Does my Doctor Know the Risks of Riding?

[ReSomething]

@Scribbler

Oh very very interesting!

You can’t get into a para program without a doctor’s
note, but if you are too shakey they won’t sign the note, leaving you in regular horse world. That is certainly a Catch 22 situation!

There are however coaches with para experience who don’t work entirely within a para program. I know an ammie who took regular dressage lessons from someone who also coached or had coached a Paralympian. They wouldn’t have a full program but might be a good resource on modifications. I believe that locally our riding therapy programs will offer advice or lesson sessions to riders with physical issues without them being in a program. Another friend with a bad knee was going to pursue this

Their insurance required doctor sign off, I suppose I could look into it again as a regular lesson student if they take them. There is another program that would be near to where we go boating but if I go in as disabled Then I fully expect the same problem. I’d have to be treated as an unathletic complete beginner in any case.

I suppose I could have dug up a chiropractor like some truck drivers do to pass their physicals, and you may recall I drove for a bit last fall. There’s a fair amount of balance and core strength needed for those two wheel carts, they are jouncy. My problem is my legs, myopathy and neuropathy, so driving wasn’t really what I was after, but it did give me a chance to fuss with horses.

OP if I were you I would follow Jackie Cochran s plan of low stress lessons. I understand after a DVT out of the blue that you might hesitate and even if the dr clears you there’s no requirement to get back into competitive riding again.

[AKB]

Talk with your doctor about ways to lower risk. If you are on warfarin, perhaps testing your INR at home before riding would ensure that your warfarin doses are not too high. Some people have a lot of trouble regulating their warfarin levels. If it is too high, even a tiny cut or scrape can lead to a lot of bleeding. One rider who rode with my daughter used one of the newer anticoagulants instead of warfarin. Her clotting was hard to regulate on warfarin, and she didn’t want it out of whack when she rode. Is your doctor worried about your femur breaking where you have the cyst? If so, would an injection of a bone building biphosphonate med lower that risk? Also, make sure you always wear a helmet and maybe a body protector/Eventing vest.

Sometimes, you just have to tell your doctor that you want to ride. Then, ask about the risks and what you can do to decrease those risks.

[Willesdon]

No, and you also suspect that they don’t really understand the risk, hence your question. Only you can make the choice so be honest with yourself and consider what consequences you would be able to tolerate, what you can do to mitigate risk and define what reward you want to obtain from riding. Maybe adjust some expectations or look for other ways of enjoying horses. You might like to look for a really quiet mount who is easy to ride.

[shortenyourreins2]

Lots of good points here. No one can make the decision for you, just make suggestions for factors to add to the equation…
–are you the sole breadwinner for a family with young kids? or single and no kids? changes your risk calculus
–what blood thinner are you on? Is it reversible? I would worry that you would hit your head and get a brain bleed. Is there an antidote to your blood thinner if that happens?
-have this discussion with your family and others that care about you, too.

ways to reduce the risk:
–do your research and invest the $$$ in getting a helmet with the best safety data. Wear it every time you’re around horses, not just mounted, in case you get knocked down or kicked
–ride with a body protector
–never ride alone
–make people at your barn aware of your health issues and what to do if an accident occurs
–wear a medic-alert bracelet
–consider wearing an armband with your medical information
-no trail rides up in the mountains. stay close to medical care
–ride a short, unathletic, bombproof mount. There’s no guarantees, but if your horse can jump 1.35, I bet his spooks are pretty athletic, too! Even if he is a good guy, try to reduce your risk.
-pay attention to footing: nothing hard, slick or slippery

Good luck! We all know that riding is dangerous. It’s up to each of us to do our own personal calculus. Me, I didn’t ride when pregnant, and did really low level trail riding when my kids were young. Now they’re older and I’m getting back into jumping. I’ve tried other sports and they’re not the same. My husband knows that nothing else makes me as happy as being at the barn all day, but we’ve had a lot of talks about it.

[Ruth0552]

I wish I had your doctor.

I had a very rare type of stroke on May 12th (at 37 years old) and am now on blood thinners. I had zero motor/movement issues or paralysis, and my language/speech issues have resolved at an exponential rate.

