Life lessons learned from injury

Before the injury, I used to event and loved to jump

I laid on the gallop track in the sand with my foot on backwards for 45 minutes waiting for an ambulance. The pain was unbearable. I knew the break was bad because the vet who was vetting the horse I was planning to buy (the same one that decked me!) couldn't stomach it and had to leave! All I could think of is that if I have damaged the joint badly, my riding days are over. 

The surgeon told me that, following the shattering and dislocation of my ankle and subsequent reconstruction, it would never fully recover and I would have arthritis, never run again and 'might' be able to ride. It would take 2 years to recover as well as it is going to, and in this time I would learn how much function I will get back into my right leg and foot.  As the second anniversary of the injury approaches, it seems appropriate to reflect upon the life lessons I learned and how the injury has shaped me as a person. Hopefully some of these thoughts may resonate with some of you, and give anybody who is going through a similar situation some hope and comfort.

Six of the many lessons learned as a result of my injury 

2 weeks after my operation I had the stitches out 

1) Don't trust anyone, you can never be too careful - I injured myself riding a horse that was being vetted for me to buy. I had previously ridden it (after the yard staff had ridden it), but at the vetting, I got straight on because I assumed that the horse had been in normal work since i last saw it, given the horse was for sale and it would surely be in optimum condition and prepared for sale? Once on board, I lasted about 30 seconds before it napped and decked me, leaving me with my right foot hanging on backwards. The damage caused to my foot (and the secondary problems further up in my body), in those two seconds whilst I was hurtled into the air will be with me for the rest of my life. 

8 day stay in hospital 

As I was waiting for an ambulance, I heard the owner state his disappointment at losing the sale of the horse. He had kept the horse in a stable for 4 days so that it would pass the vetting, and was now gutted because this had happened. He was seemingly surprised to have to call an ambulance to scrape an unsuspecting, trusting and naive client off the floor. It has taken me 27 years to appreciate this, and I learned that day that not everybody treats other people in the way that they would like to be treated and that the only person that really cares about you is YOU. Looking after number one is essential, because you are the only person that has to live with the consequences, even if it is as a result of somebody else's negligence.

Some of my dear friends who kept me smiling 

2) Never underestimate the value of friendships - during my recovery I learnt a lot about myself and my friends. There were some people I barely knew who bent over backwards to help me during my recovery, and others that I thought I was close to, who dropped me like a stone when I was no longer mobile. My true friends got me through some tough times, not just during my first round of surgery but then the next round too a year later. I rekindled a relationship with my oldest friend that I had lost touch with, when she brought me round a lemon drizzle cake and from that moment forward we were inseparable again, and I was lucky enough to be her bridesmaid when she married this year.

Fun times with glitter and a plaster cast
and the lady who lights up my life 

3) Life is short and you never know what's round the corner -  accidents happen when we least expect them, and the way they happen often seems so futile! I remember wondering why I couldn't have done it out eventing, because at least it would have been worthwhile and made me less angry at the owner of the horse. 

As a direct result of what happened, I take the view that if I want to do something with my horse, I seize the moment and go for it. I worry less about nerves and what other people think (having historically been a nervous wreck competing), and just feel truly lucky to be fit and well enough to be out there.




4) Horses are the best healers and dressage isn't so bad - When I used to event, the dressage was very much something to get out of the way before the fun stuff started. However, when I was first coming back to riding post-injury, I was lucky enough to be offered two beautiful dressage horses to ride, who 'brought me back into work' and made life enjoyable again. One of these horses I have been lucky enough to buy. He is my absolute pride and joy, and now I would probably choose dressage over jumping, which I never thought would happen! These two horses got me through a very tough time and I will forever be indebted to them.

5) Good comes out of difficult times - I was unhappy at work at the time of my injury. Having completed an equine degree, I decided to get a 'proper job' at one of the Big 4 accountancy firms and qualified as a Chartered Accountant, in order to pay to keep horses. I was desperately unhappy and struggled to sit still for hours on end. I would get home in the evening and have to go for a run just to get into the frame of mind where I could even speak to my family because I was so stressed and had so much pent up energy. My riding was never a relaxing experience either because I was always in a bad mood. Inevitably the horse will have sensed this, and probably not had the most fun either.

I had always taught riding and was an equine sports massage therapist at weekends, but as soon as I was off crutches, I decided to take the plunge and work with horses full time. Despite being less mobile and in pain, I realised that it was now or never. I did a lot of Pilates and strength work as part of my recovery, which really helped improve my balance and got me back riding as well (if not better) than before. I retrained to be an equipilates™teacher, set up my own business, Ride Fit Equestrian, and have never looked back!


