So I had a bad driving accident while driving a new, green pony about 3 weeks ago. Just spnt 17 days in the hospital/rehab and came home today. At this point Im not sure I will ever get the courage t get back on and ride or drive again. I am no spring chicken and have other serious health issues, and this broken leg has really messed me up. Just wondering about others who have had this break, how long was it before you rode again and and was it painful posting, etc. Im thinking if I ever do get up the courage to ride again, I’ll need some kind of PT just to get the muscles, etc back. And how do I get over the FEAR now??? 
Sorry, just having a pity party I guess…
Ouch. Worry about getting better for now. Take your time. Once you are completely healed you can worry about deciding whether you want to ride again or not. Right now it’s nothing but mental exercise anyway since you couldn’t ride now if you wanted to so let it go.
If there is no soft tissue injuries, don’t worry, it should not take long and once it heals, it will be like new.
Now, I will admit that the worst wrecks with horses I have seen were driving, worse than anything else, on the ground or riding.
Sooo, I can’t help with the driving, it is fine when all goes well, but the wrecks, those seem generally very spectacular.:eek:
I agree, wait until you are back on your feet, literally, before thinking if you want to go near a horse again.
Your perspective will have changed by then, by a foot anyway.:yes:
Getting old is not for sissies, is it.:lol:
I’m 62, broke my ankle, tri malleolus fracture, 6 years ago, slipping in the garage. I have 3 screws on one side of my ankle and a plate and half dozen or so screws on the fib.
I was non weight bearing for 11 weeks and it took me 5 months of PT to be cleared to ride. I then rode in a clinic where the instructor absolutely trashed my confidence. She basically convinced me that I couldn’t ride.
I would get on my mare and sit there and cry. I could not even ask her to move away from the mounting block. Because I was so tense my mare was tense and things escalated.
This went on for about 3 years. I was still interested in horses but didn’t ride.
Then I met Jane Savoie at an expo.
She suggested two of her books, “It’s Not About the Ribbons” and “That Winning Feeling”
So, I had breast reductiion surgery, lost 30 lbs, bought a new mare and made a plan.
Instead of replaying that disasterous clinic in my mental VCR, everytime it started to play I ripped it out, threw it on the ground and stamped it to bits. I replaced it with my new mantra
I am a strong and confident rider.
I am always relaxed and centered.
My ears shoulders hips and heels are always aligned
Sophie is always relaxed, attentive and willingly accepts the bit.
I found a real video of me riding well and watched it numerous times.
It worked.
I still have moments of fear, especially when mounting but I now enjoy it. My ankle does hurt when we canter, I’m still working through that.
Even if you don’t “do dressage” Jane Savoie is extremely generous with her help. She has several online resources
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Solve-Horseback-Riding-Fears-by-Jane-Savoie/149140361379
her website www.JaneSavoie.com newsletters and her subscription website Dressage mentor.
You are not the only one who has gone through this, and WON
I broke tib/fib/ankle in a fall from a friends horse (landed on my feet!) 11 years ago and had to have surgery and hardware. It happened in April and ortho wanted me to stay out of the saddle till October.
I cheated and started riding in August. It hurt like the dickens at first but I toughed it out.
I didn’t really have confidence issues but I was more conservative in my riding until I got my riding muscles back in shape. It also helped that my horse was a saint.
I went back a year later and got the hardware removed.
Down the road I’m having hip issues on the same side. Looks like I may have a bone chip floating around in there. Probably a result of my hard landing way back then. Some days it’s awful, some days it doesn’t bother me at all so I’ll wait until it gets unbearable before I let them go fishing around for the chip.
Good luck and best wishes to you!
I broke my tib/fib ,in January ,and it was also displaced.And yes ,broke it riding.Horse fell with me. I have a plate and 6 screws. Non weight bearing for 7 weeks after surgery.I thought I would be fine as soon as I got in the walking cast. Not so much. Couldn’t afford PT ,but Dr. gave me exercises. I talked him into letting me ride 3 weeks after that ,and Wow did posting hurt! Worked through it bit by bit ,and it gradually got better. Dr. said the soft tissue damage could take a year to heal.I am still wearing a soft brace for support.
It has been 6 month today since I was injured.I still have stiffness,and range of motion not completely there ,but I can walk and ride with minimal discomfort,unless I am just on it all day ,and riding several horses.When I start out I have trouble flexing the ankle ,but riding actually makes it better.