Any Doctor: You cannot ride your horse.
Me: He’s 19 and I’ve had him for 6 years. He’s a pretty solid citizen.
Dr: There are way too many risks if you fall.
Me: I don’t really fall very often and I will limit how often I ride.
Dr: No
Me: I’ll just go for short rides, no jumping, nothing ambitious.
Dr: No Riding
Me: I always wear a helmet and a safety vest because I broke my back in 2003. Every ride.

And so forth. This week I see the hematologist and I plan on asking YET AGAIN. I mean I can always just ride anyways, except that this variety of stroke comes with a seizure so I can’t drive, which means my hubby is at the barn with me, and he is definitely NOT on board with me riding…

[walktrot]

My conclusion over the years is that if you see an orthopedic specialist, including a surgeon, they have seen ample numbers of horse-related injuries because so many riders wind up needing their care. If they don’t react to the use of “horse” in a sentence - fragment or complete - they haven’t been in practice long enough.

A terrific surgeon spent all afternoon in the OR restoring my fractured humerus back to one piece in 2004. 2 plates and 9 screws are still there. Two years ago I went back to him for my fractured wrist. “THE HORSE” he exclaimed and proceeded to make a deal with me to avoid surgery if i didn’t cheat on the treatment plan. Every visit he increased the allowable activities i could do with “THE HORSE” until the next visit. I was on the ground for 5 weeks. I admitted to cheating once but auditing clinics doesn’t qualify if you sit where you can’t get run over. No surgery.

I went to a follow up visit with an orthopedic surgeon and he whipped out an x-ray that wasn’t mine. “I should have inroduced you to my last patient. She fell off and broke her collarbone.” Then he pointed out the 4 fractures with 4 screws and plates… They know exactly what we do.

[candyappy]

I doubt your doctor has any idea what risks are involved with horses unless he is experienced in handling or riding them ( or has family that does). I never even bring it up and I ride when I feel ready to after an injury , my 2 surgeries or during and after pregnancies. You know what your risks are and you know what you need to do to help minimize the risks.

Sounds like you have a horse you know extremely well and trust. It sounds like you are planning to ride very conservatively and I stay go for it.

Life is risky, but it is here for us to enjoy if we can.

[M_al]

Hi, where are you located? You might consider going to a vaulting barn in the short term (not a therapeutic riding barn, necessarily, but an actual vaulting program that would let you do private lessons.)

Vaulting is actually an adrenalin sport, despite being safe as houses. You get handles but no saddle or stirrups. It’s a HUGE strength and fitness workout while being super fun. The horses might be huge (or not, depends on the program) but at beginner level they’re safe and you have a lunger making sure the horse is proceeding ONLY at the gait you’re intending. You may also be able to request that someone else do the hoof picking or other grooming bits that could lead to cuts or bruises, leaving you with the good stuff. :yes: Also, footing is frequently kept in condition to soften any, er, “unanticipated gravitational interventions” so that the gonzo kids are not intimidated from staying gonzo.

Good luck! Keep us posted on what you decide and how it goes!

[Bombproof]

As a doctor, horseman, and motorcyclist, I am fairly confident in saying that your doctor probably does not know the risks of riding. However, that is not really the question you need to have answered. From a doctor’s perspective, the risks of riding are the risks of falling and he/she can almost certainly inform you about that. You need to ask about the risks of a fall from a certain height and speed. If you never fall, it’s not an issue, but as we all know there are two kinds of riders – those who have fallen and those who are going to. The probability of falling changes according to a great many factors and the amount of damage sustained does as well. A dead-calm horse is less likely to leave you straddling air than a spirited one. A fall onto beach sand or a soft arena is less likely to result in injury than a fall onto a packed trail. A ride with good footing is less hazardous than one on wet grass. Proper protective equipment helps to limit the amount of damage. There is no one correct answer to the question, “Doctor, is it okay for me to resume <insert activity here>?” I have been known to say, “A fall from a horse has about an 80% probability of killing you. Only you can decide whether the risk is worth the reward.” In the end, a doctor never really tells you whether you can resume a given activity because you always can. The doctor only tells you whether you can resume it safely and sometimes legally (driving being an example). Gather all the information you can about the risks, talk it over with the other people who will be affected, and make your own decision.