While on a hunt in Canada, after a ~6hr ride the first day, my knees began to bother me, and continued to do so for the duration of the trip including even on short rides after a few minutes. Decending steep hills was especially brutal. Rode heel-down, we tried adjusting the stirrup height (but maybe too late?), and I switched to a narrower horse. Applying pressure on the kneecap seemed to lessen the pain. I could not replicate the problem off the horse, and the knees were fine hiking, climbing, etc. and loosened after a minute on the ground. The guides said it was common, but that it usually went away, mine didn't especially in one knee, and it took away some of the pleasure of riding in truly awesome country.

I rode previously and took some lessons w/my wife, but never over ~2hrs. Too much too soon perhaps? Any suggestions reg the cause and solution when on a guided hunt (not w/my own equipment)?

Thanks!

To long of stirups sore ass to short sore knees

Ha!

There is no way to get used to this but ride, a lot. A two hour ride at the local rental ain't going to cut it!

A good saddle will allow you to ride with long stirrups and not get a sore butt.

Especially on a tourist horse, it is best to just take the posture of being on a living room sofa. Just relax and enjoy the view instead of pretending to be a cowboy. I felt sorry for my father. He fought it all the time and was miserable all the time.

It takes 5 or 6 days of all day rides to toughen up. Nothing else will work.

The biggest problem with most riders, at least on a western saddles is leaving the stirrups too long, as someone has already said. Then your ass gets sore, as you're sitting like you are sittin on a rail fence with your legs hanging down. You should sit back on your pockets with your feet under you and of course heels down, toes out. When your stirrups are long and your feet are in front of you, and stopping a horse hard (or going downhill) the pressure is forcing your knees to buckle to the outside. I ride cutting horses at least ten hours a week, so I'm pretty used to it. Use your thighs more to keep you in place in the saddle instead of your stirrups. As a matter of fact, it would teach you a lot to do your practice riding with the stirrups pulled off the saddle. You should be able to hold yourself with your upper legs and not use the stirrups to prop yourself in place, as you are riding a horse not standing up. Also some glucosamine may help with the pain.

quote:

...stopping a horse hard (or going downhill) the pressure is forcing your knees to buckle to the outside.

That is exactly what was happening. I would ride with one or sometimes both feet out of the stirrups and dangling, which provided relief, but it was mostly rugged country. I guess I was riding like I used to ride my motocross bikes. Good stuff that I'll work on - thanks guys.

Bill.

lf you have a good gym local and find it difficult to put time in on the horse then why not try some leg training about a month before your trip. Leg extensions + L'Curls and Hack Squats may be of help to strengthen the knee area.
l smashed my right knee 10 years ago and now can't ride more that about 8 miles before l'm in a lot of pain, so it's just local stuff for me from know on....

Regards.

Dave.
....

The only time I've ever had knee pains is when my stirrups are too short. I can always tell when someone has borrowed my saddle and shortened the stirrups. Nowadays, no one borrows my saddle, on pain of death. Usually, just getting off and walking a ways solves the problem.
Grizz

Short stirrups can cause knee pain. However, another common reason is that the stirrups don't hang right. This is caused by the stirrup leathers not being twisted properly. I am guessing you were riding in a provided saddle?

Before you get on look at the stirrup. If it is not setting at a 90 dedree angle compared to the horse you will have problems. I have all of my saddles stirrup leathers twisted into a "Nevada twist" this locks them into the proper position.

The old saying is:
If your stirrups are to short, your knees hurt.
If your stirrups are to long, your butt hurts.
When you get your stirrups just right, they both hurt.

I see too many hunters who think they are cowboys because they have ridden a horse a time or two. They have no idea of what size saddle to use, how to sit, how too adjust stirrup length, how to ride up hill or down. They usually end up sore or blistered.

I also see too many outfitters who have crappy tack and don't care if the hunter is well set up or not. Short legged guys on wide horses or tall ones. Long legged guys with short stirrups and small saddles etc. etc etc.

If you are going on a Horseback hunt (the best kind of hunt in the World ) then you need some basic understanding of saddle size, stirrup length and horse size.

