My husband bit the bullet and had one done last Christmas, he had just
started riding a few years before that and I kept getting after him for dragging
his leg across the horses rump when he mounted. Never knew his hip was
gone---he actually went to the doctor for what he thought was an ankle problem
and was stunned to find out it was his hip. The one thing he emphasizes to
people getting it done is that it was an instant relief from the pain he was
experiencing. His doctor also told him his other hip is about half shot
and since he is sixty-one I wonder if that means he won't live long enough
to wear out the other one. I've just recently noticed my sister dragging
her leg across the back of her English saddle and she says she can't carry large
water bottles in her cantle pack because she can't clear them trying
to mount. I think her time is coming but she won't go to a doctor to have
it checked. I recently have been seeing a chiropractor (yes, for a fall
off my horse) and when he did radiographs I specifically asked him to
check for deterioration in my hips. Luckily, he said I looked good.
Linda Norton
