Abetta English
Monday, January 3rd, 2011Western Stirrup pain?
I am used to riding in an english saddle on my horse. I tried a friends Abetta synthetic western saddle today on a trail ride for a few hours and it really made my knees hurt. I was wondering if the stirrups were too short (they felt comfortable to me), or if that is just how western stirrups feel when they turn out. It was the outside part of my knees and it was a pretty sharp pain that took a few minutes to go away after I dismounted. I am considering a new saddle and had been debating on if I should get a (leather) western saddle for trail riding. Has anyone else had problems with western saddles causing knee pain? The other western saddle I have ridden in recently was a cheap leather saddle on someone else's horse and it never made my knees hurt even know it was new and stiff.
I have knee and hip pain while riding... I ride in a Circle Y barrel saddle... but then again I have bad knee and hip problems... I guess the last few years of 'cowboying' has gotten the best of me...
If you ride in a western saddle, the best way to keep your knees from hurting is ride in a saddle with forward hung stirrups... They should hang vertically from your saddle horn... Some come with adjustable stirrups and so if you do anything but trail they'd have to hang back...