget]

Thanks Rebecca. The bike shorts ARE sounding more and more intruiging.

[Gidget]

Hi NYC,

Yes, I think getting my own saddle is an EXCELLENT idea. I talked with my trainer today and she told me about a local fitter who helped another girl with the same problem. Evidently, she has a similar build to mine and he got her into something that allowed her to, as she put it, “clear the pommel.”

She also suggested I be open to other styles of riding if it comes to that, which made me respect her even more. She’s not “pushing” her area of expertise at my expense, which I think speaks volumes about her character.

[Mukluk]

I would try the bike shorts- and I also wonder if something like body glide would also help- Runners often have pretty bad problems with chafing and this stuff works really well.

http://www.amazon.com/Bodyglide-Original-Anti-Chafe-Balm-0-45-Ounce/dp/B000KIMTCY

I hope you find a solution.

[californianinkansas]

Gidget,
Good horsemanship is good horsemanship, regardless of discipline. Have you tried riding in a western or aussie saddle? A dressage saddle made for icelandic horses might work very well for you, as the seats are rather flat.

The reason why I was asking is because I’ve a good friend who has a Passier Grand Gilbert dressage saddle for when she rides her horse, and a standard Tucker western saddle for when her husband rides her ginormous horse. When I ride in her dressage saddle, I chafe like you do. When I ride in her husband’s western saddle, I feel completely balanced and do not have an chafing at all. The horse in question does not neck rein and wears a dressage-type bridle. It looks a bit silly riding a horse in a western saddle and an english bridle, but the horse goes beautifully that way. The dressage saddle technically fits me exactly right, and the western saddle is three inches too big, but oh my goodness I ride so much better and pain-free this way. Even my ostensibly non-horsey husband noticed the difference.

Slightly off-topic: On my horses, I ride in a modernized reproduction of a steppe-type bareback pad with stirrups with a sheepskin saddle pad. I just used my tax-refund to purchase a modern version of a cavalry saddle that is a hybrid of the McClellan “Mac” and the Whitman cavalry saddles. The saddler is making the saddle for me, so I’m hoping to have it within the next three months.

The moral of the story is that for those of us that have non-standard bodies, you have to go with whatever works best for you and your horse, regardless of how mismatched it looks.

I spent years trying to fit a square peg in a round hole by trying to make my body ride well in hunt seat and dressage saddles. I will never forget my hunt seat equitation trainer’s surprised and pleased reaction all those years ago at how well I finally rode when she (just to try it, probably out of desperation at my continued hunt seat ineptitude) had me ride one of her saddleseat horses in a saddleseat saddle.

Anywhoodle, just keep an open mind and you will absolutely find a successful resolution to this problem.

[Gidget]

Hi Mukkuk!

Thanks for chiming in. Bike shorts are next on my list and some sort of anti-friction product for sure. I just have to be careful because my skin’s super-allergic to so many things. Hoo Ha Ride Glide flared me up, as did Desitin. Even baby power set things afire and NOT in a good way! LOL

I’m sure the solution is out there somewhere. It’s just a matter of time.

[Gidget]

Hey Amber,

Wow, that’s so interesting what you said about “mixing & matching” your equipment in order to find what works for you. It makes perfect sense though. Like they say “If it hurts, don’t do it.”

I told Justine I get chafed the second we start posting (which is the majority of what we do) and by the time we get to sitting the trot and cantering, I’m already done for. She suggested trying a western saddle for a while, just so I can lay off posting while we sort things out. I might give that a try…of course, you don’t typically post in a sidesadlle either. (Tee hee.)

I agree with you 100% that good horsemanship is universal. I know from my dance training that the quality of the movement is what counts, NOT the steps. The most beautiful choreography in the world will look like doo-doo if the dancer is off balance and stiff.

That’s what I love most about my coach. She approaches things from a movement standpoint first while allowing the riding to be secondary. That might sound a little weird, but I think you know what I mean.

[californianinkansas]

Gidget,
Your trainer sounds awesome!

[Gidget]

My trainer ROCKS!!! I can’t believe my luck getting someone like her at MY level (experienced beginner). The barn just “assigned” her to me one day out of the blue and I couldn’t be happier. :tickled_pink:

[Jhein12]

[QUOTE=wateryglen;7441182]
Nurse chiming in here: Just thought I’d add: it’s important to examine this problem medically too…talk frankly to your gynecologist for suggestions/examination etc
. Experiment w/materials like nylon/cotton/silk/whatever. Try layering to reduce friction like 2 pairs of undies. One very important thing is to try washing your undies in a different laundry soap. Many are quite irritating down there (ex: Tide) so go for the fragrance free/non allergenic soaps. Ditto on the soaps you use on yourself. Heat+friction+chemicals can cause irritation. Use no creams/powders/sprays/fragrancesdown there before riding. Try douching as many genital irritations can be caused by vaginal infections. Do not shave down there=it’s irritating. Sweat/cleanliness & the more natural the better! :winkgrin: Hair is a natural anti friction mechanism!! Really!

Try riding in 2 point as much as possible or the half seat. Agree a larger saddle seat is in order. For your height; I’d guess an 18. Long legs need a larger seat. Second the suggestion for a seatsaver and I’d recommend pure wool.
This could be a medication/drug reaction also.
Good luck w/this! Skip the SS idea. Overkill for a solvable problem imho![/QUOTE]

Surprised you would recommend a douche when it is known that douching pushes infection to the top of the vagina where it gets worse (learned in my women’s health seminar). Douching is an old cleansing method that doesn’t actually work, just worsens situations down there.

[Beaver_Breeze]

@Gidget;7445182

Hi Beaver! (Did I really just call you that? LOL)

Hey, I’m glad somebody made the joke, because I was sure thinking it when I made the post.

My username was a QH stallion who was the sire of my heart-horse Appendix mare. Because I had always associated his name with her-- and she’d been purchased when I was young and naive-- it was years later before it occurred to me that it was a name that, ahem, could be taken another way. I have often wondered what people here made of my username (and been a bit embarrassed, wondering what they might think), but until now no one has had the “audacity” to mention it.

Good luck to you.

[Gidget]

Hey Beaver,

I’m glad you have a sense of humor. I don’t know where I’d be if I couldn’t laugh on a daily basis. :lol:

[Gidget]

UPDATE

Hi everyone!

I know your day wouldn’t be complete without the “Daily Crotch Report.” LOL!

I saw another doctor this morning and she essentially repeated most of the advice I’ve been given here:

1. Take a break from riding for a few weeks. <sob!>
2. Keep ALL potential irritants away from the area (i.e., stop “self treating”).
3. Purchase a saddle that fits correctly.
4. Pick up a good pair of padded bike shorts.

I hope to have some positive news in a month or so. In the meantime, I want to thank each and every person who chimed in. All of your advice has been very sensible and I REALLY appreciate your taking the time with me.

Cheers,

G.