My hip was never my problem; my knees were in line for replacement after injections no longer helped. But last October I reached to take my horses halter off, somehow I slipped fell and then the ball of my hip shattered. I had a partial hip replacement,posterior method. It’s now 3 months later and I am so
Fearful. I have a very calm 9 year old gelding who didn’t even care when I fell in his stall and couldn’t get up yet I’m afraid to go get him and take him to the turnout. The thought of mounting him and riding makes me so afraid. Please if anyone could offer support I would so appreciate it. I’m 66, and never felt aged until now.
- please know you will get past this ~ really ~ you will ride again if you want to ride.
I had a THR 1-17-05 - how wonderful to get rid of that PAIN !
But once cleared to ‘ride’ I as SO ready but SO scared !!!
I saddled up day after day - had a person to hold my mare - day after day
but
I ’ ky fried chicken '. Day. After. Day. !
- all my helpers gave up
/ said call when you need me
FINALLY ALL. BY MYSELF !! I got on- no pain no problem …
My dear mare stood and waited as I cried tears of Joy in her mane …
the
we toured the property as the sun set …
You can and will as soon as you are emotionally ready.
Saddle up and try
Saddle up and try again
You will ride again ~ You will !
No personal experience but I do have a friend who’s had both a knee and hip replacement and last year back surgery that kept her in a full body cast all summer and she rides! After reading what I just wrote, I wonder if she SHOULD be riding, but she does! And joyfully!
Give yourself a break! (forgive the pun…) I think that would be pretty normal. Especially in the depths of winter when the potential to fall is higher. (Around here, we are up to our eyeballs in snow and ice, I wouldn’t be messing around with taking a horse out to turnout 3 months after a THR either, especially if it’s like that where you are.)
My DH has had both hips replaced. He was about your age when he had them done. He was more tentative after the first than the second–he was skiing 16 weeks after the second one, because he knew what to expect.
Be kind to yourself. Spring will be here soon enough and then summer when horses are lazy and it’s easier to deal with this stuff. I had some major surgery in the winter a couple of years ago. I gave myself permission to not ride again until the weather warmed up and I didn’t have to climb on a fresh horse. I got myself in shape in the mean time, which was a good move.
Good luck!
No getting around we are more fragile as we age. I agree with ZuZu…when you want to you will. No one has a stop watch on you.
I had a right THR a couple years ago (at 59). I had the Superpath approach and was back on my horse (albeit for a ‘pony’ ride for the first few times) in 4 1/2 weeks. About 4 months later, I was doing some in hand work. Lord, I don’t know what I did but managed to fall right on my right side/hip. I think I tripped over the whip. Thankfully, it didn’t hurt a thing although I had hardware on both sides.
You are still healing so don’t rush it. Have you had your bone density checked? Maybe time to jump on that.
Be kind to yourself and when you feel it…go for it.
Susan
Had a left hip resurfacing in '08. I still have the top of the femur. It could break like yours, but I ride and have been dismounted several times. After the first fall, it’s just like any other horse activity.
Be kind to yourself. Let your confidence build naturally. Try to have someone around when you’re with the horse. Not actively with you, just a safety buddy at the other end of the barn. Just like a horse facing a new challenge, your fear dissipates with exposure
I agree with hosspuller to let your confidence build naturally.
You’ll get there on your own time. Don’t rush yourself.
My PT told me one of people’s biggest fears tend to be the fear of falling (I know it is a huge fear of mine). Your fear will sort itself out.
{{}}
My SO had a hip replaced last February. She doesn’t admit to being afraid of anything - that’s my job - but I do think she was a little afraid of the possiblity of pain and the risk of hurting it again somehow. I was worried that she’d overdo it. Anyway, the thing we both noticed and that I will share here: being “in rehab” for months, after being lame for months, really took a toll on her total body strength, flexibility, muscle mass, and everything else. PT was great in the beginning but they send you home and tell you to live your life - what she needs now is a personal trainer, because living your life only makes you fit enough to live the life you’re living, not the life you want to live.
I will agree with others - you need to ride and spend time with your horse when you’re ready. That doesn’t have to be now, if you have good support systems, and you’re much smarter to wait til the ice and snow are out of the picture. Use this time to do some indoor rehab work, as approved by your healthcare provider (the surgeon was useless when it came to rehab recommendations, talk to your PT or someone who actually knows you). Bring carrots to your horse, have someone there to move him around if that makes you feel better, and do what you can. Horses are great motivation. There are a lot of 66-year-old people with replaced hips and bad knees who ride!
