At 17:43:33 on 17.05.11, Walsy wrote:
When ever i have a lesson, and i'm told to point my heels down further it seems that i get a really sharp pain in my ankle and knee only on my right leg. This also happens when i'm hacking out and use my right leg to keep my horse to in to the left of the road! I visited my doctor and she said there is nothing wrong with it and that it shouldnt prevent me from riding. I've been trying to keep a positive attitude about it but it really affects the way i ride, meaning that when i'm in trot i buckle down in pain every time i rise, usually hurting my horses back in the process as i bounce. Has anyone else experienced this? And if so, what tips do you have?

At 23:11:30 on 20.05.11, JessAndGrenville123 wrote:
don't push them down, that put's strain on your muscles you should be using to comunicate with the horse. it sounds like you foot is too far into the stirrup and you may be swinging your lower leg back, keep the ball of your foot in your stirrup and your lower leg on or just behind the girth and you weight should naturally fall into your heels, also a good tip is to imagine you have a thread running through your body starting at your head, straight down through your body and hips and to your heels, all straight line. good luck :)

At 23:32:25 on 20.05.11, kibby wrote:
Yep. I can't ride for too long without finding my self in pain. Go to a physio!! A stretch I use to help is standing on the edge of a step with the balls of your feet on the step drop you weight through you ankle (gently) then draw them up to horizontal and lower them again. But please don't do this without getting checked out by a physiotherapist. It sounds like there is something major going on.

At 12:03:30 on 21.05.11, Walsy wrote:
Yes, i try not to push them down but my instructor keeps telling me off and comes over and positions them in the most painful way possible! I would love to go to a physio but im afraid i could never afford it! I ride in return of looking after all of her horses, as i cannot afford any type of financial contribute! The reason i went to the doctors is because i thought she might be able to help by referring me to someone. My only concern is that she didn't even look at my ankle.. i just told her what my problem was and she said its nothing to worry about :S Im glad im not the only one who experiences this though! I don't find it happening all the time- only when im in the school and my instructor is telling me to push my heels down. When i don't have someone analyzing me i find that it barely hurts at all! Thanks for the help both of you! :)

At 15:33:29 on 21.05.11, Angelalain wrote:
Don't know how old you are etc but its the sort of thing which affects some of us older gals! Particularly if you've ever had an injury. My friend suffers knee/ankle because a horse fell on her as a teenager. I just get pain in my ankles if i ride for a long period (2 hours+) I also find if I'm doing alot of trotting on a strong horse it hurts more, probably because I am pushing my heels down to brace myself against him pulling!(he's not really that strong he just gets into his'cart pony' trot and goes too fast for the youngster, so its a constant attempt to keep him slower). To be honest I think its a touch of arthritis in the old bones. With you I would suggest you do the excercise Kibby suggested, its included in alot of keep fit videos so as long as you don't overdo it you shouldn't cause much harm. Try looking online for excercises for knee and ankle, I'm sure you could find some. And tell your instructor it hurts!! Your heels do not have to be right down, just with the weight in them, as long as your toes are not down you should be able to ride in balance.Straight line, Shoulder hip, heel and weight down that way.

At 16:33:58 on 21.05.11, Walsy wrote:
I've never had an injury with my knee or ankle. It could be because i'm double jointed- my knees can go whichever way I want them to! As a result of this though, a lot of clicking happens. The pain I get it the sort of pain where I feel as if I need to click my bones. But obviously when mid-trot its pretty hard to relieve them! Nearly every bone in my body clicks a lot though, so I don't know if its just a matter of me having very stiff bones or something I should be worrying about! I'm only 16, so really arthritis shouldn't be a problem :S Thanks for your advice, i'll try and find some exercises that will help :)

At 03:10:33 on 03.06.11, Fancy22 wrote:
I was wreasting with my dad one day and i messed up my knee. i was just wondering if you have any advice as to make it stop hurting when i ride! thxs much!

At 18:32:06 on 18.08.11, WildHoofprints wrote:
Wow, I ride western and have pain too in my ankles when I ride. It feels like my circulation is getting cut off actually, my feet and ankles are all tingley and shaking from trying to keep them down. One time, after a day long trail ride, my feet didn't support me when I dismounted and I collapsed for a bit... they were very numb for a bit before they got tingley. I have joint issues too, it runs in my family (i'm 20, so I don't think i'd have arthritis). I have never had an injury from a horse before. Tell your instructor it really hurts everytime she shoves your leg back! If you have already I think you should find a different one, one who's more sensitive to your needs. @ JessAndGrenville123 Your post is really helpful, i'm going to try out what you're suggesting!

At 15:19:28 on 22.08.11, Walsy wrote:
Yes that sounds similar to mine! Mine is only in my right ankle, which i use the most to push the horse to the left side of the road. I generally fall off the horse if i have my ankle pain, because when i lean forward it makes it worse. Then i generally can't walk for a while but it only takes a few minutes for my ankle to go back to normal once its in its normal position. I've noticed that if i wear jodphur boots and chaps it doesn't hurt as much because there is more support. But when i wear my loong "Dublin Pinnacle" boots thats when it's at its worst! Its nice to know someone else has the same problem though! :)

At 03:09:17 on 23.08.11, WildHoofprints wrote:
Yeah XD I too thought I was the only one, no one else in my 4-H club has it! It's been waay too hot lately to ride, hopefully it's nice for 4-H tomorrow.