Should my daughter ride again?

LEC said:
Weirdly I did one years and years ago through the powers of HHO. A trained martial arts instructor who was interested in horses was a member. I do think there should be more and I think RC and PC should offer it.
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Definitely agree there should be more access to courses. I've done martial arts in the past (including Judo), but would like a more focused approach to riding falls.
 
When I was young I would ride anything, no matter how badly behaved, I fell off quite a few times and it never bothered me. It’s very easy when you are young with no responsibilities so I’m not surprised your daughter isn’t phased by falling and injuring herself. I had an accident in jan 22 which caused a brain bleed, I was 75 at the time and I am on blood thinners. I was told by the hospital not to ride again, and my family also asked me not to…. I can honestly say that if I didn’t have my dogs I would still be riding. I am still tempted and haven’t completely given up hope that I may get to ride or even just have a rescue unrideable horse to care for. There’s something about horses that some of us can’t give up
 
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Crikey, what a dilemma. It's hard enough trying to make that decision for yourself, let alone someone else. I take safety much more seriously now. Up to date helmet, body protector, quick release stirrups and secure tack is all something that is now a non-negotiable for me.
 
Gosh that’s awful luck, your poor daughter.
I have an ankle and lower leg full of metal from a bad fall last year. I have made adjustments to the type of horses I ride now and if I don’t feel happy on something, I get off it.

I think if your daughter is keen to carry on riding, she needs to stick to her own horses that she knows well. Accidents can happen on any horse, but riding unknown horses does add to the element of risk.
I sat on something new a few weeks ago and I didn’t get a good feeling from it so I promptly got off. I have to look after myself a bit more now and be picky.
I think as you get older, you weigh up the risks a bit more, whereas youngsters don’t have quite the weight of responsibility that you do when you’ve got a job, people relying on you etc.
 
Michelle58 said:
Love the quote from "Gone With the Wind". I am actually originally from Atlanta, GA
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I saw the film in a what looked like a flea ridden old cinema, when I was about twenty,and read the book when I was about thirty, and really it's how I look at life. Sh!t happens, sometimes you just have to take a step and think about it, because.....
 
I take it the calcium is combined with vitamin D? I would want a good blood test for vit D levels and possibly a bone scan or similar given the very real danger of permanent injury if she breaks that bone again. Teens fall all the time, two bad breaks in quick succession is an indicator for sure of poor bone health, which needs to be fixed before she puts herself at risk again in any way.

I was a crash test dummy at her age - I was small so fit on the naughty ponies, and they used me on the ones that were throwing the little kids off. Tonnes and tonnes of falls, not a broken bone in sight. I was also not a milk drinker but my mother drummed into me from an early age that I had to take in enough calcium somehow through (cheese/yogurt/supplements) or I would be breaking bones and not allowed to ride. Riding was my life…I took her seriously! I’m the same with my kids. Both are cow’s milk protein intolerant so we give them those kids’ gummies for calcium/vit D and the milk alternatives with calcium added. Once she’s off the prescribed mega doses she will need to continue her intake of both, even into adulthood. Growing or not, we all need adequate intake of calcium, as it is used for more than just to grow bones, and our body will take it out of our bones and teeth if it has insufficient in the diet.
 
Long time lurker..

I broke my femur about 10 years ago on my own horse, previous to that I was working in horses and riding many different types, often naughty ones and like your daughter was pretty much fearless. I then proceeded to have a lucky, but nasty pelvic injury about 6 years ago and it really brought it home that I needed to stop riding the ones that might kill me, because at some point it wasn't going to be just my pelvis or my femur (they thought I had done the same femur again!!) but potentially my life, or my ability to walk.

I then only rode my horses who were safe and didn't really ride anyone else until about 2 or 3 years later when I started riding for other people again.. nowadays I ride the horses I trust, of course I have come off a couple times but they were 'silly' falls rather than me hanging on for dear life on something that's known for being an idiot.

