Padded riding pants

[Creamcrackersandricecakes]

Not for me, but my poor 12yr old DD. She has been riding a really bouncy pony in her lessons, (he somehow manages to have a long stride as well as being super bouncy - very hard to sit to!), and she's complaining that her vulva is really sore and swollen afterwards. We're due to go on a riding holiday soon where we'll be spending up to 3 hours a day in the saddle, so I'm really concerned she's not going to cope. Today we tried her wearing some period pants, but they didn't help. I've ordered her some equetech dressage plus pants which should arrive this week, but I was wondering if anyone had any tips? We've also tried her wearing a pad, but that just chafed...

I had this problem when I started riding a lot. I tried more than one brand of padded pants, but none were helpful, all too wide in the crotch .. however, I now ride 5-6 days a week without discomfort so I think my vulva / soft bits have hardened up !

My son's instructor recommended padded cycling shorts which I guess would work for a girl too?

I think padded cycling shorts are the next stop if the equetech ones are no good...

...and yes, she definitely needs to spend more time in the saddle!!

I have these

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01IDVAI6I/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?psc=1&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&ie=UTF8

It is a position thing mainly and she probably needs to make sure she’s sitting more on her seat bones. I used to tell my little ones that I taught to imagine they were wearing jeans and were trying to sit on the pockets.

@HappyGirlNow - thank you, I did see these, but I must admit I balked at the price!!! I might have to suck it up though if the equetech ones are no good.
@lastqueenofscotland - great tip, thank you!

I’m a bit baffled by this. A 12 yo should not be getting a sore vulva from riding if she is sitting correctly. I spend up to 8 hours at a time in the saddle sometimes and have never had a sore vulva from it. I would hazard a guess that she is perched too far forward, perhaps with her stirrups too long. She should be sitting on her bum - her gluts. My bum has less muscle that it used to due to age, and I use a gel pad on my saddle. But that’s because I ride very long distances regularly and my bony old bum appreciates a bit of comfort. My vulva does not come into contact with the saddle.

@backinthebox - it's really only an issue on this one particular pony. He is fairly chunky and wide with a super bouncy trot and canter. She's still learning to sit deeply in the saddle, so during sitting trot and trot / canter transitions she's getting bounced around and bashing her bits. She doesn't ride him every time, but her instructor likes them to ride all the different ponies so they don't get complacent or get too used to one.
I have offered to speak privately to her instructor but she was mortified at the thought and begged me not to!
Hopefully the ponies she rides on our holiday will have slighter smoother paces- I think we'll be doing quite a bit of walking on hacks too, so less bouncing.

...and I have explained to her about tucking her bum underneath her and not sitting on her 'fork', but she's still learning so tends to forget.

You can get padded liner cycling shorts - they still have the chamois pad but are more like underwear in terms of thickness of the fabric, so if the weather is hot you don’t overheat or get yeast infections. Mountain bike shorts liners are better than road cycling cycling shorts.

www.wiggle.co.uk/endura-womens-padded-liner-cycle-shorts

A pony with a choppy trot is not fun to ride, she may be able to learn to influence it to take slower bigger strides over time. Get her to think of her pelvis like a bucket of water, if you tip forward, water spills out the front, tip your pelvis back and it spills out the back. Get it upright and she's in a better position ( once correct it will probably feel like she is tilted too far back as lots of people trying to be correct actually tilt their pelvis forward and put their shoulders back, creating a really arched back but think they are sitting up straight like their coach has often asked them to.) Pulling her belly button towards her spine might help too. Too much sitting trot on a bouncy pony is not good for rider or pony. A sanitary pad will make things worse- sweaty and chafe. Maybe try a gel saddle pad? If you have anywhere you can have some lessons on a simulator, that can really help focus on position without stress.
Enjoy your holiday!

@SweatyBetty20 - those look great, thank you. I think I'll order some as a back up to the equetech ones for our holiday.

@horseymum - thank you; I'd forgotten about the bucket of water from my own lessons!! I'll try and get her to practice on the ground. This pony is so lovely, real schoolmaster type, good as gold, but my goodness he's a bouncy boy! He's also fairly wide and as DD is a skinny Minnie that probably doesn't help!

@Creamcrackersandricecakes I haven’t ridden a horse in 20 years and am normally a road cyclist, but I’ve done a few hot cycling holidays where I wore liners and MTB baggies, and the liners were great (plus they wash and dry really quickly). There are loads around, so have a google. Not sure if you know about this but cyclists also use something called chamois cream - we either slather it on our undercarriage or spread a thin layer on to the pad. It creates a layer for friction, and stops things chafing. I use Rapha, which is expensive but smells utterly amazing, but Assos is great too.

@SweatyBetty20 - thank you, I'll have a google. :-)

I tip forward a bit - Someone told me I ‘need to sit more on my American fanny and less on my English fanny !’
Still makes me laugh, but basically it’s a lot to do with her position, she needs to sit up more and put her weight on her seat bones.
Maybe have a go on a mechanical horse - it will show her where her weight is and the mirrors will help her see where she’s going wrong.

For long distances/time in the saddle, a pair of endurance riding tights can be handy! Many types come with strategic padding. And they roll up tiny, for easy packing!

Different approach here...buy a gel seat saver for the saddle and arrive a little early and put it on. It's probably a combination of bouncy pony and a saddle that fits him but not her.

@TooManyAnimals94 - I've just been googling Heather Moffat sear pads; wow, not cheap!! I'm watching a couple on eBay so hopefully might be able to pick one up 👍

*seat

Just googled and didn't realise they were that pricey! But the gel ones are the only ones that make a difference x

It’ll be the way she sits really. I got this a bit as a child and it was from tipping forward. She really needs to sit back more. Sometimes the saddle doesn’t help: I went on a 3 day ride and the saddles all had surcingles on top as it was very uneven ground. The leather surcingle rubbed me raw, but it was resolved with a switch to a webbing one.
If all else fails, a seat saver will help. I now have a bony arse and ride on a very old, hard, flat saddle. It’s been a great help!

Sorry but a riding holiday is probably a bit soon if she still can't sit to a bouncy pony. You need to crack the balance thing, padded pants don't help.
She needs to develop a deep seat which I'm sure you know. Never underestimate a lunge lesson with no stirrups. They are fantastic for learning how to relax and go with the movement rather than fighting it and bouncing all over the place.

[quote Creamcrackersandricecakes]@TooManyAnimals94 - I've just been googling Heather Moffat sear pads; wow, not cheap!! I'm watching a couple on eBay so hopefully might be able to pick one up 👍[/quote]
I've got one op and it's with ten times the price! Mines 20 odd years old and is as good as new.
It might help your daughter to watch some of heather's enlightened equitation training videos, they're brilliant. She explains things very well and hearing things her way really clarifies things for me. The difference between my horse being straight (Which I couldn't seem to understand) and being parallel with the wall was a real lightbulb moment for me.
Heather's dewcription and demo of riding a trot might help your daughter enormously.