Not much fear for me,except with slippery footing.If the horse slips badly ,my heart goes in my mouth.I did have A Lot of generalized fear and anxiety when I was laid up. About EVERYTHING. At some point I realized that being disabled was making me Crazy,and the panicky sensation was crazy talking ,and not things I actually had to fear. Someone suggested to me that being disabled sets off an instinctual reaction,because we are fight or flight animals ,and I was unable to protect myself.Made sense to me.
So get PT ,or get the exercises frm your Dr. and folow them when you are able ,and get back in the saddle when walking isn’t too painful. I had to start out the first few weeks with mostly walking and cantering ,and sitting trot until posting became bearable.
I am no spring chicken either ,but I can’t imaging not riding.Plenty of people sustain my injury just falling on the ice at home ,so it isn’t going to stop me riding. I certainly will be more careful about choosing my footing ,in the future.
I hope you heal soon ,and have people to help you.
Feel your pain, but PT is KEY!
Had a similar injury less than two years ago in emergency dismount that was almost, but not quite, successful. “Explodo” tibia plateau and fibula. Two surgeries and no weight bearing for 3 months, but started physical therapy almost immediately and it made SO much difference. Got back on a quiet, easy horse about five months after the accident. Posting easier than I thought because therapist had worked on my quadriceps. Good luck!
I broke a femur two years ago and have a whole bunch of hardware installed now. I am not at all shy to say my first rides were leadline pony rides on an ultra-reliable QH.
Recovering good physical fitness was one of my keys to riding and feeling ‘safe’ again … strength and balance in my body helped the mind be calm.
star
Thanks for the responses…Im encouraged. “Mental exercise”…yeah, good point. I guess I get ahead of myself, one thing at a time. Im just so frustrated and want everything to happen like yesterday. It will be diffficult to keep my focus on recovery for now but I see that is what I need to worry about now, not riding. At least my horses are here at home so I can see them. Dont have the stamina to get down to the barn just yet but as soon as I can I will have hubby drive me down in the car. Maybe I can just sit there and watch them or watch while he feeds, does stalls or whatever. Evil pony left for new place today. Oddly, not at all sad to see him go…
FWIW I used to ride around the farm in my golf cart. It was real good to get out of the house
i broke my tibia and fibula walking the dog and slipping on ice. a very bad fracture that landed me in the hospital for 4 days and i had an IM rod installed in my tibia and 4 screws. i was given permission to ride at 12 weeks. and it hurt at first. downward transitions hurt alot! i lowered my stirrups and just gradually acclimated to riding again.
i just take my time. i did alot of PT as well to help get my flex back in my ankle. that took some time.
as far as confidence goes, i am still working on that. it is taking longer than i expected because i did not hurt myself riding. but i have a greenie that is a bit fresher than he was before i broke my leg. so i have enlisted good help and i plug away little by little to get my confidence back. if you want to get it back, you can! you just have to keep pushing yourself with conservative risks! good luck!
I had a compound tib-fib fracture last May… got helicoptered to the hospital and spent a few days there after getting a rod and screws put in. I was back on a horse 5 weeks later when I was cleared for “weight bearing as tolerated.” Which obviously means “spend 10 minutes climbing up onto a mounting block and very very carefully getting on bareback and then dismount onto the tailgate of a pickup truck.” Obviously.
I didn’t really ride until about 2 months post-injury… rode for a week or two, and then was off for another 2 months for another surgery. I was cleared to ride in mid-September but didn’t ride a whole lot all fall/winter/spring because the hardware was causing too much pain. Hardware was removed about 2 months ago and I can finally ride without pain.
Confidence is another issue… I have gotten on the mare that “caused” the accident and even cantered her a few times. It just takes time and rides on safe horses. Don’t expect to wake up one day and be back to normal… you won’t. Baby steps…
I have had tib/fib fractures in both legs. The first one I did 10 years ago — it was a compound fracture that severed an artery and a nerve but there was no soft tissue damage. They put a rod and 4 screws in the tibia and I was in the hospital for several days. No soft tissue damage was the key – I was weight bearing almost immediately and was back riding in a couple months without any pain from the injury. My confidence at first was really bad, especially over fences but I was very determined to over come it. Flat work came back pretty quickly but over fences took a lot more time and effort for me not to be scared to some degree — years in fact.