Your daughter is young, but that femur is going to cause her life-long issues, personally I have a leg about 3 inches shorter than the other now and it causes me major pelvis and back problems and will for the rest of my life. I would suggest she can ride still but keep her to her own, safe horse. Of course, accidents may still happen on her pony but it's about minimising the risk because you won't ever get rid of it completely, she may not understand at this stage in her life but until she's a bit older and can I would suggest just putting your foot down and only allowing her to ride her own pony :)
 
JumpTheMoon1 said:
STOP her riding friends horses !! Favours and kindness often results in mishaps like this.Hope she recovers fully.
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Her friends would hack on Sundays and switch horses all of the time. They love riding different horses, part of horsemanship on how to handle other horses. She also used to help her trainer exercise the barn horses, so she knows them pretty well. However, her trainer and I have agreed that my daughter cannot take any unnecessary risks anymore.
 
Does your daughter have any friends who are diabetic? My boss' son is 13/14 and a brittle type 1 diabetic, he goes out with his mates, has a laugh but has to manage the increased risks of his condition or ends up dangerously ill in hospital and it's that or stay in. Your daughter now has a condition that means she has to take responsibility for managing her increased risk if she wants to continue with her passion. I'm sure her friends will be 100% supportive when they understand why she can't swap horses with them.
 
You may find your daughter doesn’t want to ride any more. When I stopped being able to play my other main sport through injury, I didn’t want to drop down and do walking or low contact versions of it; it was the whole thing or nothing. It’s fairly common amongst people who play sport to a high level and then have it taken away from them.

I know that if I couldn’t ride at my current level that includes galloping and jumping, and swapping horses / doing daft things, I would walk away from it entirely.

So be supportive if she says she’d rather quit entirely; don’t force her to stay involved in a limited capacity if she’d rather walk away and never look back.
 
DarkLark said:
Long time lurker..

I broke my femur about 10 years ago on my own horse, previous to that I was working in horses and riding many different types, often naughty ones and like your daughter was pretty much fearless. I then proceeded to have a lucky, but nasty pelvic injury about 6 years ago and it really brought it home that I needed to stop riding the ones that might kill me, because at some point it wasn't going to be just my pelvis or my femur (they thought I had done the same femur again!!) but potentially my life, or my ability to walk.

I then only rode my horses who were safe and didn't really ride anyone else until about 2 or 3 years later when I started riding for other people again.. nowadays I ride the horses I trust, of course I have come off a couple times but they were 'silly' falls rather than me hanging on for dear life on something that's known for being an idiot.

Your daughter is young, but that femur is going to cause her life-long issues, personally I have a leg about 3 inches shorter than the other now and it causes me major pelvis and back problems and will for the rest of my life. I would suggest she can ride still but keep her to her own, safe horse. Of course, accidents may still happen on her pony but it's about minimising the risk because you won't ever get rid of it completely, she may not understand at this stage in her life but until she's a bit older and can I would suggest just putting your foot down and only allowing her to ride her own pony :)
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I wasn't going to mention this, because I always try and look at the positive, but I know through my job, and I also know two people who have long term pain from internal fixations, pin and plate etc., and they both have difficulty walking. You never know how someone's body will react to the metal, if you look at x-rays it does look like carpentry, but everyone's bones are different, and if you get inflammation or infection in the bone its incredible hard to treat.
My daughter had to have her growth plate pinned in her arm, but they took it out, weight bearing bones are tricker, and depending on the displacement of the bone and how many bone fragments, the body sometimes does unexpected things to try and fill in the gaps.
 
If she were my child, I would 100% only let her ride her own and definitely not these crazy friends horses. At 13, I dont think she needs to be smashed up anymore, poor kid, I think she's extremely brave to want to ride again so quick after all that!
 
