knees

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I am a knee expert on MY OWN knees, so anything I say may or may not work
for you <VBG> I have NO cartilage *nor* ACL in one knee (as in: zilch,
been that way for 25 yrs), and have had ACL replacement surgery in the
other. Skiing *kills* my knees, walking downhill hurts and is tricky, so I
gave up on those two. 40 years of those are plenty....

But, I will NOT give up riding... (that lifelong habit won't go away) So
when my 65 yr old knees (I'm only 42) said riding hurts, I found another
way of riding and it came in the form of riding with a deep seat, relaxed
thighs, and "soft" weight in the stirrups.

I've only taken a handfull of riding lessons, so please don't *get me* on
my logic<G> If I ride without stirrups, as suggested by many trainers for
learning true balance, I have NO pain. If I am riding an unfamiliar horse,
or am tense about something else, I notice I put BIG weight in the
stirrups, and have BIG pain later, in my knees. Sally Swift in "Centered
Riding" talks about NOT blocking your weight at the hips, knees, or ankles.
She suggests "Let your body melt like ice cream and dribble down into and
out the bottom of your boots." (great image)

At this point you say, "how do I post for 100 miles?". I don't know.
(This wannabe endurancer has not done that yet - these knees may not be
able to take it once I get into that many miles) But if your problem is
only at the walk, maybe you're stressed out and placing it all in your
stirrups. YOGA is helpful for that teeth clenching thing, and also for
strengthening and stretching all the muscles and joints in the body (ie.
short, weak hamstrings contributing to knee weakness, and tight hip joints
agonizing over a broad horse.

Oh yeah - I have used the *ice cream legs* on both wide and narrow horses,
both in my comfortable old western saddle and in my new, incredibly
comfortable Sport Saddle. Which makes the old western feel like an old
western.

Tense = painful knees. Soft = ok knees (considering) <VBG> For me it's
not the saddle.

Any horrid knees out there posting for 100 miles?

Bambi

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• Previous message: Lari Shea: "Trailer ride needed to Bend, Or"

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