WWYD: My hips just don't work that way

[quietann]

Background: I had a bad fall from a pony in October 2007, cracked my pelvis and pulled a lot of ligaments in my left hip joint. I had a lot of physical therapy, and got back to riding fairly quickly, though my left hip would and still does get painful.

I've moved towards dressage because I am no longer allowed to jump (result of another fall in 2008), and figured out pretty quickly that getting my leg underneath me in "proper" dressage position just isn't happening. Or rather, I can get it about halfway there but by then the pain in my hip is so bad that I can't stay focused on riding. OTC painkillers don't really make any difference.

I've taken a few lunge lessons and quit because I wasn't getting anything out of them because of the pain in my hip. When I went saddle-shopping, the "good leg position" saddles were too painful to ride in; I ended up with an Albion Style that is extremely comfortable, good enough for trail rides, but has my thighs a bit too forward. Lengthening stirrups doesn't help; it just makes me unable to reach them, because my hips just don't work that way.

It's not just the bad hip but hips in general; I am broad-beamed :winkgrin: round of thigh, and my legs naturally turn out from my hips. I of course am continuing to ride and train, and figure this physical issues is just going to be a limitation. It's not the sort of thing one gets "special dispensation" for in competition.

WWYD?

[Eclectic Horseman]

I got news for you. You aren't going to the Olympics.

But think about the paraolympians. Those severely disabled riders are able to get their horses to perform at a very high level, even if they don't look 100% correct in the saddle. Some of them are missing LIMBS, for crying out loud. Riders and horses can compensate to a great degree.

But I would also keep plugging away. Continue with specialized exercise routines tailored to dressage riders (yoga, pilates and equistretch.) You might be surprised at the changes in your body that you can accomplish with years of determination and perseverance.

Oh, and P.S. You weren't going to the Olympics anyway.....

[Mozart]

One word: Yoga.

Seriously. You won't see a change right away but if you find a good teacher and keep at it your body will change in ways that you did not think possible. I am freakishly inflexible, I have been practising since September and have eliminated back pain, reduced foot pain and have a range of movement in my hips that I did not think was possible (for me...as I said, I am freakishly inflexible).

[flshgordon]

You might think about attending a clinic by someone that specializes in biomechanics (Heather Blitz et al?) I am sure there are lots of diff. clinicians that utilize this and they might be able to help you with how you can compensate for physical shortcomings & injuries. We have a clinician that comes about once a month locally that is a huge help in this area and can help with how you can adjust things according to your body type/shortcomings/saddle suggestions, etc. Might be worth a try.

[esdressage]

Another thing to think about is your saddle (it sounds like you have already) and the horses you ride. I know that in some saddles I get horrible pain in my hip joints, while in others (on the same horse) I can ride just fine. Also, I wonder if narrower horses would be more comfortable for you than wider horses that can force your legs into such an uncomfortably straddled position.

As a side note, kudos to you for keeping at it despite the challenges you're facing. I think there's just something about horses that has a lot of us coming back to riding despite any variety of issues, whether they're emotional, financial, circumstantial, or physical. I wish you many happy miles in the saddle :)

[Petstorejunkie]

Alot of hippotherapy programs have instructors that specialize in very minor issues such as yours. I worked with a woman that posted way off to the right because of an old injury. she wasnt safe for a traditional lesson program, so she got 1 on 1 with my eagle eye. :cool: She did get to where she posted almost straight by the time she moved on.

You need to find an instructor that understands your speicific limitations and issues so that they can tailor a plan for you, on and off the horse.

a chair seat never stopped a rider from entering the arena... believe me, folks with no excuse are out there rocking the chair seat.

[twofatponies]

I tore up the ligaments in my ankle a year and a half ago and they are still prone to weird cramps and lack of flexibility. I'm not sure that will ever go away completely.

I agree with other posters about trying narrower/small horses and different saddles. It might just be something you always have to work around and compensate for.