My husband broke his femur in a cycling accident when he was mid-40s - he was an object of wonder in the ward as everyone else they’d had that year (his accident was the day before New Year’s Eve) had been at least 30 years older. He didn’t have any bone density problems, he was just really unlucky in the way that he fell. He had the plate and pins taken out a couple of years later as they were causing a lot of pain and he couldn’t use the leg properly (couldn’t run at all etc). When he had the plate/pins out his leg function was back to normal. Your daughter has youth on her side so fingers crossed she makes a complete recovery
 
Michelle58 said:
My 13 year old daughter fell off a friend's horse and broke her femoral neck. She had three screws inserted. After about 10 weeks, physical therapy said they couldn't fatigue her and that she should start riding lightly. Her horse is great, mild tempered and for a week all went well. A friend went out of town and asked her to exercise her horse. About ten seconds into a slow trot, this horse bucked her off high and hard. She landed on the same side as before. She broke her femur below the screws and her wrist. They took out the original screws, put in two longer screws, a rod down her femur, a plate and two more screws. Recovery time is definitely going to be a lot longer than the first. As a mother, how can I allow my daughter to break her body again? This is a strong willed equestrian (hunter/jumper) who has Grand Prix aspirations, is the hardest working girl at the barn, was riding 4-5 times a week, and is determined to ride again. She’s been riding since she was 8 years old. However, if she falls on that side again, she could break her knee as the rod stabilizes the femur. The surgeon says the hardware should stay in unless it starts to bother her. I am thinking that if she rides again then we will lower the risks as much as possible including no riding any other horse other than her own and wearing an inflatable vest. I understand horses can be unpredictable and there is always a risk. What would you do? Anyone had the same experiences? Thank you!
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This is a rather hazy still from a video of me flying through the air after doing a complete 360 from my horse who was 17.1hh. I never found out what made him do what he did but he jumped a jump awkwardly, I fell onto his neck, pushed myself up with my hand and about three strides after the fence he stopped dead which had the effect of throwing me upwards, he certainly didn't buck. I must have had to have gone several feet in the air, the video shows me about three foot higher than the saddle at one point. I landed smack on my back but with my left knee slightly bent. That has caused multiple issues with my left SI and lasting damage. I have moderate changes in the joint on MRI. It was a miracle I walked away without being paralysed as I was a good 16 stone at the time. Although loading and driving home I was sobbing for most of the time in agony.

The following month I went out and bought a Hit Air after being lucky enough to compare three types of air jacket at Your Horse Live.
I felt it had the most coverage. After that happened in October 2014 I NEVER EVER got on Bailey again without it, even if it was just hacking down the lane and back.

I wholeheartedly support the use of air jackets for both grass roots riders and professionals and feel that they can be extremely beneficial in minimising the damage particuarly to the neck from the whiplash effect which caused me concussion on a number of occasions when my head 'followed through'.

Although you can't use them when trying out horses (which is a shame) I would support this completely if a potential buyer wanted to buy a horse from me.
I will never ride another horse without an air jacket.

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I broke my femur at that age had plates and screws holding it together and I have no long term issues. They did remove the metal work about 4 years later as it can cause issues if you ever need Hip replacements.
Ensure she follows the physio religiously my parents were super strict with it.

After that I rode as normal hunting, swapping ponies being a teenager and enjoying myself. I knew the dangers and was expected to take educates risks such as not getting on the young horses but using the nanny horse to go out with them so still involved.
The thing I notice now is I am inherently stronger on that side as I was so weak I increased my cues and aids to counteract the muscle weakness and have gone the other way.
 
Birker2020 said:
This is a rather hazy still from a video of me flying through the air after doing a complete 360 from my horse who was 17.1hh. I never found out what made him do what he did but he jumped a jump awkwardly, I fell onto his neck, pushed myself up with my hand and about three strides after the fence he stopped dead which had the effect of throwing me upwards, he certainly didn't buck. I must have had to have gone several feet in the air, the video shows me about three foot higher than the saddle at one point. I landed smack on my back but with my left knee slightly bent. That has caused multiple issues with my left SI and lasting damage. I have moderate changes in the joint on MRI. It was a miracle I walked away without being paralysed as I was a good 16 stone at the time. Although loading and driving home I was sobbing for most of the time in agony.

