Hi all – just had 3 stitches removed from my upper left palm after a synovectomy for trigger finger on my middle left finger. I am annoyed at how stiff/sore my finger is, after being told that this was “simple” surgery and “most people” went back to normal activities by the time they had their stitches out.
I’m in OT and have a bunch of (painful!) exercises to do. They did not forbid me to ride but did say to be very careful of the bad hand. I’ve discovered that I can ride two-handed, though the grip on my left hand is pretty bad and I can’t carry both the rein and a whip. But by riding I mean 15 minutes walking, 5 minutes posting trot on a long rein kind of riding.
I trust my horse; she’s opinionated but sensible. (Oddly enough, she had similar surgery last year for an inflamed LH suspensory. Her rehab has taken forever, but then again, she had to bear weight on the injured leg the whole time.) I find hoof-picking a bit difficult but OK if I take my time (again, thank the horse; she has good ground manners other than being a little nosy.)
I’m going to noodle around with riding one-handed even if all I can do is walk; the mare moves well off seat and leg, though her favorite evasion is to go lateral, and I’ve often used the outside rein to “catch” her when she starts to do that, and won’t be able to do that with the left rein for a while. She neck reins, sort of, too.
Any other ideas for riding during this recovery period? I have somewhere between 4 and 8 weeks of this to deal with.
(And yes, I know this isn’t exactly a disability, though anything that interferes with my riding gets me grouchy. But I also have other health issues to deal with…)