One serious consideration - sidesaddle!

[TheHorseProblem]

I have shoulder issues, and a horse that I've been riding the last two years can get really heavy in my hands, and I'm not always up to correcting him. I have already given myself permission to switch to another type of riding if it is ever a real problem again. Dressage is a lot of work. There are so many people who just ride for fun and for the love of the horse who aren't always trying to perfect themselves or their horse.

As far as I know there is nothing in the rule books that says you can't show in a saddle with a more forward flap or a shorter stirrup.

Oh, and I totally agree about yoga. Bikram (hot) yoga gave me back my range of motion when my physical therapist gave up on me ("that's a very functional range"--it just wasn't *normal* until after a few months of Bikram).

Keep working on those 10,000 hours!:)

[slc2]

Physical therapy, and stretching - far, far more stretching than the PT thinks is enough.

You might consider seeing an osteopathic doctor.

I injured my back and as a result, wound up crooked in the hips. I got all pretzeled around and it was quite unpleasant to ride. I went to the osteo, he put me on a table and stretched me and twisted me into the opposite pretzel, and all of a sudden the whole thing gave way and I was straight, LOL. Since then tons of routine stretching (there's a very good book called 'Stretching', large format soft cover book, with line drawings of routines of stretching for each type of sport).

[Tomw]

grrrrrrr i just wrote you a long post on my teaching ideas, which i think have relevance and my comp crashed!! i'll write it again for you tomorrow, but in the mean time have a look at this guy hes one of the people i admire most, he proves anything is possible on a horse
http://www.leepearson.co.uk/
he has been british able bodied restricted national champ at elementary and reserve champ at medium, he is competing at Prix St George, he has 9 paralympic gold medals in the most disabled category!
he makes me remember that if he can ride like that i really shouldnt use my bad back as an excuse!!!!

[Hampton Bay]

Have you tried riding with a shorter stirrup, maybe in a close contact saddle?

[EqTrainer]

One word: Yoga.

Seriously. You won't see a change right away but if you find a good teacher and keep at it your body will change in ways that you did not think possible. I am freakishly inflexible, I have been practising since September and have eliminated back pain, reduced foot pain and have a range of movement in my hips that I did not think was possible (for me...as I said, I am freakishly inflexible).

:yes:

I look at it this way (and I have had some pretty serious injuries, and I currently have a collarbone that is almost 2 inches shorter than the other one - care to talk asymmetries?!!) - I can spend my time "dealing" with my problem in the saddle and trying to get around it and trying to make dressage work for me in spite of it.. or I can spend that SAME time fixing myself on the mat and when I do hit the saddle, ride that much better. It's the same amount of time spent, but with a much better outcome.

Honestly... everyone is crooked. Yes, people ride crooked and ride very well. They'd ride even better if they weren't as crooked. It's an undeniable truth.

It's really up to you.. how hard you are willing to work at it. Most likely it will not happen ON the horse, but thru another modality off the horse. And as far as pain goes? I don't think you should really expect it to ever go away completely when you've had injuries.

slc's comment about an osteopath is a good idea, too, but given the nature of your injury I'd think a good yoga instructor would do you more long term help - maybe the osteopath first. I saw an excellent OD in France (international level soccer doc) who helped me immensely.. but it's only been yoga that has helped me long term.

[mortebella]

Here's the way I tend to look at it: yoga was the technology they had, long LONG before we had technology, which is making us all crazy, btw...;)

[Whisper]

Yup, Yoga, Pilates, vaulting, any kind of stretching, really, every day, and particularly before you get on the horse. If you have acute pain at any time, back off a little, relax, try again. Some people find chiropractors very helpful, but I didn't personally see any improvement. A physical therapist or sports-medicine-oriented doctor might have some helpful exercises and suggestions for you. Hippotherapists and theraputic riding/vaulting places usually focus on people with much more severe physical problems, but some of them also accept regular riders, and some regular teachers are very understanding about physical disabilities. EqTrainer, most people don't have the opportunity to spend as much time riding as they can on the mat/off the horse! A friend of mine has several horses she lets me ride for free, but only if the weather is decent, it's before they do evening feed, if someone is there, etc.

