Avoid chafing: Knees, calves, ankles

Anyone who has spent hours on horseback has probably at some point had problems with bruised or bloody knees, calves, or ankles. Unless you’ve always worn the perfect clothing, ridden in the perfect saddle and stirrups, and always been perfectly fit for the ride at hand, you will have at some point been unable to avoid chafing your lower legs.

See my post on Dealing with the aches and pains of horseback riding.

Until I galloped racehorses, I did not know the meaning of the word chafing. Not really. Not until the first time I did a fast workout on a hard puller with the stirrup leathers a bit too long and without ankle guards. I ended up with bloody sores on the insides of both ankles.

But that’s not the usual scenario. Usually, I’ve chafed either knees or calves because I was not fit enough, had the stirrups too long or too short, or wore the wrong clothing. Over the years, I’ve found ways to avoid chafing, though, no matter what I wear or what shape I am in… Though if you are truly out of shape and ride miles at a trot or one mile at a gallop, there is nothing that will save you.

Hence:

Solution # 1: Be fit, ride well.

The number one thing that will keep your skin intact is being strong enough to keep your legs still against the horse. Chafing happens when your legs move, causing friction with the stirrup leathers or saddle rigging. Bruising can happen even if your legs don’t move, if you press too hard, or if you simply bruise easily and ride for a long time.

When you ride enough, though, you are not only strong enough to avoid imbalance and unnecessary movement. You also become adept at maintaining the perfect posture and pressure points with each saddle and each horse. With experience, you learn exactly which stirrup length works best with each type of horse (wide, narrow, smooth, springy). You learn when to shake your feet out of the stirrups, when to cock a leg, when to sit slightly forward or back to alleviate a long time in the saddle.

Practice makes strong and perfect. Guidance can also help…

Ride in correctly (balance, posture)

Yes, riding lessons can help you achieve the posture and balance that best suits not only your horse and discipline, but yourself. Pinching at the knees not only makes your seat less secure and your aides less effective, it also increases the likelihood of bruising and chafing.

Change diagonals and leads frequently

Staying on the same diagonal isn’t good for your horse (because you will be weighting one side of the horse at the expense of the other). It will also cause you to put more stress on one side of your body. You’ll feel that in your lower back the next day.

The same goes for the canter. Switch leads regularly. Any emphasis on one side over the other should only be done with a purpose (for example, if your horse is recovering from an injury or has a significantly weaker side).

Because no one is born perfectly fit… some ideas for coping while you get fit.

I’m not going to talk about what pants to ride in here, other than suggesting that you minimize the seam on the inside of your preferred choice. I’ve probably ridden in jeans and sweats more than anything else in my life, despite having many different versions of breeches, jodhpurs, and riding tights. I’ve even ridden in tights, jeans, and sweats during the winter at the track in Madrid.

So what I will do here is list a few things that you can wear with whatever you want, that should hep prevent chafing.

Protecting calves and ankles

Half chaps aka “spats”

The obvious first choice is half-chaps (State Line has a good selection). Half-chaps–spats, or shoe/pant protectors–come in leather and washable, synthetic materials. I prefer leather, because it lasts longer and protects more. I used the same pair of leather half-chaps for years (and miles upon miles of riding) at the track in Spain. I’d get the inner panel replaced with a new strip of heavy leather every six months or so. The elastic that goes under your boot also needs replacing from time to time. Other than that, a good pair of leather half-chaps can last forever.

That said, it’s nice to be able to toss some of the lighter-weight synthetic options in the washer when they are dirty.

Compression socks

I learned this trick from my ex-husband, who was an amateur jockey in Spain for years. I’ve never personally used them, but he swears by them, and I have always meant to give them a try. A few weeks ago, I catch-rode a 25 mile LD at an endurance ride. It was my first endurance event in over a year. I thought, too late, as I got dressed that morning, that it would be really good to have some compression socks.

My ex actually uses compression calf-sleeves, the kind you get in a pharmacy. They also make special ones for jockeys and gallopers. But socks (or this type of sleeve) would protect ankles as well as calves. I bought these from Amazon a few days ago, after reading many reviews. We’ll see how they work.

Ankle protection

For most people, boots and half chaps are all the ankle protection they need. People who gallop racehorses do need a bit more protection . I especially needed it during races, because racing books are very lightweight and thin. During the winter, when we rode a lot of coming two-year-olds (who require longer stirrups), I would use half chaps for riding out in the morning. The rest of the year, I could get away with jeans and ankle protectors.

“Ankle protectors”??

Right, I don’t really know what to call them, and I cannot find any online. They are a sort of specialized spat. Spats come in all heights, and cover ankles and most of the shoe or boot. Perhaps they don’t even exist in the States.

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Fortunately, most people don’t gallop racehorses so don’t need to worry about avoiding chafing on the ankle bone. That really only happens when you ride with very short stirrups. Unless you are racing or galloping, half chaps and/or compression socks will be more than enough to protect your ankles as well as your calves.

What about the knees?

Like calves, knees are prone to chafing that can result in sores. Even if you adjust your stirrups well and ride in a balanced fashion, fatigue can cause you to pinch your knees or loosen your legs. If you happen to be riding in a saddle with rigging that falls under your knees it can be worse. I am comfortable with different lengths of stirrups, and can adjust around saddle peculiarities… Usually! But sometimes it is impossible.

Riding long distances or many hours (especially if you haven’t been riding lately) makes bruising or chafing your knees more likely. I knew I was likely to end up with bruised knees when I catch-rode a few weeks ago. Although I run 15-20 miles a week, I hadn’t been riding much. So I used a home-made solution, explained below. Fortunately, there are better ways if you are prepared.

Some ways to protect your knees

It’s not hard to avoid chafing your lower legs. Compression socks and/or half chaps work great… but they don’t cover knees. My home-made knee protectors consist of long socks with the toes cut off. I pull them up over my knee (the heel in front to allow movement).

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Another option: use neoprene knee braces (the simple kind) or compression sleeves. I had fancy, custom-made neoprene sleeves because of a history of ACL injuries, and converted those to chafing protection. But there are many inexpensive options on amazon that would surely work well.

In cold weather, just wearing thick tights under your jeans (breeches, etc) can help. I love Vero Monte tights, but you’ve got lots of options. Fleece-lined, wool, silk… I’ve used running tights many times. You could even just use riding tights under jeans. The advantage of full tights is that they help avoid chafing on the lower leg as a whole, ankles, calves, and knees.

And if you are desperate…

Especially if you haven’t managed to avoid chafing your lower legs and need to ride with sores–wrap them! I’m an expert at wrapping knees and ankles.

Your basic elastic bandage (for humans) works well. Sometimes I like the 4″ width, sometimes the 3″ width. Kind of depends on how much mobility I need.

Vetrap can also be used in emergencies. It can also go over a sock or gauze wrap. It’s probably better to put vetrap over something else. I don’t think I’ve ever used it directly on my legs, but I have used it to hold gauze or other padding in place.

Chafing in other areas

A good bra can make all the difference: See Best Bras for Riding Horses.

For intimate areas, choosing the right underwear is vital: Let’s talk underwear! Bunching, blisters, comfort, and incontinence