For instance, someone said your heels should be in and your toes out... A sure way to break and ankle on a tree or get unseated by a stump. riding in bush and letting something get between your foot and your horse is not a good idea. How do you prevent this? Most people throw their saddles over a stall wall or a tree. They need to put a stick through the stirrups and train the leather to twist the stirrup toe in. Once a saddle does this it is easy to let the stirrup guide your relaxed leg into the inside rather than put pressure on your knee to force the leather to twist when you ride. Poor tack.

If you want to prepare yourself for a ride than do exercises that strengthen your inner thighs. Thigh master type stuff that strengthens the muscles that grip the horse. I always found that riding a dirt bike, where you grip the bike with your thighs, was good exercise, and a lot of fun.

When standing in the stirrups, on the balls of your feet, you should be able to put two fingers between your butt and the saddle. This allows you to use the stirrups when you need and to sit comfortably when you want. One thing to keep in mind is that if you carry your rifle in a scabbard under your stirrup that you must fit it with the rifle in the scabbard, otherwise it will be too short.

You also 'must' have a saddle big enough for your big butt. Try sitting on the saddle, back straight and make sure you can stick a closed fist between your crotch and the saddle horn. If the saddle is too small you will get blisters on your tailbone, if too big on your buttocks.

You have to ride a horse, not ride on it.

I don't believe that it is common for short stirrups to hurt your knees, unless you ride a horse holding on with the stirrups. Mickey is right, you have to learn to hold yourself in place with your upper thighs while leaving your lower legs loose.(not squeezing the horse) If you are riding a horse, you are sitting like on a chair with your legs bent in front of you and almost no weight on the stirrups and your thighs are holding you in place. When a horse stops hard (or going downhill) your thighs hold you in the pocket instead of sticking your feet up around the horse's shoulders. In other words you should be able to slam a horse into a stop without your lower legs moving forward, holding yourself in place with your thighs. He is also correct that your stirrups need to be turned. I guess this is one of those things I assumed everyone already knew. As far as saddle size, if I were going to fudge I would rather have the seat a little big than a little small, but that may be from spending time on cutters, on a cutting horse I ride a 17 in. seat, while a 16.5 feels right for just fooling around on a horse, which I do very little of. I have no idea how anyone can ride without their heels down, toes out, it just isn't natural for me, I turn my foot in when I get close to brush, etc. Building up strength in the thighs is a necessity, quit trying to ride by using the stirrups as props. When I was a kid, an old horse trainer got so sick of me using the stirrups to vault myself around in the saddle, he made me ride my cutting horse with no stirrups for a month or so. That is the best way to learn to hold yourself with the thighs.

I've always heard that 20% of your weight should be in the stirrups when long riding,, do you guys agree?

The second post covered it.

I rode quite a bit when I was a young, so when I went huning in October 15 minutes into the ride I knew the stirrups were too short, but was too lazy to stop and adjust them....I got off in about 2 hours later and needed WD-40 to unlock my knees. I let the stirrups out a notch and rode for an additional 8 days with no problems.

If you riding with an outfitter and experiencing extreme pain, mention it. Most of the time they will know exactly what is wrong and can adjust the saddle.

Saludos...Frank

I ride between 4 and 10 hours a day. I have become a firm believer in the "Back on track " knee brace. Realy helps and keeps the trick kneee limber........

one thing that has not been mentioned that i feel is often over looked is the position of the stirrups in relation to long axis of the horse. They often tend to hang perpendicular and are forced forward by the riders feet, and over the course of long riding apply a slight but constant twisting force to the knees which is quite painful over time. From my experience this is MUCH worse when using tack that isn't often used as the leather has had time to resume its natural position and will tweak your knees inward.

lengthening the stirrups allows for more of the leather to absorb the same twisting effect and helps to alleviate that pressure on your knees.
people often ride with stirrups far to long to provide them with optimal stability when riding through interesting terrain and put more strain on their mount than is really necessary.

What i would recommend, if it is your saddle, is to store it with a 2x4 going through both stirrups to help keep them aligned. If it is an outfitters saddle, then only time will allow both your knees to adjust to the saddle, and the saddle to adjust to your knees.

Let me know if this makes any sense to you guys and if not, ill do a better job explaining what im trying to say.


Keller

Increasing your riding fitness is one option but if not Yoga! it really will work.