[Ambrey]

QA, don't go for the big changes. Make tiny changes a little at a time. THat's how muscles and ligaments, especially those that are kind of scarred and damaged, work.

Be careful with yoga or any other class that doesn't teach you how to listen to your body first, because if you overstretch you'll do more harm than good (I'm sure you have been through that).

Baby steps, and each time you look at photos look for small improvements in your position.

I did a ton of searches online for stretches and strengthening for hip flexors, and found a few that I was able to do that targeted some muscles that were abnormally shortened from my accident. It's slow, but I am definitely noticing a difference :)

[twofatponies]

QA, don't go for the big changes. Make tiny changes a little at a time. THat's how muscles and ligaments, especially those that are kind of scarred and damaged, work.

Be careful with yoga or any other class that doesn't teach you how to listen to your body first, because if you overstretch you'll do more harm than good (I'm sure you have been through that).

Baby steps, and each time you look at photos look for small improvements in your position.

I did a ton of searches online for stretches and strengthening for hip flexors, and found a few that I was able to do that targeted some muscles that were abnormally shortened from my accident. It's slow, but I am definitely noticing a difference :)

I'd second the Go Slow advice. Yoga etc. might be just the thing, but it can be easy to get carried away and go too fast. With old scar tissue be sure you take it slowly. Around here they have some great yoga classes aimed at old people, the pregnant, etc. that do modified poses and slower paced classes. The same is likely true with other types of training like Pilates. You might start with something like that, then move up to regular classes.

[quietann]

Great replies folks!

I'm not going to the Olympics and not thinking I will; I might top out at First Level like a lot of folks, or maybe higher. My mare is 11 and we have plenty of time to figure it out. She's also quite narrow, 15 hands and 900 pounds or so. Yes, I have run across horses that are just too wide for me to ride comfortably. (Here is a cute photo (http://annsrats.com/horses/feronia/june19_2009/butts2.jpg) of her with the other horse I ride; he's 16.1 and weighs about 400 pounds more than she does, and is at the outer limits of my comfort zone.

EqTrainer, I *also* have a collarbone that is about 2 inches short, thanks to fall #2... It has a metal plate holding it together; the bone is healed but not strong, so I keep the plate forever. It does limit some of the upper body stretching and workouts I could do. It's an easier injury to work around than the hip one.

Stretching -- YES! I need to do more there, definitely. And I laughed at the comment about chair seats being common amongst riders with no "excuse" :lol: I do ride with a shorter stirrup, quite deliberately.

Again thanks for the suggestions :)

[Whisper]

My Yoga and vaulting instructors have all encouraged me to listen to my body, not push too hard, ease off if it hurts, etc. Some riding instructors have that attitude as well, but a lot of them feel you aren't working hard enough unless you're in pain!

You may also want to check with your doctor if a muscle relaxant would be helpful in your situation (not painkillers, but helping to reduce the tension and allow it to fall into place better).

This may be an unpopular suggestion, but you might want to try a few other disciplines and see if another one works better for you. Western, poking around trail riding, saddleseat, driving, sidesaddle (which you can do dressage in) - try to play around with a few things and see what works for you *now*. As you get better range of motion/flexibility in the hip, you can always come back to competing or focusing on training in Dressage. It seems completely counterintutive that standing up or going upside-down while the horse is trotting or cantering is easier than just sitting the trot in a dressage saddle, but my body seems to be able to "get it" better!

[AnotherRound]

One word: Yoga.

