Riding after a 2 yr break!

[SmplySweet1021]

I got back from Europe at the end of June and began going out to see “my” horse again. He is owned by my former college and is ready to be retired to me (no job so I can’t take him right now:cry:) I had been lunging him and trying to help him lose some weight.

Then last week one of the girls rode & jumped him for the first time in about 5 months as someone was looking at him to lease (someone I had found). He was an ANGEL. Perfect gentleman. Though he needed to be ridden before the little girl was going to get on him 2 days later. So…after a 2 yr break of not riding due to arthritis in my knee I got on. He was AMAZING. :winkgrin:
Just a hack but it was lovely to be on a horse again. I have missed it terribly. Of course I could barely walk afterwards as all the muscles in my legs were a little sore…actually very very sore :lol:

I ended up getting on again on Sat. before the girl rode him, he was an angel for me again. Of course when the 70 lb girl got on he was great too until he got a little excited and threw 2 of the biggest bucks EVER…she stayed on and said he was fun.

Rode again today, again a perfect gentleman. So now apparently Saturday I have a lesson with the new Coach at the college…we’ll see if I don’t die! :lol:

I’m finally working to get my pain under control thanks to a nerve blocking medicine, and next week I go for a consult at a pain specialist. We are going to do a nerve block to as my doc says “restart” the nerve to help calm it down some. The nerve near my knee apparently has been hyperactive so even the lightest touch felt like awful pain to me. No bueno! After the nerve problem is settled My doc will start looking at the arthritis again.

For someone who rode for 16 yrs & had to sadly give up riding 2 yrs ago when I realized my leg wasn’t stable enough, it was very nice to be on a horse again. Though my leg isn’t strong, and I don’t see myself showing the Hunters again who knows!

[DressageGeek_Ribbon]

Good luck!!!

[SmplySweet1021]

Thank you!

[onwardb]

Good luck! I’ve been off for several years, and all I can say is it is soooo wonderful to be back. I am always amazed at what we will go through to be with our beloved horses again…

I wish you well, and let us know how your specialist visit goes!

[SmplySweet1021]

I walked very funny for a few days :lol:

I was supposed to ride for a new coach (at my old college) today so I donned my hunter princess clothes…tailored professionals, tall boots, polo shirt tucked in collar popped (I tend to always do that ;)). I get to the barn and introduce myself and she said oh your here to ride him, well he’s lame. Horse took that moment to kick the stall door to greet me…well if I’m not lame, “my” (owned by the school) horse is lame :lol:.

Though the coach & I talked for a while, she has some ideas for me in regards to strengthening my left side and changing my balance so my leg doesn’t fly back over fences…the main reason I stopped riding as I didn’t feel safe anymore. So maybe I will take some lessons with her after she gets settled with the new riders at the barn…I’m an alumni anyways.

1st appt with the pain specialist is this thursday, a 2 hr drive away :(. Then my next appt whenever is for the nerve blocks. Though this new medicine I am on has REALLY helped get the nerve pain down. Though I joked to my PT that now the nerve pain is almost gone I’ll actually feel the arthritis pain…man down I’m not excited about that!

[DressageGeek_Ribbon]

Here’s hoping you can get a riding program worked out!

[SmplySweet1021]

Well met my new pain mgmt doc today after a 2 hr drive!

I’m going to get 3 left lumbar sympathetic nerve blocks 1 week apart from each other. Have I mentioned that even after Supartz (5), Synvisc (3), and cortisone (1) injections that I HATE HATE HATE needles? I’ve already warned them that I will be hysterical during the whole procedure, I don’t think the docs assistant believed me…little does she know I wasn’t joking :lol:

[ReSomething]

Ye Gads, that sounds like something I’d be screaming about too. Best wishes that this new therapy helps you out!

[SmplySweet1021]

Thanks I hope so too!!!