The following month I went out and bought a Hit Air after being lucky enough to compare three types of air jacket at Your Horse Live.
I felt it had the most coverage. After that happened in October 2014 I NEVER EVER got on Bailey again without it, even if it was just hacking down the lane and back.

I wholeheartedly support the use of air jackets for both grass roots riders and professionals and feel that they can be extremely beneficial in minimising the damage particuarly to the neck from the whiplash effect which caused me concussion on a number of occasions when my head 'followed through'.

Although you can't use them when trying out horses (which is a shame) I would support this completely if a potential buyer wanted to buy a horse from me.
I will never ride another horse without an air jacket.

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Thank you for sharing your story! I wish it was mandatory for the riders to wear a protective vest or air jacket! Most girls won't wear them because "no one else wears them". I will check them out and see if my daughter will consider it. Best wishes for only successful rides!
 
MissMay said:
I broke my femur at that age had plates and screws holding it together and I have no long term issues. They did remove the metal work about 4 years later as it can cause issues if you ever need Hip replacements.
Ensure she follows the physio religiously my parents were super strict with it.

After that I rode as normal hunting, swapping ponies being a teenager and enjoying myself. I knew the dangers and was expected to take educates risks such as not getting on the young horses but using the nanny horse to go out with them so still involved.
The thing I notice now is I am inherently stronger on that side as I was so weak I increased my cues and aids to counteract the muscle weakness and have gone the other way.
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Thank you for your post! This makes me feel better and we were wondering about the metal work removal down the road as a possibility. I asked the doctor what will happen should she need a hip replacement in her elder years. His reply was "oh that surgeon is going to have a challenge". I had read that sometimes removing the rod can cause the femur to weaken? I assume it would heal again? She's started equestrian yoga as you probably know stretching is important, too. She is doing physio and I am enrolling her into a sports endurance program to help build more muscle. I did ask the doctor about checking her vitamin d level in her blood, since she has broken her femur twice. His response "well, her bones are probably fine since both injuries were from high impact". He eventually agreed to getting a base line for her, per my request, and she was LOW. Now she is on mega doses for 8 weeks of vitamin D and then recheck her blood level. Sitting on the sofa for the past several months with both injuries doesn't help your bones and muscles.

She is aware of the dangers and will be taking fewer risks. I will get a second opinion for the hardware removal, too! Interesting that you are now inherently stronger on that side. Best wishes to you!
Muddy unicorn said:
My husband broke his femur in a cycling accident when he was mid-40s - he was an object of wonder in the ward as everyone else they’d had that year (his accident was the day before New Year’s Eve) had been at least 30 years older. He didn’t have any bone density problems, he was just really unlucky in the way that he fell. He had the plate and pins taken out a couple of years later as they were causing a lot of pain and he couldn’t use the leg properly (couldn’t run at all etc). When he had the plate/pins out his leg function was back to normal. Your daughter has youth on her side so fingers crossed she makes a complete recovery
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Yikes! I am wondering if her hardware will bother her in the future. There is another girl at the barn who had her plate and pins removed, however she didn't have a rod inserted into her femur. So I'm not sure if we can do that in the future but I am definitely going to check on that! Thank you for sharing your husband's story!
 
Katieg123 said:
Please insist on a Dexa Scan for her! The femur is an incredibly tough bone to break and the only people I (personally) know that have broken it have had undiagnosed bone density issues. She should be able to fall off and not break major bones except in seriously unlucky circumstances!
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The doctor said these were high impact injuries and that her bones are probably fine. After I insisted, she had a blood test and her vitamin d level was low! So now she's on mega dose of vitamin D for eight weeks then reassess. She's fallen many times in the past so I was concerned on how she was able to break her femur....twice :-(.
 