Seriously. You won't see a change right away but if you find a good teacher and keep at it your body will change in ways that you did not think possible. I am freakishly inflexible, I have been practising since September and have eliminated back pain, reduced foot pain and have a range of movement in my hips that I did not think was possible (for me...as I said, I am freakishly inflexible).

I did read any other responses, and was going to post this one and caughter Mozart's reply.

Here's the word again: Yoga.

If it includes good long holds, and a round practice, even if you can find a hot yoga class, twice a week mininum, you will be stunned and thrilled after 4 weeks. After only two weeks, my new boyfriend was able to half his pain medication because he was so much stronger, and strength enables you to use your body better (men build muscle faster than women, so give yourself 5 weeks or 4 weeks to start really seeing a change). You will be able to move in ways you never knew you could, and thought you never would again, because you are building other supporting parts of your body, besides just the targeted area.

Do find a good Yoga class. You will have a new body, I swear to Dog. Really. It can't hurt, and it will help.

[whicker]

If you over stretched your pelvic ligaments in the last fall, you may be hyper-mobile. Then you have the pelvic sacral-iliac joints shifting out of place. That is part of what I have been dealing with, and the osteopath and prolotherapy have regenerated the ligaments and tightened them. The PT work is different, since it is a different issue. I have had to go to small narrow horses and a shorter stirrup length and an adjustable stirrup leather bar. pm me if you want to learn more.

[AnotherRound]

You know, I don't know if you have the same thing, but about 5 years ago, I whacked out my left hip one spring using my left leg for soccer volleys, over and over, and was in increasing pain, could hardly walk, and it got worse and worse. The best self-diagnosis I could come up with with something called "Hip over-use syndrome" and I have to think it was ligaments. I was in terrible pain for get this - three years, all soft tissue injury, and was overweight when it happened, and gained some during the trial of it. eventually it cleared up, not before my muscles atrophied in that hip but it cleared up when I lost weight and started yoga. If you have a similar injury, it will clear, but truly, the yoga and wight loss, if you need to lose some, is the best medicine. From my experience. Of course you need to keep up with your doctors, but I just thought I would ay, in case it hlps any.

[mtngirl]

Dr. Max Gawhyler once told me that the most effective rider he ever saw rode in a "chair" seat. He said that one could always strive to have the perfect alignment, but sometimes one's own coformation could prevent it, and that you should learn to work within your boundaries to the maximum of your abilities.

Having had significant hip problems of my own, I would suggest if you haven't already, to consult with an orthopaedic who specializes in sports medicine and especially understands equestrians...then I'd be searching for a good physical therapist. You need to find someone who understands our sport...once you do, you'll find a totally different attitude.

Just a suggestion you might not have thought of: If your saddle has large knee blocks (especially the removeable kind) - try downsizing or getting rid of the knee blocks entirely. I found that they pushed my hip angle out wider. Once I eleminated the bulky blocks, my leg fell straighter and I was more comfortable.

Good luck!

[Long Spot]

The Alexander Technique (Living in a Body) also might have something to offer. I have never tried it myself but have seen some people who ride with challenges such as scoliosis and other "behind the 8 ball" issues do quite well with it. It goes beyond riding as well and my understanding is that it can help you use your body in every day activities to help alleviate pain there too.

I also second the advice that perhaps a traditional dressage saddle may not be the right thing for you at this time, especially since it's causing you pain! If you are more comfortable in a close contact or all purpose saddle, then why not use one? The parallel to the paraolympic games is a good one in my mind. Look at what those riders can do by "riding outside the box" as it were. Amazing!

I have my own physical challenges that I face (herniated discs in the neck), and daily pain associated with what I do with the horses, so I feel where you are coming from.

Hang in there!

[AnotherRound]

[QUOTE=Ambrey;4182811]
Be careful with yoga or any other class that doesn't teach you how to listen to your body first, because if you overstretch you'll do more harm than good (I'm sure you have been through that).

