Riding with my Splinted Finger

[Katielizabeth_17]

Looking back there were many odds against us. It was a dark evening, the barn manager opted to keep the horses in overnight for a “storm” and my 6 year old 17.2hh TB did NOT agree to the trailer training I had in mind. Long story short he took off around the trailer, and pulled the lead through my hand to the point that it squeezed all my fingers, jammed and dislocated my middle finger pretty badly.

I work in the ER so I got the finger reduced and splinted pretty quickly but I essentially had a “gnarly” dislocation and a teenie avulsion fracture.

It’s in the middle finger and I asked the doc to spare all my others in the splinting. So theoretically i could place the reins between ring and pinky finger per usual with my middle finger remaining splinted. Am I nuts?!

I have a lesson tomorrow so I’m hoping to ride. We all know equestrians are tough…and nurses make the worst patients. Hard combo lol

 

[cauda equina]

Ouch!
I rode straight away after dislocating my ring ringer (also trailer-related)
I stuck it to my middle finger and it was fine but we went pretty sedately at first, just pottering about really as I wouldn't have trusted it doing anything more
Good luck, hope yours heals well

 

[scats]

Ouch, sounds painful.

I badly broke my little finger in a fall from my pony as a kid. It was pointing the wrong way but they duly strapped the thing up and I was back riding the next day and competing that weekend. I rode for the next few months with my reins between my next two fingers.
It didn’t heal straight so it’s now at a rather funny angle, but it’s fine and doesn’t cause any issues.

 

[coblets]

Could you bridge your reins and ride with the good hand?

 

[Pippity]

When I broke my ring finger, I asked the nurse to splint it to my middle finger. She laughed, told me she was also a horse rider, and promptly wrapped my ring finger very firmly to my pinkie and ordered me not to ride.

I didn't actually ride for a little while (I broke my finger while poulticing an abscess, so had to wait for my horse to come sound) but I was definitely back on board while it was still splinted, just riding with one hand.

 

[Esmae]

I rode with my broken finger. No splints, bandages, nothing. Didn't realise I'd broken it for a month! It looks a bit odd now but never bothered me.

 

[Cortez]

I've broken 7 of my fingers, some more than once, and they look a bit higgledy piggledy but all still work. I've usually strapped them up with gaffer tape and a couple of lollipop sticks and carried on, but the last one I did I was made to go to hospital and had an operation, GA, proper splint and everything. That finger is the most crooked of them all, and I told the doctor I wasn't at all impressed.

I've always ridden right away, but I ride one handed anyway and it's easy enough to adapt.

 

[Annagain]

Yes you are nuts ....but then I rode with my arm in a sling for 2 weeks and one handed for another 3 after that. In my defence, I was only 16 and had a summer of riding after doing my GCSEs planned. Two days after my last exam my horse and I both fell over together and he stood on my arm as he got up. Other than freak accidents he was pretty reliable and 16 years old so I trusted him completely and we only hacked quietly. I'd wait for mum and dad to go to work and then sneak out to ride. The worst part was not being able to wash my riding clothes as mum would spot them. They stank!

 

[Cowpony]

I've ridden with my little finger splinted to my ring finger. The only thing I couldn't do was an exercise in which my instructor wanted me to place my hand under my seat bones. I don't think I jumped though, as that was the way I'd injured it in the first place.

 

[Carrottom]

It probably wouldn't stop me riding but I'd save my lesson money for another day.

 

[Katielizabeth_17]

So update…the entire thing continued to be shite this morning. Wanted to get Max out for at least an hour or two before our ride. Well…I had a fire breathing dragon, even with the shank. I was fairly annoyed that he was in for 24 hours, and when he was turned out he went galloping in circles, screeching, and then proceeded to jump into the water trough, splash, and knock it over.

I thought, to hell with this, he is going to get hurt. So I Ace’d him. Cancelled the lesson and chatted ringside with other lessoners while dopey ate grass. THEN I managed to tack him up in my dressage saddle myself wearing a vestfor the biggest push ride EVER. The splint I have is horrible and extends to my palm so every time I half halted it put pressure on the splinted finger where the reins passed through. But manageable.

I’m going to buy a better splint for while I’m riding that just goes on that finger instead of the entire hand!

Everyone’s stories are hilarious. We are all nuts…!!

 

[Annagain]

We are all nuts but I'm not sure sedating him (I assume that's what you mean by Aced him?) to ride is the best move. Maybe it's an American thing but it's certainly not something that's done here. Even lightly sedated, a horse's reactions will be much slower and the chances of you both having a nasty accident will be a lot higher. Also if he's only rideable because he's sedated, nobody's really achieved anything from the experience. If you need him that quiet to ride with your injured finger I'd suggest you need more time off. I've been guilty of riding too soon after an injury too but I didn't have to drug my horse or change my medically prescribed support to do it.

I'd talk to your yard (barn) owner about making sure he gets plenty of turnout, cutting his food right down so he has less energy and getting some help to manage his behaviour in hand. I have a 17hh 7 yr old and we've been having a few wobbles in hand and with loading recently. We had some help from an excellent groundwork trainer and he's now following me about like a puppy on and off the trailer like a pro. I'm sure that would help far more than sedation.

 

[Katielizabeth_17]

No I sedated him because he was cooped for 24 hours and I had a fire breathing dragon who I felt was going to hurt himself after her ran around screaming like a banshee.

I was quite frustrated after speaking with the barn manger realized I could not have him turned out overnight on days when the “call” was to keep everyone in.

Got on at a walk with a few trot steps just to see if it was doable and figured this was a safe moment to do so.

End of story: I did not sedate my horse in order to ride. I sedated my horse so he wouldn’t get hurt stupidly (and cancelled lesson after all).