Horseback Riding
 

We will be doing a fair amount of horseback riding this fall on a one week elk hunt. Last year I went for a 4 hour horse ride (first time in 20 years) and I thought I was going to die. The inside of my legs and my knees got very sore. If I could of walked I would have.

Any tips? I plan on doing a lot of exercising but was wondering if any of you had any good advice. It will be tough for me to do much horseback riding before I go.

Thank you!

See if there are any stalls near you and see if you can take horseback rides here and there. There is not much excercising you can do to prepare yourself for a week long horseback hunt, nothing worse than paying for a dream hunt and not be able to go out after killing yourself the first day. Be sure to let your outfitter know if you need to get off and walk for a spell.

Hmmm. Look up proper riding techniques online. If you were that sore you weren't sitting it right and were probably sitting really stiff. When on a horse your body should follow the horse. Change your thought process- Let it carry you, rather than you ride it. Riding a horse can be a nice smooth, easy ride if you sit it well. There's lots of tips online, just try and follow those and try not to sit it so stiff.
-Jake

horseride
 

I don't remember the names of the horses we rode but they were big and broad. The same our guide will have. I thought part of the problem was the size of these horses.

I thought also about picking up a "seat saver" which should help with the butt but I think the inside of my knees hurt worse. Any recommendations on these?

There were 4 of us that went on the ride and we all were hurting. They did take time adjusting the length of the sturps so they were the right length.

Can't tell you much more.

If the stirrups were adjusted it shoulda been ok. Maybe you were gripping the horse to tightly with your legs? Or putting to much pressure down into the stirrups to ease the pressure on your butt.
Try to sit relaxed in the saddle. Only apply leg pressure when you need to hold on or when turning your horse. Many Horses are trained to respond to pressure... so aside from tiring your body out, you also are probably sending mixed signals to the horse if youre holding tight with your legs. Another thing about the knees.... Might just be age. I'm only 21 right now But I know my knees are more sore at the end of a day than they were at 16. I dunno your age, but I'm starting to think being sore is just part of life, and...like I said... I'm still young. Pack some Ibuprofen and take it before, in the middle and after your rides. Just plan on it being part of the day.
-Jake

As stated, make sure the stirrups are correctly adjusted. There is nothing wrong with a seat saver. The right sized saddle helps.

You can be right about a broad bodied horse, they can really beat you up and put a lot of pressure on your knees. Adjust your strirups so when you stand in them you are 1-2" above the saddle. When riding don't be afraid to move around in the saddle, lean on corners, lean foward uphill, and back downhill. You can pull your foot out of the stirup and bend it upward, and then the other leg. Usually, clients are very tense on horses and it can make for a brutal ride. Try and relax as best you can.

Take a serious look at what pants your wearing! Wrangler jeans are worn by cowboys for a reason!! The way the inside leg seam is put together is designed to accommodate riding! Relax on the horses as "TwoBear" said, these are pretty broke horses.. Dude horses are not gonna get wild on you, so relax up there, let your body move with the horse. I start a lot of colts every year, so i know how tiring it can be if your tense or even physically primed for action all the time while in the saddle. When your on a well broke horse, you can relax, use the saddle like a lazy boy! Kick your feet out of the stirrups every so often if your knees are bugging you!!

If you cant get your butt saddle ready before the hunt by riding, i would suggest getting a 45 gallon drum and using it like a bucking barrel... The seat saver idea, I think is a very bad idea, as they tend to shift, causing the rider to have to adjust and shift all the time... Way more issues then just the plain old saddle seat!!

Another thing you might want to do is talk to the guide... Maybe the saddle you were in was too small for you... I have long legs, but can still ride a 16" saddle comfortably, you may have been in too small a saddle. See if you can try out a couple different saddles that the guide has, just to ensure you get the best fit for your body type. The stirrup adjustment is a big deal too, make sure when you are standing up you dont have more than a fist between your junk and the saddle to start... If your stirrups are too long, you will be wearing the weight of your body on your tenders... Too short and your hips, knees and butt will be bearing the weight... You need to fit the rig to you!! It is well worth the time before hand!

Best to just relax; atleast while walking.

Always move with the motion of the horse..............lean forward uphill & backward down hill.

Like alot of things; there is a "break-in" period. LOL !

and 70 years before wranglers there was Levis..........just saying