The second tib-fib fracture was just last August. This one involved the ankle joint and I had significant soft tissue damage that left me non weight bearing for 4 months. It was pretty miserable. There were also complications with the hardware so it had to be removed which left me with 5 more weeks of non-weight bearing. This time I had no fear about getting back on but I did feel like I was more out of shape (getting older is hard!). My horse is a good guy but not an easy ride – he is really bouncy. So as soon as I could I started an exercise program to get back in shape. I think this really helped. After being back just 2 months I feel like I am almost back to where we were when the accident happened. My ankle is stiff on that side but there is no pain while riding.
You can do it … just take it easy, one step at a time. I was able to ride a friend’s saintly horse the first few times out and that was helpful. I also think that if you get more physically fit it will translate into more confidence in the saddle. I have been doing yoga and spin classes and these seem to be improving my weak areas. Also getting a riding buddy or taking some extra lessons may help increase your confidence — just make sure they understand the situation and are comfortable and supportive of taking it at a pace you are comfortable with.
Good luck!
I broke my ankle in two places just this past May. I want to say it’s a tib/fib fracture. The break or chip on the inside of my right leg is healing well(two screws), the break of the little bone on the outside of my leg is not healing as well(Six screws and a plate). Even though it wasn’t, my surgeon says it looked and acts like a crush injury rather than the percussion or force of energy injury that it was.
I just got cleared Monday to start putting weight as tolerated on my leg working towards full weight bearing over a two week period. I’m not healed but I’ve been non-weight bearing since the middle of May and my docs were concerned about loss of range of motion.
My injury was horse related. I take the blame for it, I won’t go in to the details but lets just say I did something stupid that spooked my mare and while she was fleeing the scene her hoof met my ankle.
I don’t know yet when I will be able to get back on my mare, maybe not even this year. But I’m hopeful, very hopeful that I can at least do lead line before Christmas. Part of the problem is my mare is not what I would concider begginer safe, and my other horse is a barely broke 3yr old. Hmmm I’m thinking no.
So I feel where you’re coming from with regards to do I really want to get back on. I do, but I’m scared. I don’t want to get hurt again. But like all the people who have given good advice on here if I take it slow I’ll make it back.
And a last question. For those of you who have gone through an ankle break/tib/fib fracture. After you started weight bearing as tolerated how long did it take before you were walking without crutches or semi-normally? I’ve got a walking air cast on now and still using my crutches to help. Walking in the air cast isn’t so bad. It’s the walking without the cast on that is harder and scarier. I’m afraid to push myself too far because I know I’m not totally healed yet. Anyone have experience, advice or exercises that helped?
[QUOTE=Cameraine;5742844]
And a last question. For those of you who have gone through an ankle break/tib/fib fracture. After you started weight bearing as tolerated how long did it take before you were walking without crutches or semi-normally? I’ve got a walking air cast on now and still using my crutches to help. Walking in the air cast isn’t so bad. It’s the walking without the cast on that is harder and scarier. I’m afraid to push myself too far because I know I’m not totally healed yet. Anyone have experience, advice or exercises that helped?[/QUOTE]
Little tough for me because my other leg was injured too… Let’s see, I was weight bearing as tolerated on June 25 (5 weeks post injury) and was walking pretty comfortably by mid-July. So not too long, really.
I broke my tib fib with a displaced fracture ,and lots of soft tissue damage.6weeks nwb.I then got the air/walking cast and was supposed to transition with crutches ,but that only lasted a few days because I needed to do stuff.After 3 weeks I started to ride a bit.Took off the walking cast and vet wrapped my ankle ,but that hurt like hell for a few weeks.After 5weeks in the walking cast ,I got a soft brace.I still wear that.(It has been 6 months).
I wore that walking cast whenever I went out of the house ,but took it off at home.I did lots of PT exercises to work on my range of motion,and did what I could tolerate.
I still have some pain ,and not complete flexibility.It gets better ,slowly but surely. I think the riding actually helps it.It starts out very stiff ,and improves.The last 2 months I have been walking normally.I still have swelling,and it aches if I am on it all day.Without the soft brace I feel my ankle is less stable ,so I keep that on if I am out of the house for any length of time.