I’m trying to schedule them ASAP as WEG is coming up and I am volunteering. I would like to only have to deal with 1 sort of pain at WEG not the arthritis dull ache and the nerves sharp pains

My Oma (Dutch for Grandmother) tried to console me today by saying don’t worry they will numb everything. She didn’t get the whole it was the needle that is the problem :lol:

[onelove]

Wasn’t it wonderful to get back on? Probably made you feel like a little girl again didn’t it? That’s how I felt the first time I rode after taking 10 years off. I sat on the horse and just wept. The first day I galloped again I was bawling my eyes out while we hand galloped through the ring. I was a friggin mess but it was wonderful to feel it all again.

I too have some balance issues and some left knee issues that I have to brace up sometimes. I have learned to ride a bit differently to compensate for it when it acts up but if you take it slow, you can do it.

Heck no one says you have to do Hunters again right off the bat. You can always do Dressage and even trail ride at a walk until you feel you can move forward. The important thing about riding with an injury is learning how to trust yourself and your horse. Trust is absolutely the most important thing, which you should know already but a lot of times, when riders come back from not riding due to physical injuries, they don’t trust themselves and end up not trusting their horses.

As you said, you didn’t feel as balanced and secure. I get that. I am the same way with my weight and knee but you know what, just because I was jumping 4’ fences 10 years ago doesn’t mean that I have to jump 4’ today. I’m happy if I can get us over 2’ fences. I’m happy just to be able to ride so please don’t think that you have to be the person you were yesterday because you’re not. You are an entirely different you and it’s ok to be different.

Good luck riding. It sounds like you have an awesome situation where you can be with the horses and a good prospect in a trainer, and a good horse to help you back in the saddle. Just remember to breathe and enjoy it!

[SmplySweet1021]

Thank you OneLove for giving words of advice. It is nice to hear from someone who has gone through the same things. It’s so strange to have taken EQ lessons for 16 yrs but get back on and feel like my body doesn’t know how to do it all. Though my friends ask me to look at their EQ and I can tell them exactly what they need to do. :lol:

Riding has come to a stand still right now as Mr. B (Nickname for the Horse) is lame. The trainer wants him to be retired from the school since he isn’t the soundest but I currently cannot take him due to finances. I saw him Mr. B today and he was doing well, was a goof on the lunge line. Hoping I can get on next week and get him a little fit to do some flat classes in the hunt seat classes. Crossing my fingers!

I got my nerve blocks scheduled. I am REALLY not looking forward to injections into my back. First one is this Tuesday with 2 more the following tuesdays. No eating or drinking for 6 hours prior. :uhoh: Normally when I get asked not to eat I get even hungrier. :lol:

[HorseLuvr]

[QUOTE=SmplySweet1021;5058765]
Thank you OneLove for giving words of advice. It is nice to hear from someone who has gone through the same things. It’s so strange to have taken EQ lessons for 16 yrs but get back on and feel like my body doesn’t know how to do it all. Though my friends ask me to look at their EQ and I can tell them exactly what they need to do. :lol:

Riding has come to a stand still right now as Mr. B (Nickname for the Horse) is lame. The trainer wants him to be retired from the school since he isn’t the soundest but I currently cannot take him due to finances. I saw him Mr. B today and he was doing well, was a goof on the lunge line. Hoping I can get on next week and get him a little fit to do some flat classes in the hunt seat classes. Crossing my fingers!

I got my nerve blocks scheduled. I am REALLY not looking forward to injections into my back. First one is this Tuesday with 2 more the following tuesdays. No eating or drinking for 6 hours prior. :uhoh: Normally when I get asked not to eat I get even hungrier. :lol:[/QUOTE

LOL!! I totally hear you on the getting even hungrier when asked not to eat scenario!!! I was asked not to eat or drink anything after midnight before my surgery…needless to say I was all of a sudden DYING of thirst around 12:30am! I don’t know what it is but the minute they say you can’t eat or drink it makes you want to do it even more!!!

[SmplySweet1021]

[QUOTE=HorseLuvr;5060916]

LOL!! I totally hear you on the getting even hungrier when asked not to eat scenario!!! I was asked not to eat or drink anything after midnight before my surgery…needless to say I was all of a sudden DYING of thirst around 12:30am! I don’t know what it is but the minute they say you can’t eat or drink it makes you want to do it even more!!![/QUOTE]

Exactly!!! I already told my mom that there were a LOT of restaurants nearby and we are stopping at 1 of them!

