Riding with Ankylosing Spondylitis

[Nicole93]

Looking to see if there are others out there with this condition and how you manage your day to day riding and in particular lateral work ? and if there are any things that help/hinder the condition.

I have 4 horses 3 in work, and work 40 hours per week as a veterinary nurse and I do help keeping moving through out the day can help. Just looking for any info on how fellow equestrians manage it and particular triggers in the saddle.

TIA

 

[sbloom]

For anything like this off horse exercise programmes, and a saddle that is truly supporting your pelvis, so your spine stacks above it correctly/functionally, in comfort and without tension, are both key.

 

[nutjob]

I have ankylosing spondylitis. The main problem I have with riding is that I don't naturally sit straight and can't really tell if I am or not. I have to think about it, and my trainer is aware and constantly checks and corrects me if necessary. It's easy to collapse to one side on lateral work so I do have to really focus. I have far more problems with exhaustion than with pain or lack of mobility so I need to plan for regular breaks. In a 45 min lesson I will have a couple of short breaks which I think benefits my horse also. Throughout the day I need longer breaks and try not to spend more than an hour at a time on my feet, standing up is far worse than riding for me. I do regular exercises to help mobility and core strength.

I had an accident which damaged the ligaments supporting one of my SI joints so it became more mobile and therefore more painful. PRP injections into the ligament helped quite a lot, but I'm not sure if it would in general.

You are doing great if you are working full time and have 4 horses. I have retired early and only have 2 now and its enough. I am starting on immunosuppressants but it's too soon to say if they will help. Anti-inflammatories didn't make me feel better but the consultant said they were to prevent further damage.