Hi- sorry this isn’t a glamorous topic! I’ve had an inguinal hernia for about five plus years and it has only begun to bother me this past spring. I’ve had an ultrasound done and it’s sadly definitely a tear of about 1.5 cm. My doctor seems to think it won’t interfere with riding post healing from surgery, but I’m terrified because that location is pretty active in all movements in the saddle. I’m in a place where it randomly nags and aches more frequently but it is definitely bearable (I have a high pain tolerance.) Has anyone had an inguinal hernia repaired and gone onto continue riding a lot with zero issues from the mesh etc? He did say I can probably get away with not repairing it as I am on the slim side, but obviously it’s bugging me more or I would not be here asking! I show and compete regularly and would be really bummed if this permanently made me uncomfortable in the saddle. Thanks so much!
My SO had an inguinal hernia repaired. Unfortunately, he doesn’t ride. Being borderline freak- of -nature fit is a requirement of his career, though, and these guys are sometimes pushing it to borderline rhabdomyolysis. He’s had no issues post-op.
I had an inguinal hernia repair when I was a child and I only know because my parents told me. Well, that and the scar is pretty straight compared to all my other ragged injuries haha! Get it done. Hernias can worsen over time and you can even get bowel trapped in the hernia sack. Then you’ll be in for emergency surgery.
I had a very large one, at the largest perhaps the size of a third of a plum under the skin, most days the size of half a grape tho. I had it for a year or so (no insurance, and couldn’t take off working at the barn I was at), and continued to ride, unload feed, etc. It did bother me, but I learned to live with it. I got married and went to get it repaired, and the surgeon always scheduled my appointments in the morning when it was still, yanno, “in” 
and didn’t believe me. So my scar is a long straight line and then four shorter ones because he stopped cutting and then had to keep cutting to expose the end.
Once healed, ZERO issues with riding or anything. Other than listing it as a surgery it is a non-issue. I’m not sure if I have the mesh, I think so?
