lower leg and foot nerve damage...HELP!

[tacit60]

I am starting to ride again, after 25 years of not riding much at all. During that 25 years, I ruptured a disc in my back which resulted in damage to my S1 nerve. I have numbness in my right calf, and the outer and bottom aspects of my right foot. Because of the nerve damage, it is virtually impossible to strengthen my right calf muscles, or the muscles on the bottom of my foot. I have a bit of a foot drop when I walk, as my foot doesn’t roll properly. I can’t stand on my tip toes with that foot either.
Instead of my body weight being distributed evenly across my right foot, most of the weight is in my heel; a compensation for lack of muscle in the arch and on the outside of the foot, I guess. In addition, my right ankle is very weak.

So basically, this is effecting my leg and foot position when I ride. Since I have so little strength in my calf, I tend to thrust my heel down in the stirrup as a way to brace myself. When I do focus extra hard on keeping my calf against the horse, I lose my right stirrup. So then I push my foot further forward in the stirrup so it won’t fall out, and it just all goes to hell.
When I rode regularly as a young woman, I was a decent enough rider. I never had much formal training, but a secure seat, quiet enough leg, etc. I wasn’t worried so much about equitation as I was just enjoying my horse and riding as much as I could.
I am not looking to compete (except a local show now and then if I can), but I want to be a good rider again. I recently saw a video of myself riding, and my right leg/foot activity was pretty horrifying.
I have no idea what to do, save for duct taping my leg into the correct position. I have done work with my instructor on a lunge line with no stirrups. It went fairly well and my balance isn’t too bad for a person my age (54) who has been out of the saddle for so long. I think I actually ride better without the stirrups to worry about.
A couple of lessons ago I lost my right stirrup while cantering. I tried really hard to recover, but ended up falling. I was ok, but I realized it happened because I had so much weight in the right stirrup, so when I lost it, everything fell apart.
I am so discouraged. I don’t know how to fix this, and I’m afraid it can’t be fixed. I guess one option is to just ride and not worry about it. Another may be to ride with a much longer stirrup?? Ride Western? Stop riding?!?
Sorry for the overly long post. Any advice or help would be appreciated. Thank you.

[Nadia]

I have nerve damage in both legs from severe compression at L4-5. I can’t get up on my toes, and I need a brace on my right foot because of my foot drop. I had surgery a year ago. Before surgery I rode a bike 5-6 days per week to try to keep my legs moving.Walking was to painful. I never gave up riding, but it wasn’t pretty…I urge you to get safety stirrups. My right foot got stuck one time and it could have been really bad. If I lose a stirrup, I can’t get it back, so I just walk, and need to use my whip to guide my stirrup to my foot. Since surgery, I have gain some strength and improved my balance . My surgeon didn’t promise full recovery, but at least he stopped the damage. He said it will take a year or 2 to regenerate the nerves. When I ride, I don’t (can’t) put much weight in my stirrups. I can only post a few strides. I concentrate on staying centered, relaxing my body, with legs long. I am getting better, and I won’t give up. I have a very balanced , easy horse that I have owned for 15 years. He takes good care of me. Good luck

[wateryglen]

I have this and it hasn’t stopped my foxhunting! :winkgrin: Stop worrying about how you LOOK and worry about functionality. I suggest ankle support in the form of high laced up sturdy boots. I ride better with full dress boots or even field boots but for trailriding try some western styled high laced up paddock boots. It has to be higher than the ariat styled lacers/paddock hikers types but you need support and “fixation” say 3-4 inches above your ankle bone. You could even try ace bandages ankle support under your paddock boots. Should be something sturdy. And ride long, down a few holes/dressage or western length. Experiment also w/stirrup irons and try some western/trailriding styles. The larger footbed is easier to hold onto. and good luck! You’ll be fine and eventually won’t notice it. I did ride for years one hole shorter on that side as my ankle collapses deeper in a heels down position. Did so to level the saddle for horse.

[betsyk]

Core strength! core strength! Here’s why, and here’s what I’d do if you were my student. I’d have you ride without stirrups for as long as you need to, and I’d encourage you to do anything possible off the horse to develop core strength, because I’d have you focus on your seat and creating a really solid base of support through your seat without using your feet or legs to catch yourself or provide stability. Little by little I’d have you work with your stirrups but we’d focus a LOT on recognizing when you’re pushing on the right and why so we could use that core strength to break that habit. Not sure if this is making sense. We’d probably spend a lot of time in sitting trot, and/or a slow lopey canter if your horse has that gait. We’d work on rising trot using your core and not posting from your feet. As far as tack, we’d experiment, because the wide web stirrups might be helpful but I’d also really want some sort of safety stirrup and it might be hard to find both those features in the same stirrup. Western vs. English would probably depend more on the horse you have available than anything else, but a dressage saddle that really fits you would be my preference over a close contact saddle or even an AP. If you have a choice of horses, go with something smooth so you can work on your core without falling into bad habits from lack of strength, and so you can do the no-stirrups work safely. I’d also give you lots of encouragement because it sounds like you’re really committed to getting back in the saddle and doing whatever it takes!

[LauraKY]

You can have a custom made brace made to correct the foot drop. You’ll need to talk to an orthopod who can refer you to a brace shop. Most insurance will pay for it.

I don’t know how or if that will help with riding though. They are spring loaded to pull your foot back up when it drops.

[cheval_convert]

Lots of no stirrup work so that you can really concentrate on being centered and balanced in the saddle. When your “seat” knows where it is supposed to be, then add the stirrups and concentrate on what your “seat” is telling you.

[kdreger]

I agree with the no stirrups! You need to realize riding is balance and NOT supported by weight in the stirrups. It sounds like your problem is in thinking you “need” weight in your stirrups. Go bareback or go western with stirrups so long you can’t use them as a crutch.