Exercises include standing on phone book on my toes for 10 seconds ,then stretch the heel down to the floor for 10 seconds-30 repetitions.Also push against something that resists for 10 seconds with top or side of foot,then relax and get a little more stretch,and push 10 seconds,30 repetitions. In the beginning do the alphabet with your foot.Put towel around the ball of your foot and pull the towel against the foot.Use elastic ,stretchy thing(from dr.) and do same as with towel ,also tie stretchy thing to something fixed and put it over the top of the foot and pull up against it.
[QUOTE=horsekpr;5748210]
I broke my tib fib with a displaced fracture ,and lots of soft tissue damage.6weeks nwb.I then got the air/walking cast and was supposed to transition with crutches ,but that only lasted a few days because I needed to do stuff.After 3 weeks I started to ride a bit.Took off the walking cast and vet wrapped my ankle ,but that hurt like hell for a few weeks.After 5weeks in the walking cast ,I got a soft brace.I still wear that.(It has been 6 months).
I wore that walking cast whenever I went out of the house ,but took it off at home.I did lots of PT exercises to work on my range of motion,and did what I could tolerate.
I still have some pain ,and not complete flexibility.It gets better ,slowly but surely. I think the riding actually helps it.It starts out very stiff ,and improves.The last 2 months I have been walking normally.I still have swelling,and it aches if I am on it all day.Without the soft brace I feel my ankle is less stable ,so I keep that on if I am out of the house for any length of time.
Exercises include standing on phone book on my toes for 10 seconds ,then stretch the heel down to the floor for 10 seconds-30 repetitions.Also push against something that resists for 10 seconds with top or side of foot,then relax and get a little more stretch,and push 10 seconds,30 repetitions. In the beginning do the alphabet with your foot.Put towel around the ball of your foot and pull the towel against the foot.Use elastic ,stretchy thing(from dr.) and do same as with towel ,also tie stretchy thing to something fixed and put it over the top of the foot and pull up against it.[/QUOTE]
Horsekpr: Those exercises sound great, I’ll give them a try. Its slow but I think its getting easier to walk with the cast and without. I can even stand on both feet without the cast on and it feels okay. But I’ll try the resistance exercises. Thanks.
C.
I had a bad tib/fib fracture with lots of soft tissue damage (2/2010) from a fall from my horse even though I landed no my feet. I started riding again once I was in a walking boot. My trainer put a vaulting surcingle and lots of padding on my horse, lunged him with a non-broken rider first to make sure he could handle it, then she put me on him. We did this for about 2 weeks, once I had my balance back I rode him with the surcingle but loose in the indoor. My Dr gave me exercises to regain the range of motion and flexibility in my ankle, they were actually easier to do while riding. My Dr was really impressed with my progress and thrilled with how much motion I had regained from this. I then rode him without stirrups until August. I use the royal riders flexible stirrups now because of the added support. OP I hope you heal quickly and this helps. The lunging with a vaulting surcingle gave me my confidence back (trainer was in control of horse and I had something to grab onto). Maybe that approach would work for you if you decide you want to ride. But for now think positive thoughts and focus on healing.
Progress!!
So, almost three weeks ago when I had my most recent doctors appointment. He told me over the following weeks work up towards full weight bearing. To say in the beginning that it was scarey is an understatement. I hadn’t walked on my right leg in over two months.
But I started slow, worked up to it and over the weekend that I was visiting my sister I finally managed without pain to walk in my air cast. Walking with my air cast off was still a little beyond me. But over the next week I was able in an Igor-like limping, sliding way start to walk outside of the cast as well.
Now as it stands I can walk for short periods of time in my air cast without my crutches(WEEE!) and limp along a little in the house without crutches or cast.
I even managed to groom my super obsese mare yesterday and realize I soo need to cut Miss Fatty’s grain back until I can start riding again which I think is still two months away. sigh there goes the eventing season, but there is always next year. love all around to all those who have and still are giving me great advice
Cameraine you sound like you are doing great!
Takes time. sounds like you are making great progress.
I started back riding bareback. Now I have a very very sensitive gaited mare, and she is SO easy to ride. Also no pain. Easy to move her off my leg, and she is easy in the bridle too. She can be a handful, but does really well. She is a confident and bold horse to ride.
Good luck.