6) There is always somebody worse off than you - The first few months post accident, I became quite depressed. I lost a lot of friends, which devastated me, and the prognosis for my ankle was poor. It was unlikely I could ride properly again, walk long distances or run. Two years on, an MRI scan confirmed that I have an arthritic ankle, with ruptured ligaments and my right is leg shorter than my left (due to bone loss), which causes knee and back pain. Despite this, I am able to ride well on the flat, walk short distances pain-free, swim and cycle. I even managed to climb Kinder Scout! It was very painful, but I managed it and still thoroughly enjoyed the day out with friends. The simple difference now is that my perspective has changed completely, and my focus is on what I CAN DO, rather than what I CAN'T DO (ride X-C, run, walk long distances).

A few months after my injury, I read Claire Lomas' book 'Finding my Feet', which was a real turning point. Discovering the struggles she faced when she became paralysed, I was deeply ashamed of my own feelings over a mere ankle injury.  It would be so incredibly insulting to anybody who is permanently disabled for me to be depressed over my ankle injury, when compared to the problems some people face on a daily basis, and what they can achieve. As a direct result of reading this book, I can honestly say I am a happier person now than I was before the injury. It is said that happiness is only 10% situational, and 90% based on a person's outlook. My ankle functions 90% less well than it did before, but my outlook and attitude to life is probably 90% better. 

There are many things I can't do now that I used to do enjoy before, but every time I get on a horse I am grateful for the opportunity. I don't worry about what other people think and whether to go to a competition because I am not 110% ready. I just go, and enjoy every second, thanking God I have recovered as well as I have.

I hope that these ramblings may help anybody else who is injured and having a difficult time. Perhaps it may give you comfort that things always do come right in the end, even if plan A, B and C don't work. Keep trying and never give up hope. 

Thanks for reading. If you are going through a difficult time and would like some support, feel free to comment below. There will be lots of people in the same boat. 

Lucy xx

Five tips to get you riding fit

Getting fit for riding can be a real challenge. Going to the gym is hard work and often we lack time and motivation after we have been to work, ridden and mucked out! Let us help you solve these problems with our quick and simple solutions to get you to Ride Fit.

·         Do your own jobs  - Where feasible, keep your horse on DIY livery, and do your own stable jobs. Mucking out, turning out, carrying haynets and water buckets are all beneficial to your fitness, being strength and conditioning training, without you even knowing it!  Make sure when you muck out and sweep, you do it on both sides of your body, to promote balanced muscles and straightness. Similarly, carry a water bucket in each hand to balance out the weight and protect your back

 

·         Warm up – Very few riders warm up before they ride and get on the horse cold and stiff. This stiffness transmits to the horse and affects his way of going. Warming up is extremely beneficial because it increases blood flow, gently opens the joints and helps prevent injury. Contrary to popular belief, it is not onerous, and can be done in the stable. Even grooming the horse vigorously will help to open up the shoulder joints. The hips and knees can be warmed up with some simple lunges or squats, and the chest can be opened with some shoulder rolls, or by clasping the hands behind the back and stretching them behind you. All of these exercises will be beneficial not only to your body, but will turn your mental focus to riding, which will optimise your performance.

·         Stretch – In our last blog, we discussed the importance of flexibility in enhancing riding. Everybody’s target areas are different (and a good coach or Pilates teacher can help you identify yours), but common areas of tightness in riders are: hip flexors, hamstrings, gluteals and pectorals. Stretching these muscles daily will take only ten minutes, and can be done in front of the telly (even with a glass of wine as an incentive), but will improve your riding tenfold. Ask your Pilates teacher how to complete these stretches safely and to give you the best effect.

 

·         Join a class –Equestrian specific exercise classes are fantastic motivators, because you can have fun and make friends with like-minded people. The exercises will be specifically targeted at riders and the instructor will understand the challenges riders face, and help solve them. Often the classes are paid for a few weeks in advance, encouraging you to go each week (even when you don’t feel like it!), gaining the most benefit.

 

·         Cardiovascular exercise – Exercise such as brisk walking, running, swimming or cycling are good for weight control, stamina and all round well-being. All of these factors result in better riders. Try and commit to an achievable amount of cardiovascular exercise each week. This may be half an hour once a week, or five times a week, depending on how much time you have, and how much you enjoy it. You don’t have to be a marathon runner; even the smallest amount will pay dividends for your riding.

 

 

Try these tips and let us know how you get on or if you have any questions in the comments below!

 

 

Why horse riders need to exercise too

Commonly we talk about ‘working’ our horses and getting them fit for our discipline, whatever that may be. We spend hours and invest lots of money in training our horses to use their muscles correctly and perform at their best. Having said that, not all riders consider their own physical fitness and how it can enhance their riding performance. Many people assume that because riding itself is physical exercise, keeps us fit and burns around 300 calories a session, we don’t need to do other forms of exercise. Fortunately, equine scientists have found a link between rider fitness and improved riding, raising awareness of the issue. Rider fitness is paramount when taking to the saddle, and we owe it to our horses to stay in the best shape we reasonably can. So, why is it so important?

