I was wondering if any of our riders on here ride larger based horses or drafts? Or if you did, did you have to make compromises or have to go down to a narrower horse?
In all my years of teaching therapeutic riding, I've never come across a client that had hip surgery (debridement, resurfacing, or THR) until I myself became affected. I unfortunately had to retire from teaching because my hip could not take walking in the soft arena footing.
After my debridement, it took well over a year before I could get back up in the saddle & I did have to make accommodations. I needed a narrower twist in the seat, a dressage saddle was preferable over a western saddle (because of the twist which is the width of the seat at its narrowest point), a QH or TB type horse was preferable over a haflinger type horse (medium back as opposed to a wide back).
My concern at this moment lies with my 17hh Shire horse. Luckily she's what we'd consider a medium/wide but still is wide when you consider the rib cage as compared to the lighter riding horses. I'd say like a nice big warmblood with smooth gaits. She is a rescue of neglect, abuse & starvation, so I have been taking my time to rehabilitate her (since July 2012) & have had the pleasure of sitting on top of her on 2 occasions before my hip started deteriorating very quickly these past 2 years. My husband doesn't think I'll be able to ride her again to continue her training & wants me to rehome her.
I'd rather find out if it will be possible to get back up there after the resurfacing before making that decision.
Thanks
Topic: Riding the bigger horses (Read 9888 times)
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