Strategies for a More Comfortable Ride: Eliminating Saddle Discomfort

Are you a rider experiencing discomfort in the pelvic area? This is a common issue, but it's not normal and can be managed effectively.

Understanding the anatomy of the pelvis is key to improving hip flexibility and enhancing your mobility on horseback (Check out the accompanying Video). Ideally, a rider's weight should be distributed across the seat bones, pubic bone, and inner thighs. However, leaning too far forward or backward disrupts this balance, causing excessive pressure and friction on sensitive areas.

Imbalances of the seat leads to riders tensing their muscles for stability. While this might work when stationary, it's counterproductive when moving with your horse. Tension, particularly in the adductors, abdominals, and gluteals, restricts hip and pelvic mobility. This creates a cycle of tension, discomfort, and chafing. The more discomfort you experience, the more you tense up, leading to more pain. Since the horse is always moving, trying to limit your own movement results in uncontrolled motion.

What's the solution? Understanding how the pelvis and hip joints function in the saddle and improving pelvic and hip joint mobility. Achieving dynamic control allows for efficient use of the muscles around the hip joint and pelvis, reducing tension and discomfort.

In conclusion, a rider-focused fitness program that improves dynamic pelvic control can be transformative. (Click to Learn More About Eckwood Equitation Fitness & Academy) It not only eliminates saddle discomfort but also refines your riding skills. The key to comfortable riding is building three-dimensional pelvic mobility, allowing your pelvis to move in sync with the horse's back.

Take the pelvic mobility assessment and receive a coupon code for a lifetime-access course that will enhance your pelvic mobility off the horse.