Hip pain after horse riding is an unfortunately common misfortune. Many riders, no matter how experienced, do not know why they experience hip pain after riding.

You may have a firm grasp of the equine anatomy and how things may go wrong with the horse’s gaits and balance, but it is equally important to understand what is going on in your body while it moves with the motions of a horse.

Understanding this will help you to grasp why you experience hip pain and how to avoid it. You will also better identify how to address the pain.

How Your Muscles Impact Your Riding (And Hip Pain)

The hips are a vital part of your posture, your motions, and your range of flexibility.

The human body has several muscle groups responsible for the various motions of the hips. Understanding how these interact with the hips is important for knowing what is going on within your body while you ride horses.

This, in turn, lets you understand how the muscles can create or relieve pain in riding.

Obliques

If you picture sliding your hand into the front pocket of your pants, you have a good idea of where your obliques are located on each side.

You use these muscles for turning and they are vitally important to keep yourself evenly upon the horse.

An imbalanced seat can lead to tight hip flexors and pain. It’s important when you feel this pain to properly release them.

Psoas

This muscle helps you control shock absorption when riding. Just like the shocks on a car smooth out a ride down a rough road, you need shock absorption to avoid the pain of repeated impacts at rough gaits.

The psoas attaches along the center of your lower back, and most of the lumbar region, or lower back / upper buttocks.

The psoas is important because it flexes the hip and rotates it laterally. It also flexes the spine sideways, rotating and extending it. Its major role is pelvis management and control of motion from front to back.

You need this muscle in shape to avoid hip pain because it has the power to release and / or restrict the ability of the rider to absorb the shock of the horse’s movement.

Iliacus

Much like the psoas, as you ride, the iliacus has enormous power in releasing or inhibiting the horse’s movement beneath you.

The iliacus has its origin on the inside of the hip bone. It then joins the psoas major.

Together, they are often referred to as hip flexors. When these are tight or over-tired, you need help to ease the pain.

Unlocking your hip flexors is vital for comfort and well-being when riding horses.

Piriformis

Together with the psoas, the piriformis is important in helping to rotate and extend the hips in addition to internal rotation and flexion.

Because you are a two-legged animal, when you sit in the saddle, it can perform this internal rotation on one side and the direct opposite on the side across from it.

This muscle strongly influences the pelvic function and your balance upon the horse.

Again, imbalance leads to discomfort for both you and your horse. As much as it’s important for you to correct this imbalance so you don’t end up with hip flexor pain, it is equally important not to hurt your horse.

Our horses trust us to ride them safely, both for ourselves and for them.

Gluteus Maximus

With the psoas, the gluteus maximus helps to control the balance of your hips from front to back.

When it is tight, the horse’s balance can be inhibited; when it is weak, your balance atop the saddle can be impacted.

It is a powerful and large hip extensor. You need it to be just right to avoid hip and other pain.

Gluteus Medius

This muscle is responsible for rotating the hip inward; it also creates an outward hip abduction. It is vital for assisting you to stay balanced in the center of your saddle. While not as well known as the gluteus maximus, it is crucial for riding.

Hip Pain After Horse Riding

Now that you know the basic muscle groups involved in moving the hips and the surrounding joints, you can understand a little better the process occurring when you experience hip pain after a ride.

You also have a better idea of how to avoid such circumstances.

Muscles get too tight, they get used in an imbalanced fashion, they get strained and overworked.

Unlocking your hip flexor is vital for easing pain after riding.

One more advanced way of looking at horseback riding in a way that will avoid hip pain is to ride with your bones in mind.

This requires another look at your body.

Know Your Bones

The lumbar area and the pelvis are critical to riding with your bones in mind. The hip joint sockets are found on each side of the pelvis. The hip joints do not only bear your complete erect weight; they, along with the ankle and knee joints, permit great flexibility.

Causes of Hip Pain after Horse Riding

Along with all of the above, there are quite a few reasons why you might be experiencing hip pain after horse riding.

Hip Adductors

Problems with the hip adductors are one potential source of pain. These are the muscles of the inner thigh.

These are generally your strongest muscles as a horseback rider. However, you may rely too much upon this muscle group.

It is a common problem that can create asymmetry with other important muscles of the lower and upper body. When you use excessive force in gripping the horse with the adductors, you can cause too much rotation in the hip.

This not only leads to sticking the toe out too far in the stirrup but can also cause pain.

You do not want either to interrupt your performance.

Hip Abductors

Hip abductors are another potential problem area. These are the muscles of the hip and outer thigh.

You may find that, like many riders, you have underdeveloped hip abductors.

Unfortunately, they play an important role in aiding the stability of the pelvis and hip.

They also work to maintain proper leg alignment in your riding posture.

Hip Extensors

Finally, hip extensors are your power muscles. When you wish to encourage the forward motion and drive of your horse’s action, you use these muscles.

The gluteus maximus also acts as a buffer between your lower back muscles and your hamstrings.

Be sure to strengthen your hip extensors, as well as keeping them flexible, to avoid injury and pain.

An understanding of how the body works when riding is only the beginning of easing hip pain.

Unlock Your Hip Flexors will assist in easing your discomfort after a ride, whether it is a short jaunt or a long training session.

You will perform better when pain does not distract you.

You will also connect more closely with your horse as you ride with mindfulness and the means of unlocking the hip flexor muscles.