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As a fellow newbie, I have also recently experienced some of your
problems. I've never had trouble with seat bones, but on my first
25-miler last fall, my knees got really trashed. After asking around I
got lots of advice--a) nylon tights with knee pads but no suede patches
because they cling and bunch, b) fleece stirrup covers, c) endurance
stirrups, and d) wrapping the knees with ace bandages (under tights). I
tried everything and all combinations thereof, and the only thing that
has helped is wrapping the knees. That seems to protect the skin from
whatever is going on.
Also, that ride, I stayed up out of the saddle a lot, and that put my
knees in a vulnerable position. I was riding a dressage saddle with
stirrup leathers. I have since ordered a new saddle (more for my
horse's back than for my knees, but since I had the option, my new
saddle is coming with fenders, not leathers.) Meanwhile, I'm wrapping
my knees.
You also ask about the position for posting. I asked a similar question
on the newsgroup rec.equestrian last winter, and got lots of interesting
answers (many contradicting each other). But the conclusion I came to
is that each persons riding configuration is different, and you have to
examine what's going on with your conformation, your horse's
conformation, your saddle, and your horse's gait. I decided that in my
case my dressage saddle was tilting me forward on my horse's low
withers, so I was having a hard time posting back up out of the saddle
at my horse's extended trot, so I simply stayed up. Also, in my case,
my short legs wrap my horse's round barrel so that there's no way for me
to avoid contacting stirrup leathers at the knee; a taller rider
wouldn't have that problem.
I also learned from newsgroup responses to vary the gait, and see which
gait is most efficient for your horse (I'm still working on that one; I
understand that the extended trot is quite stressful, yet it's hard to
hold my horse out of it). Maybe cantering some would relieve some of
your discomfort at the trot?
Much of this information is still available in the archive dejanews--
<http://www.dejanews.com/>
if you search for <endurance trot position> and then click on <old>
news.
You can email me if you want more info. Bonne chance!
Eileen
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