I am scheduled (but not pre registered) to go to a hilltopping clinic sunday. Yesterday I hit the ground, hard. Nothings broken but doc said rest, heat, pain meds and muscle relaxants. I’m going to try and hack today to see how I feel but … whats the worst injury you ever hilltopped or hunted with?
Not me, but a gentleman at the Myopia Joint Meet last year was hilltopping with a broken leg!!! Full cast and everything.
I’ve ridden with a broken collar bone, dislocating shoulder, cracked ribs, couple days post op surgery.
However, if your doc says rest, rest…If you are riding taking muscle relaxants, you may wish you hadn’t ridden at all…
Good Luck. I hope you feel better soon.
Rest…don’t push it.
I have hunted with broken ribs, also hunted with a broken right hand. Have 3 herniated disks in my lower back.
Also hunted with my arm in a cast (was first field fieldmaster as well)
and hunted 3 weeks after having 8 screws and a plate put in my left wrist. that time just hilltopped on my then 3 year old but still.
Seriously if it’s just a hilltopping clinic you should be ok by then if you’re just a little stiff now. Just take some Advil or whatever you like to use.
I know sometimes if I take a tumble I feel better if I ride again and get my muscles moving as opposed to getting stiff.
Hunting while “hurt”
I have foxhunted while my lower left leg was partially paralyzed, post-brain-tumour-surgery. This didn’t really hurt (until afterwards, that is), so I’m not really sure it qualifies to answer your question. It was really no trouble, so long as I didn’t fall off (I didn’t have sufficient coordination to re-mount without a mounting block – luckily, the two times I did fall, there was a pickup truck tailgate and a steep slope handily near so I could remount and go on.) The major problem was, I was prone to reverting to paralyzed status once I became sufficiently fatigued. Since I never knew precisely when this would occur (and a bout of walking, or a good long check, would restore my coordination, at least for a short term) and since I believed continuing to work myself was the only way to restore my ability as a rider, I would have to say, do it if you are willing to. Where there is life, is hope. It helps, of course, that my horses are absolute saints. I didn’t attempt jumping again until halfway through my third season. My Thoroughbred, especially (who had never stopped at a fence in his life, pre-brain-tumour days) would very slowly, very carefully, very gently, fold up at the bottom of a fence and refuse, if he felt I was uncentered. You could hardly label it a refusal because he did it so gently it would not even unseat me. And as soon as my position was right again (sometimes, being half-paralyzed, I am afraid I must confess I couldn’t tell) he would float over the fence so quietly I could barely even feel him land. This from a horse who used to be so enthusiastic my trainer said, “It’s a good thing he has such great jumping ability, we will have to point him at Open Jumpers, he will never make a hunter he is way too brilliant and bold.” Goes to show what she knows, eh? Horses are just amazing and wonderful and generous from the bottom of their hearts: if you want to go hunt, I say go for it.
Oh, heck, I’ve whipped in wearing a neck brace to support a sprained neck and lots of Advil for the bruised ribs. And hunted with a corneal ulcer that required eye meds every couple of hours (that’s where you really need a horse that stands well!). And once, in France, competed in a little schooling jumping show (showing 3’9" to 4’3" with stitches in my shin.
But then, I might be a little crazy.
I would ‘officially’ advise that you follow doc’s advice! But for me, it’s just a question of what I’m comfortable doing.
Patellar tendonitis, stepped on feet (by a 17 hand warmblood), a slice in my back that SHOULD have had stitches, and bone bruise on my tibia. It hurt, but it was more fun to ride it out than sit in the lawn chair and wait for everyone to come back. Had my arm in a sling for a while too so I taught my horse to neck rein, lol.
Like others said, its all what you’re comfortable with, though I would recommend you forego at least the muscle relaxers. If you’re on prescription pain meds, maybe just half the dose, depending on how sensitive you are to them.
bad question to ask this bunch!
As you can see; we be bad…very, very bad!!! Personally?!! I hunt best with a coupla Percocet on board. Makes me really like everyone…really, really friendly and happy and smiley…and of course I THINK I ride better too. :D:lol::lol::lol:
I’d guage my return to the saddle based on doctors preferences (assuming of course he knows ANYTHING about horses & riding) and on how you feel. OK to take a coupla nsaids then see how you feel. Take a short ride the evening before and then decide.
Broken bones?!!! NEVER ride!
Recent concussion?!!! Stay off! depending on severity.
And don’t let them peeps tell you hilltopping ain’t no big thing! It’s still challenging for you and your horse. No need for the extra stress of fear to complicate a clinic. Just go watch even! Or have someone else ride your horse for you in it. But it can be a huge confidence builder too.
See how you feel. Soreness is different from pain or serious injury.
Dang, you guys are hardcore!
[QUOTE=billiebob;4175890]
Dang, you guys are hardcore![/QUOTE]
Ditto! :eek:
Not sure if it counts, but I evented at Novice with a cast on my wrist (which they knew about) and a couple of broken ribs (which they didn’t know about. Put it on my medi-band though).
hilltopping
ok, I know nothing about hunting, but always thought I would like to try it. Not to be clogging up the site with dumb questions, but what is hill topping?
Thanks for including a tyro.
I hilltopped with broken ribs.
I asked my doctor about a week after my accident (horse burst through a stall door and the door hit me in the ribs hard enough to break two and bruise my liver) how long before I could fox hunt. The look she gave me was priceless. She convinced me that another fall with a bruised liver would be bad news. So, I waited a couple of weeks and then didn’t ask. I was NOT going to miss the entire spring hunt season.
Hilltopping is the slower field in the hunt which does not have jumps.
‘Hilltopping’ means riding with a slower group, that won’t be staying with the hounds every step of the way (which requires going fast and usually jumping). Rather, the group might go from ‘hilltop’ to ‘hilltop’ to follow the action from a distance, hence the term.
Try it, you’ll like it.
You are SO my kinda gal!