Weight control

Let’s see it from the horse’s perspective. An eleven stone (70kg)  rider, on a 550kg horse represents 13% of that horse’s bodyweight. If that same rider were to go for a run with a rucksack weighing 13% of their bodyweight, they would be carrying 1.4 stone (9kg). It wouldn’t take very long for the individual to tire. If the weight in the rucksack were slightly off-centre (as most riders’ weight is), the individual’s back could become quite sore very quickly. Using this analogy to empathise with the horse, we can see that to benefit the horse and improve performance, riders should control their weight and improve their straightness by a mixture of cardiovascular activities (eg running, swimming), and Pilates. These exercises will also increase endurance and stamina.

Stamina

Horse riding works a number of muscles including abdominal muscles, hip flexors, adductors (thigh) and calves. These muscles are not necessarily used in every-day life and therefore need to be trained separately, to keep strong and effective throughout a riding session. Riding is a very demanding sport, and as the rider becomes tired, their aids are less clear because it is more difficult to move the arms and legs independently of the seat. A rider with good stamina will be able to bring out the best in their horses, either in the dressage arena or cross country. Stamina is especially important in the cross country phase to ensure safety of the horse and rider, because the rider needs to be fit enough to remain focused on the horse and the fences, rather than working hard to simply remain up out of the saddle.

Prevent injury

A good rider is a well-balanced rider. The rider’s centre of gravity should be directly over the horse’s to allow the aids (seat, leg, hand) to be independent of each other. Apart from the effect on performance, good balance is important, so that if the horse spooks, or misses a stride at a jump, the rider can maintain their balance with the horse, and avoid an accident. Balance exercises used in both yoga and Pilates can help improve the balance, as well as mounted exercises on the horse.

Flexibility

Whilst strength and stamina are very important to keep the rider upright and effective in the saddle, flexibility is of equal importance to maintain balanced and effective. The musculature in the hips and pelvis needs to be supple to absorb the horse’s movement. In order for the lower legs to be long, loose and wrapped around the horse’s sides, the muscles of the hips, inner thighs and calves need to be loose and flexible. Again, these muscles don’t naturally get worked this way in everyday life and so need some help outside of riding.

How do you keep fit for riding? What are the best exercises you have found? Please share with others in the comments.

 

Reasons your ski holiday WILL improve your riding!

 

Desperate to go skiing but struggling to justify such an expense so soon after Christmas? Here's several reasons skiing can help with your riding, and ensure a guilt free holiday!  

 

Active Family Holiday

Many horse riders are accustomed to an active lifestyle and dislike sitting still (or sunbathing!) Skiing offers an active, exhilarating and sociable holiday. You can enjoy skiing guilt-free because you will be having a holiday, keeping fit and improving your riding simultaneously. Sounds too good to be true, but (apart from the price tag) it's not!

 

Core Strength

Skiing involves moving all 4 limbs separately, whilst keeping your torso strong and centred, exactly as riding does. Practising skiing helps you to develop an independent seat because you learn to separate the limb movements from each other and from your core.

Balance

To stay centred over your skis, you have to be in perfect balance. If you lean too far back you will go too fast on your skis; too far forward and you will fall on your face! When we ride, minute imbalances in the rider don’t always cause a significant or immediate change in the horse’s way of going (particularly on a less reactive horse), which makes it difficult for the rider to learn when they are in perfect balance and when they are not. In skiing, if you aren’t in perfect balance you will fall over, so you have no choice but to perfect your balance very quickly!

Co-ordination

Good skiers turn in an even rhythm, constantly shifting their weight from one leg to the other. This closely mimics riding lots of changes of rein, or doing lateral work on both reins. Riders that ride only one horse tend to find that they and their horses become accustomed to each other’s crookedness, and compensate for one another. With skiing, the live element of the horse is eliminated so if lateral imbalances exist you will fall over. Skiing forces you to learn new movement patterns that are equal on both sides.

Sports Psychology

If you haven’t skied before, it can be very daunting at first. Whilst you are finding it difficult to turn, keeping in rhythm and balance, experienced people are flying past you at speed, often far too close by! Sounds a bit like a showjumping warm up?! This forces you to keep focused on your own performance and to stay ‘in the zone’, otherwise you will fall over. So, skiing is great practice at keeping your cool in intimidating situations, which can only benefit your competitive riding.

Do you find that skiing helps your riding? Do you have other ways of keeping active on holiday?