/QUOTE]
As those who actually do the yoga know, the practice is all about modification for your individual body/injuries and abilities. A good yoga teacher knows this and gives you the modifications all along. You don't just "do" the moves, and if you find yourself in a class which doesn't instruct you on the safe modifications for YOUR body, you need to find another teacher. Isolating the injured areas and picking and choosing exercises for them is also damaging. The advantage of yoga is strengthening the entire body to support the other areas which are not strong. Your research should focus on the estimation of people who are working and practicing yoga at least twice a week and who know what they are talking about, not those who have made up excuses why they don't use it. Also, you must choose some kind of regimine which balances both sides of the body so that the one side gets strong and supports the other. Be careful taking the advice of armchair "exercisers" who don't put the work in to practice what they ruminate about. Isolation and focus can be very damaging to injuries. Try to find strenghening and muscling which will make you strong all over. And really work on your core. It supports your legs through your back, and the injury you describe will probably enable you to develop a very strong core while you try not to strain your hip ligaments until they are better healed.

[EqTrainer]

It is true, you really need GOOD yoga instruction for it to help you.

I stumbled upon an excellen Anusara yoga teacher - Sommer Sobin. I had no idea how good she was until she went away and we had a fill-in teacher! She was good.. but she did not have Sommer's talent. I learned more about aligning my body in 8 months of weekly class than I did in the previous 25+ years of riding. It was amazing and I do a home practice now based on what she taught. It would be great if I could keep up w/class but right now I cannot.. but someday I'll go back. Good yoga is amazing.

[Mozart]

Yes, echoing what Another Round says, you have to be prepared to modify. My yoga teacher comes from a background of debilitating back pain, yoga cured her, she became a yoga teacher to "spread the word". She is fanatic about protecting joints, constantly reminding us not to push it, says "this is YOUR pracise. Maybe today your practise does not include XYZ"

I think finding the right teacher is the key, if I am stuggling she is suddenly RIGHT THERE with a block, a foam pad, a yoga belt or a suggestion to back off.

[Mozart]

It is true, you really need GOOD yoga instruction for it to help you.

I stumbled upon an excellen Anusara yoga teacher - Sommer Sobin. I had no idea how good she was until she went away and we had a fill-in teacher! She was good.. but she did not have Sommer's talent. I learned more about aligning my body in 8 months of weekly class than I did in the previous 25+ years of riding. It was amazing and I do a home practice now based on what she taught. It would be great if I could keep up w/class but right now I cannot.. but someday I'll go back. Good yoga is amazing.

Hey, mine is an Anusara practitioner too! :)

[AnotherRound]

Hey, mine is an Anusara practitioner too! :)

Mine is Ava Tyler, and she "has and continues to intensively study Ashtanga, Iyengar, Jivamukti and Kundalini styles of yoga and holds her certification in the Kripalu tradition." I quoted that from her web page because I couldn't rewrite that myself. I just now looked up Anusara, and I like what I read. If i find such a practitioner I would try some of those classes; I am a beginner and don't know alot about the different traditions. I did have a private kundalini instructor last summer and although I saw the benefit of it It didn't make a whole being connection with me the way I have with AvaTyler's teaching. http://www.avatyler.com is her schedule which gives a brief intro to what she does, but I am not versed in the traditions enough to know about them all.

"If you are doing somebody else's yoga, it's mechanical. If you do your own, it's authentic. You can't know in advance how that is going to look. Each person is tapping into the same source, but it manifests differently for everyone. The trick is to listen for guidance and dare to do it."

Quote from Erich Schiffman

Also, I really liked this description of a practice philosophy I found on an anusara teacher's page just now, Lauren Mones http://www.yogadharana.com/yoga_benefits.htm Also, a personal focus.

[thatmoody]

Be careful with yoga or any other class that doesn't teach you how to listen to your body first, because if you overstretch you'll do more harm than good (I'm sure you have been through that).