I still remember when I was in 6th grade and got hit by a car (yes I am a little accident prone), had to go to the emergency room and after many hours of attempting to set my ankle in a cast (2 part break; outside clean break inside 2 part break) the doctor came into the room to state I was going to have emergency surgery. I had lucky for me just drank 2 small glasses of ginger ale that a nice nurse gave to me. I was able to get my surgery the next morning since the doctor wanted to do spinal anesthesia (Bahh the thought! :eek:) By the time I got home it was 11 pm and I had surgery the next morning at 7 am. I made my mom make me a ton of sandwiches and I chowed down for an hour :lol: When I woke up from surgery, after ripping out my breathing tube :D, the nurse gave me some crackers; I looked her and asked for a turkey and mayo sandwich which I promptly chowed down on :lol:

[SmplySweet1021]

1st Nerve block is done. I am home and slowly regaining feeling in my leg, I think it is almost fully back!

I’m such a big baby & cry about everything that has to do with needles. My mom usually holds my hand (I’m 24) & she wasn’t allowed to come to the procedure room. That got the tears going. The nurse asked me if I was going to be okay or did we need to reschedule…“No i’m always like this with needles” ha what a big baby I am!

There was a 14 yr old boy next to me about to have the same procedure so he was freaking out. They got him sedative medicine…why couldn’t I get some, guess I wasn’t freaking out enough! So I had to go before him…not happy about jumping the line. The doc was super nice and explained everything they were doing and it took about 15 minutes to finish everything. They use a dye first and take x-rays with a machine that flys around the table quickly. Then the medicine goes in after they are sure of being in the right position. I guess the nerve block has epinephrine in it too so they monitored my heart rate closely & kept asking me questions the whole time if I felt anything weird.

Today I took it easy. Tomorrow morning I’ll lunge Mr. B to see how crazy he is before I decide to ride or not. Tomorrow night physical therapy. Then next tuesday another nerve block Lets hope these work!

[SmplySweet1021]

Well I had my 2nd nerve block this past Tuesday. It went A LOT better than the 1st one, less pain too. My pain doc said that if I don’t have pain problems this week to cancel the last block & just do a follow up. :yes: YEAH!!!

Only problem this time was a lack of feeling on the upper front part of my thigh that lasted till some point overnight…that freaked me out a bit!

So far so good no nerve pain this week…though I now remember how crappy arthritis pain is…lovely. I lose 1 pain and the other reminds me it is still there.

Had another PT person today as mine was off. He was feeling my knee and he could feel the small amount of joint space I have left in my knee, he also asked the question about Knee Replacement. I told him my doc & I spoke about it but I am waiting till the bad days outweigh the good ones. The PT asked then how old are you again…24…the jaw dropped haha I enjoy surprising people :lol:

We will see if this works!!

[Zu_Zu]

Jingles & AO ~ Always Optimistic ~

[Leena]

Good luck and hope you will find again some fun riding, even if it is not in the hunter ring !

[DressageGeek_Ribbon]

Ditto!

[SmplySweet1021]

So Far So Good. I called on Friday to cancel my 3rd block

I’ve been only feeling arthritis pain this week and haven’t felt a sharp nerve pain once. Yeah!! Though I told my mom tonight this means I might have to stop my nerve calming medicine…I’m a little sad as I sleep AMAZING on this medicine :lol:.

I see my Orthopedic Surgeon in 2 weeks and we’ll see what we are going to do about the arthritis problems. I guess it’s all a never ending battle!

I rode this morning and Mr. B was awesome after he had been a little bit of a shit last week. Of course when I got on it started drizzling and within 5 minutes of getting on the rain started to come down harder. Plus I was in an outdoor and the tallest thing around, got a little worried when I heard the thunder. So Mr. B & I cantered to the opening to exit the ring and then trotted out over the grass and right into the barn. He was happy he only had to work for 5 minutes. But of course…after we were untacked, the sun came out. :lol: Damn you weather!:mad:

Thanks for everyones encouraging words!!! I’ll update after I follow up with both my docs; pain & orthopedic.