I was wondering if anyone here uses supplemental oxygen on a daily basis and if you ride with it? I have Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension and use 2L/min. I have ridden before with it, but have never seen anyone else who uses oxygen and rides. Does anyone know if it is permitted to be used during a dressage test?
Welcome!
Hi Pinerose,
I hope that you hear from some of our asthma crew. There was a thread last year, I think in the fall, about Asthma and competing in dressage. One of the cothers did use oxygen before and after. Try searching the threads index for it. I will look, too.
We have more people on this forum now, so there should be some ideas, too.
Here is the thread
You might want to pm the riders who use oxygen, too. This thread was from last spring, before we had this forum. It was posted over on the dressage forum.
Since then, I learned that you can request a dispensation for physical problems. The USEF one covers the levels below FEI. There is a separate one for FEI. The para riders will tell you more. There are para classes at most of the dressage shows. You would be eligible to ride 2 different sets of classes, that way.
I was wondering, how do you manage the oxygen container?
http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?t=200332&highlight=oxygen+use+riding
There was an early COTH poster who rode with an oxygen tank.
I know of several team ropers that have an oxigen bottle hanging from the horn.
Don’t seem to slow them any.
You don’t have a horn on a dressage saddle.
Would you not have to ask the dressage association about rules for that, or dispensation?
If you search CactusKate (I believe), you should find a photo of her riding in a dressage saddle with oxygen. She is, sadly, no longer with us.
We used to have handicapped riders that used the old oxigen tanks, that were a 2’+ steel bottle, that hissed all along.
Some horses were ok with that, others didn’t really liked it.
With today’s much smaller and quieter systems, I think your main concern would be to see what the association rules tell you.:yes:
