[RC] riding after back surgery - Susan E. Garlinghouse, D.V.M.
A good friend of mine who rides dressage was in a pretty bad
accident a few years ago and to make a long story short, had to have three
vertebrae surgically fused last week. I’m not sure of the exact
vertebrae involved, but it was in the region of the lumbosacral junction.
Obviously, she’s pretty depressed because she thinks her riding career is
over. There is a new appliance available that stabilizes and still
provides some pretty amazing flexibility, but apparently it was not an option
in her case.
Does anyone have experience with this sort of procedure and
whether she has any chance of riding again at anything beyond a rent pony
plod? She was riding at 4th level dressage and while I suspect
that might be a stretch, maybe lower levels are still possible?
