If your knees hurt after a long trail ride, you’re not alone! Here are a few simple things you can do, to help save your knees from that long-ride-hurt.

• Have your local saddlemaker move your fenders forward so your legs hang naturally, as if you were riding bareback. Moved forward, your fenders will swing more freely.

• Replace your stirrup leathers. Most stirrup leathers are 3 inches wide—which means they won’t twist easily, and that resistance puts pressure on your knees. Have your saddlemaker replace them with 2-inch-wide leathers that’ll twist more easily.

• Replace your narrow stirrup platforms with wider ones to spread your weight over a larger area.