MagicMelon said:
If she were my child, I would 100% only let her ride her own and definitely not these crazy friends horses. At 13, I dont think she needs to be smashed up anymore, poor kid, I think she's extremely brave to want to ride again so quick after all that!
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Thank you for your kind words. A couple of parents made me angry when they asked "How can you allow your daughter to ride again?". WTH?? That's not their concern. She's not riding yet as she's still rehabilitating, taking mega doses of Vitamin D, and building back muscle, stability and strength. She is so brave. She wants to start riding again (slowly of course) the day after her next surgeon appointment :-). She is one tough cookie. Yep, no riding anyone else's horse.
 
honetpot said:
I wasn't going to mention this, because I always try and look at the positive, but I know through my job, and I also know two people who have long term pain from internal fixations, pin and plate etc., and they both have difficulty walking. You never know how someone's body will react to the metal, if you look at x-rays it does look like carpentry, but everyone's bones are different, and if you get inflammation or infection in the bone its incredible hard to treat.
My daughter had to have her growth plate pinned in her arm, but they took it out, weight bearing bones are tricker, and depending on the displacement of the bone and how many bone fragments, the body sometimes does unexpected things to try and fill in the gaps.
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I appreciate your candidness! I will definitely research inflammation and infection in the bone, and add this question to my list to the surgeon. Fortunately she's almost grown so they aren't worried about her growth plates. Thank you for your response!
 
Snowfilly said:
You may find your daughter doesn’t want to ride any more. When I stopped being able to play my other main sport through injury, I didn’t want to drop down and do walking or low contact versions of it; it was the whole thing or nothing. It’s fairly common amongst people who play sport to a high level and then have it taken away from them.

I know that if I couldn’t ride at my current level that includes galloping and jumping, and swapping horses / doing daft things, I would walk away from it entirely.

So be supportive if she says she’d rather quit entirely; don’t force her to stay involved in a limited capacity if she’d rather walk away and never look back.
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Oh my gosh, I would never force her to stay riding in any capacity! We've asked her if she wants to try something else, but horse riding is her "life" she says. Maybe in her high school days she may find other interests, but right now this girl has high aspirations (grand prix, WEC) which could be a problem with her injuries. Time will tell how she wants to proceed if she can't do everything with horses like you said. Thank you for your insightful reply.
 
Michelle58 said:
The doctor said these were high impact injuries and that her bones are probably fine. After I insisted, she had a blood test and her vitamin d level was low! So now she's on mega dose of vitamin D for eight weeks then reassess. She's fallen many times in the past so I was concerned on how she was able to break her femur....twice :-(.
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If vitamin D level was that low…have the doctors suggested any reason for it , or any more testing ? Assuming a normal diet/outdoor lifestyle, may I suggest checking for coeliac disease?
 
I high dose Vit D now thanks to Cancer. The more I read, the more I realise we should all be supplementing at least 4000iu a day.
 
quizzie said:
If vitamin D level was that low…have the doctors suggested any reason for it , or any more testing ? Assuming a normal diet/outdoor lifestyle, may I suggest checking for coeliac disease?
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One of the only apparent effects of my coeliac disease was low D. In fact, I was so atypical the coeliac was only found by accident by the dr's, and then the D by myself (!) So possibly worth pursuing as the sooner it's spotted, the less damage done and the easier it is to learn to live with.
 
Michelle58 said:
The doctor said these were high impact injuries and that her bones are probably fine. After I insisted, she had a blood test and her vitamin d level was low! So now she's on mega dose of vitamin D for eight weeks then reassess. She's fallen many times in the past so I was concerned on how she was able to break her femur....twice :-(.
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Glad to hear you pushed for a diagnosis! So much gets missed by doctors brushing it off! As others have said its worth looking into the cause for low vit D. Vit D deficiency can cause rickets as well as weak and soft bones. Well done for being a great Mama!
 
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