I am very confused by this post. All of the yoga classes that I have taken (and I have taken many, as well as developing my own practice over several years) have stressed yoga as a way to develop a listening body and mind - a way to learn to integrate what is going on inside and out, and work from that point.

I found yoga after a horse fell on me. I still have many limitations, but they are less troublesome as the years go by. I believe I've adapted. I still limp, and still have problems with that (knee surgery on the opposite knee, for example) but it's just the way I am, and it's no longer so noticeable to me.

[pintopiaffe]

Have you tried a mess of different saddles?

I have a degenerative hip. Some saddles work, and some I quite literally can't walk upon dismounting.

A long time ago Kip Gold(something) in PH wrote an article about her saddle epiphany. I have always had that in the back of my mind. Sometimes, counterintuitively, a WIDE twist and waist can help you open up from the top correctly, and give you the right base to sit on. I alwas thought that becaus I have thunder thighs and an odd hip angle, I needed the narrowest twist... on some horses, I do. On others, a really wide twist--like the old Albions--helps soooo much with my position.

Just *how* far back do you think you need your leg? I had a fairly major revelation last year. For a couple of decades I'd been constantly pushing my leg back, and trying to get a more and more and more vertical thigh. And I'd overdone it. Remember, ears, hips, heels. Your HEELS should only be under your hips, not your TOES. For me and my "not-a-rider" conformation, that means my thigh is not as vertical as I'd wish, but my base is soooo much more correct. (and damn if the aids aren't more effective... DOH! :uhoh: :lol: )

Sitting on a swiss ball when I'm on the computer has helped me. Alternative seating at work (I sit for 10 hrs, exempt from OSHA (i.e. breaks) has helped. I would ADORE being able to do yoga and/or pilates, but I'm very rural, and with my schedule, can't make it to the only classes available. I do see a chiro semi-regularly. He helps. My massage therapist helps the most--hurts like hell--but helps. Unfortunately not covered and is $$. :(

I *do* think there are other, subtle things that you can do that might help. Mechanics. Don't give up, and don't set limits... and (um, speaking of recent revelation ;) ) if you let go of 'expectations' (it MUST be this way, NOW) a little bit, you might find you're doing better than you thought. ;)

Sidesaddle is not an off the wall suggestion either. After Walter Zettl's accident, he could only ride sidesaddle. You can go as far as you have the desire and discipline to go aside...

[TheHorseProblem]

I am very confused by this post. All of the yoga classes that I have taken (and I have taken many, as well as developing my own practice over several years) have stressed yoga as a way to develop a listening body and mind - a way to learn to integrate what is going on inside and out, and work from that point

Bikram yoga, which helped me tremendously to unfreeze my shoulder, is not a "listening" type of yoga. I recommended it because it is done in a hot room and involves so much stretching of the hip joints. But it is taught in a class and there is a rather swift pace to it. Every class is the same 26 asanas, and it is scripted, but not all teachers are the same. If you try it, you just have to pace yourself and opt out of a position if it's too uncomfortable. I modify some of the poses that require an outward rotation of my shoulder, and I have seen teachers who routinely assist students get into poses they need help with. There is also a ballet barre at the back of the room at the studio where I go to for support for those who need it.

As further caveat, don't ever put your mat behind a guy wearing loose shorts.:eek:

[thatmoody]

Yick :). I haven't taken a Bikram class, that is true, because I live in a hot enough climate - I want comfortable temperatures! I practice Iyengar yoga, which uses blocks and props to help achieve perfect form - if you can't do something, you adapt.

Obviously, some yoga practicioners are better teachers than others, but the general idea is to learn to read your body, even in Ashtanga, where you are doing more "power" poses. My teachers have almost always provided alternative poses and practices, and even when they didn't I had been fortunate enough in my earlier teachers to be able to adapt myself.

In any case, I was thinking that there are just some things in horsemanship that cannot be compromised. It doesn't matter if I can't maintain a certain pose, although it does if I can't maintain a soft, steady contact. But I still think yoga helps me adapt to my limitations :).