When it gets closer to happening, ask again and I can share some tips for getting on and off. Enlist a friend to do some groundwork with your horse in the meantime so he stands for mounting and dismounting for as long as you might need. Enlist someone to get you a nice sturdy picnic table, if you don’t have a tall mounting block (and get them to practice with your horse!). Getting all your pieces in place, beforehand, will make it easier when you decide that today is the day!
I’m 68 and have significant permanent nerve damage affecting my right arm as a result of a relatively mild roll, rather than fall, off my horse many years ago when he stumbled down onto his knees at the trot. I was quite fearful when I got back on, because I had to ride left-handed with little use of my right arm, at the time. But I decided to take advantage of the people who offered to lead us around until I was comfortable to go out on my own. I’ve been a fan of trainer John Lyons for a long time, and one of his gems is “ride where you can, not where you can’t.” Do what you are comfortable doing. If it means get on and get off, so be it. You don’t have to go a single step away from the mounting block. Take that one step when you’re ready. Don’t move on to 2 steps until you feel you are comfortable with your one step rides. I gave up cantering years ago, and nowadays me and horse don’t even do a whole lot of ambitious trotting. We are 4.5 years away from our Century Ride, and if we walk the whole way to get there we’ll both be more than satisfied.
If you are into reading, there is a book called “Fear Free Riding” with an introduction by Jody Lyons, John’s wife, who was very fearful of horses when she first met him. The book takes a “training” approach to working through your fears without pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, which too many people would probably suggest you do.
Hopefully you have friends and barnmates who will be happy to help you work your way back into riding. And welcome to COTH!
Wishing you the best…time to be good for yourself and ease back into this.
the first is always the hardest. Take baby steps. 20 years ago, it was getting back on after a double mastectomy. Mr. Spook-a-lot must have known it was time to be on his best behavior and never spooked again for the next two years until he had to be retired.
Started riding again two years ago after a 12-year hiatus and went to a therapeutic school as by then I had a transmet amputation on left foot (lost the
fore foot) and two knee replacements. Had resisted that type of barn but it
worked out well as I got a lovely well-trained thoroughbred to ride that I ended up lusting to own. Last year, a shoulder showed signs of wear and tear so had surgery for that and about the time that doc said ride, another discovered my right hip was toast so after a long wait to get his skilled hands and therapy, it was a 7 month break.
My first attempt at getting back on was pretty scary and took a while. Mounting is still not something I can do without some help, especially with an 18.0 hand
school horse. Both are that size :). Once on, all was very well with the world and
had a long talk about being so silly and scared. Next lesson, up and away we went.
Good luck!!! I’m 71 now.
Similar thing happened to me about 8 years ago. My mare spun as I was mounting and flung me onto a hard surface, fracturing femur. I had an emergency partial hip replacement. I resumed riding in 3 months. I was a little timid at first, but that fades. No pain or disability at all, and I still ride almost every day and show. I’m 66 too, by the way.
I had both of my hips replaced at the same time. At my 6-week checkup my doctor wanted to know why I hadn’t gotten on a horse yet (!!). He was of the mind that the more movement the better. I did have the anterior approach. I did finally get on at 10 weeks postop. Had my husband lead me around on his draft horse since he was the quiet one (but wide!). I only lasted a couple of minutes - my heart was pounding and the hips (ligaments) hurt. We did that a few times over the next week or so and each time my apprehension lessened. For me it was connected to not having control of my body - feeling like a beginner, the hips were tight and I couldn’t sit into the saddle and was hunched forward. Very uncomfortable physically and that made me nervous! Once things loosened up a bit it got easier and after a few rides it was okay and I’ve never looked back. Maybe doing some things out of the saddle, like yoga or pilates, will help your confidence. This anxiety shall pass, though, really!!
Please don’t beat yourself up. It’s only been three months. I had a total knee replacement and the thought of getting back on a horse was incredible scary. Just go see your horse, maybe groom him until you feel ready to do something else with him. You don’t have to ride today, tomorrow, next month, let yourself heal both physically and mentally. There is a significant amount of investment you put into your hip replacement and it’s ok to be scared.
