riding with a dodgy hip?

[MitchierInge]

sorry about my hypochondria

wondering if anyone else is working (riding) around a decomposing (don't know what is wrong with it actually) hip and if you have any practical advice or words of encouragement

Same here, it's a rotten nuisance, especially when I'm actually getting somewhere in a lesson and everything has to stop because I've got cramp. Don't know about advice though really, I just tend to put up with it. If I was giving myself practical advice it would be to get a smaller horse so I could at least get on it . I do find the hip is less bother when I'm fitter if that helps , also a nice warm wheatbag eases the stiffness pretty well. I've also been taking cod liver oil and malt which I really think is helping, having taken inspiration from a friend who swore by it and could still touch her toes at the age of 85.

Hahaha, smaller horse!

Cod liver oil and malt gives me an idea, could take Barney's cortaflex! Would it work in humans? Am already taking handfuls of iron, anti-mental disorder, fear of obesity and other pills. Some more won't hurt?

Am not even 41 yet, seems a bit unfair. I'm quite fit really apart from the chain smoking thing. :(

Mine's a hereditary thing so I'm kind of used to it. My sister has it much worse than me, she hasn't ridden all summer and has spent a fortune on treatment but then she is a bit of a drama queen. Dd has got it from me, ds has escaped. He's the only one in our house who can sit cross-legged!

I wouldn't take the horse's cortaflex, you can get a human version. My stepdad takes it (he had back surgery and narrowly escaped a wheelchair but still has a lot of pain) and he says it really makes a difference. He's found a place where you can order it by phone and it's a lot cheaper but he has to remember to ask for the human one not the horse one!

Tut tut at chain smoking. Apart from health and face like a smoked kipper it's just like setting fire to piles of money, money that you could spend on pink headcollars and posh boots.

Two of my friends tried this it is very good stuff.

I am a drama queen too. Have never met anyone as rubbish as me at coping with discomfort, I think I'm a flight animal, hate feeling physically weak or restricted by pain and can't stop complaining about it.

Saggy do you mean your friends took the horse version or is there a human one there?

I used to have a dodgy hip (bursitis). I haven't had any trouble since I've had my wide little native mare; I think the stretching has done it good. I also love her because she's like a lovely little armchair to ride. DH's big mare has the same effect but she's a sofa.

There's a person version.

I can only ride narrow ones who have very smooth gaits as I have a wrecked sacroiliac joint and bursitis (forget physio, get a big needle full of steroids!). It's all down to having a seperated pelvis and I do have to take it easy. Doing lots of pilates as, in theory, riding is about core strength but it is all too easy to damage yourself with overcompensating. I've got abductors like nutcrackers and use them in favour of my core- not good. I'm hoping to do some lunge lessons.

I have thighs of steel but a comparatively weak core, have been working on that. It could be overuse couldn't it? Am so all or nothing, one extreme or other. Sigh.

I've had my 'old lady hip' for about 4 years now - I reckon it might be related to mounting from ground for 30-odd years so I'm now meticulous about mounting from a block. Maybe it's more than that but whatever it is I'm pretty gutted - it's really bloody painful some days.

I've been Not Riding for a while now, about a month going by this thread, and my hip is much better. It still protests if I do much walking, running, leaping about but it is dismal to think that at 41 I might have to stop an activity I only recently returned to.

Honestly thought my horse would wear out before I did?

could you ride side saddle?

I'm not really a rider, but had some lessons last year. I've an occasionally dodgy hip (don't know exactly what - goes weird if I've been sitting crosslegged or anything like that). Anyhow, the instructor had us do some riding without stirrups, which I thought would be a problem but oddly the hip was a lot better for a few months after. I suppose it stretched something or other!