[Kyzteke]

One word: Yoga.

Seriously. You won't see a change right away but if you find a good teacher and keep at it your body will change in ways that you did not think possible. I am freakishly inflexible, I have been practising since September and have eliminated back pain, reduced foot pain and have a range of movement in my hips that I did not think was possible (for me...as I said, I am freakishly inflexible).

I don't want to detrail the OP's thread, but I am SO glad to hear you say this.

I had a total hip replacement on one side when I was not yet 50 -- very young for that operations.

Now my other hip is showing all the signs & symptoms of the same thing -- severe, bone on bone osteoarthritis. I can't even tie my shoes. I'm in no position to get another hip surgery, so was thinking what I could do. Meds don't help much, neither do the joint replacement pills that I've tried.

In town there are several yoga studios, but one advertises "hot yoga". Says it's for all levels, and the room is heated VERY warm to allow muscles to loosen.

Do you really think that would help?

[Ambrey]

I am very confused by this post. All of the yoga classes that I have taken (and I have taken many, as well as developing my own practice over several years) have stressed yoga as a way to develop a listening body and mind - a way to learn to integrate what is going on inside and out, and work from that point.

My point is that they need to teach you before you ever move your body how to feel a stretch, how much stretch is healthy, and when to back off. When you have abnormally shortened muscles, what seems like a very simple yoga pose can injure you and make the situation worse.

Rehabilitation exercise isn't the same as exercise for people who do not have injuries or abnormalities in their movement, so find an instructor that understands.

[Eclectic Horseman]

I don't want to detrail the OP's thread, but I am SO glad to hear you say this.

I had a total hip replacement on one side when I was not yet 50 -- very young for that operations.

Now my other hip is showing all the signs & symptoms of the same thing -- severe, bone on bone osteoarthritis. I can't even tie my shoes. I'm in no position to get another hip surgery, so was thinking what I could do. Meds don't help much, neither do the joint replacement pills that I've tried.

In town there are several yoga studios, but one advertises "hot yoga". Says it's for all levels, and the room is heated VERY warm to allow muscles to loosen.

Do you really think that would help?

No. I had a total hip replacement in 2007 (I was 53) because I had absolutely no cartilege left, my femur was jammed up into the pelvis and the joint was completely nonfunctional. The hip only got that bad because it was undiagnosed for years because at the time, I was being treated for a severe spinal problem and the doctor's chalked up my limp and hip pain to radiculopathy (radiating pain) or compensation. So I did PT in a therapeutic pool heated to 98 degrees and all kinds of stretching and strengthening. It really didn't help. Felt better while I was exercising in the pool, but since my muscles were already strong and weight bearing, it really had no benefit for the arthritic hip. That sort of thing probably helps people who avoid exercise because of arthritis pain and lose muscle which in turn aggravates the arthritis.

[cheval convert]

If you are going to go the yoga or pilates route try to have at least one private session with the instructor so that you can review your particular issues and so the instructor can be sure that the exercises are adapted to you. (This advice came from my physical therapist who agreed that pilates might help with some of my back issues.) I would also try to find a pt, yoga or pilates instructor who rides and who understands the stresses that riding can cause. Then they can adjust the routine to address the riding issues in conjunction with the other issues.

[esdressage]

have a look at this guy hes one of the people i admire most, he proves anything is possible on a horse
http://www.leepearson.co.uk/
he has been british able bodied restricted national champ at elementary and reserve champ at medium, he is competing at Prix St George, he has 9 paralympic gold medals in the most disabled category!
he makes me remember that if he can ride like that i really shouldnt use my bad back as an excuse!!!!

Wow, just looked at his site ad he's amazing! Anybody who has time should read the Daily Telegraph copy in the About Me section of his site. What a phenomenal, optimistic person this man is! Then watch his videos... wonderful.