Adjusting tack is sort of like choosing a hat, everybody has there own idea of what fits right. I was born on a West Texas cattle ranch and worked until I enlisted in the army in 1959. I found that I needed a smaller horse since I am short legged and stocky; a broad back horse killed me! My cousin being about the same height, but, possesed with longer legs and a slighter build could ride larger horses easily. We all adjusted our stirrups so that when we stood up we could just fit our fist between the seat and our crotch. It seemed to work for us. Now, at 66 just thinking about riding a horse all day makes my entire body ache.

I really don't know when I have ever read so much crap. If you are not a horseman, your going to hurt all over and all this advise is just pure BS..short stirrups, long stirrups, none of this makes any difference, Unless you ride all the time your in for pain, end of story....You should, however, be able to stand in the stirrups and have several inches under your crotch or at least be able get your hand between you and the saddle. Wide horses, short horses, thin horses, all that makes no difference, none whatsoever.

I ride all the time and have since a very young age, These days I rope two or three times a week and almost every weekend, work cattle from time to time, and if I ride 20 miles a day I still hurt. If your not a cowboy then you can expect to hurt after a 5 hour day horseback, about all you can do is keep it to yourself and go on hunting. Just do the best you can.

About 4 Ibuprofen should help more than anything else, before and after and a knee brace may help you out. Your butt will toughen up, your knees will not, you will have to learn to live with it or quit riding. My knees bother me all the time but at 72 nothing helps a hell of a lot. I just love roping and working cattle too much to give it up just yet.

I wish I could count the times I have ridden from daylight til dark and got off my horse and my legs hurt and felt like rubber and just barely supported my weight, it goes with the territory when you over do it...but it won't kill you your knees are a long way from your heart!

Well about the best advice I have heard of comes from fivebigbores & Atkinson, You boys either need to cowboy up or get one of them 4 wheelers. I ride every Sat & Sun huntin or scoutin, or startin colts. If you are going to do it get a good saddle that fits your but first knees second, then get rid of those blevins buckles and lace the stirup leathers when you get them where you want them. That way nobody adjust them for you. I like the two pints idea also. You might also try and just relax when in the saddle, that seems to help the pony as well. good luck!

You've hear from everyone else, might as well read my comments, too.

To be comfortable on a horse:
1. Stirrups must be correct length. Two finger rule-stand up in the saddle, and you should be able to put two fingers under your butt.
2. When you start feeling sore, get offf and walk a bit.
3. Remember the phrase "Getting your seat." It relates to your posture and muscle tension while riding. It's sort of like pornography: Hard to describe, but you'll recognize it when you accomplish it.

I just returned from Kyrgyzstan, wher I rode 15-30 miles a day. Hadn't been on a horse in 20 years, but had no problems. However, the saddle was too short (fore and aft) so trotting was very uncomfortable. Answer: I didn't trot. It took awhile to convince my guide that I was going to ride at MY speed, not his.

There were three other hunters in camp, all horse owners. They all suffered from bad tack and unwillingness to insist on their own pace.

I sincerely hope this helps. No offense intended to other posters here, most of whom have a lot more experience than I.
Brice

Enough guys have given you their advice, but I'll add done thing - get yourself some slip on elastic braces and slip them over your knees. Your knees will stay warmer and tend to lock up less. And NO trotting! I'm 65 now, and I used to ride all day with no problems (on a Tennessee walking horse!) Now I get sore, but I still haven't resorted to a padded damn seat! Maybe next year. Ahhh youth.

BTW, that shit about holding on with your thighs is just that, you ain't going to hold your seat with your thighs on a six hour ride. Ever hear the expression "thunder thighs". That's what you'd have to have to pull that stunt. That's why they give you stirrups! About 20 percent weight in the stirrups is about right, less when you are on level ground and can relax a bit, then maybe 10 percent. Depends of the horse too. Some of them you want more weight on the stirrups all the time - try riding with slack stirrups when one boogers to the side on you - you'll wind up on you;re ass or some more sensitive part of your anatomy. Good luck.

Bill, you may also have developed a small tear in the medial menicus of your knee cartilage. It would take an MRI to know for sure, and whether it was significant enough for arthroscopy.