Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group New Member-is the end in sight? (Awaiting THR)

Yea gal - Good luck with it - more power to you and to your surgeon and his team. The rehab could be a tad onerous but you'll pull through fine.

Hope you will soon be back on your horse - you'll have to play around with some ground work to keep his mind occupied - 12' line is best for that. You could even do it from a stool in the arena - stool to keep the weight off the hip but not sitting? Good fun. My fave 'master' is Dorrance. What are the gaited breeds at yr yard? Any Peruvian Pasos (not Paso Finos, but PPs). Any RMH? I suppose the TWH - but they are not nearly as comfortable as the PP. Oops, there I go again, can't stop talking horses - and am as bad about dog training 'LOL'

OK. Well, am 'about' packed and ready, just the final bits.

Take care and await to read of a splendid outcome -

Molly C (UK)

Hi Molly-
No Peruvian Pasos at my barn. Mostly TWH, but there is an Arab, a 1/2 Arab-1/2 Standardbred, my paint mare-she's registerred with both the APHA and the PtHA, another double registerred paint, and always horses of various breeds coming in for training. It's really an interesting place as we have a variety & everyone gets along so well. We did have a Rocky Mountain Horse, but he was sold recently. I do get to see him often though, as a friend purchased him. I do a lot of ground work with my mare, and even some tricks. She kisses me, stands on her pedestal, bows, and is learning to laugh & smile. My barn owner will ride her for me for a month before I start riding again, too. It will do her and I both a lot of good to have her ridden 5 days a week before I get back in the saddle. She's enjoying her vacation right now! You and I will have to figure out how to PM back & forth (I haven't tried it yet...) so we don't boor everyone to death with our horse talk. I could go on & on forever about horses!

Have a fun trip!

Stephanie

Hi Stephanie

I always say that there are no stupid questions . I had displacia (?) in both my hips and according to my surgeon there were no hips left he could not understand how I could be walking ( if you want to call it that ) without using any aids.. But dressing my feet was something that I had trouble doing as long as I can remember. But it took a couple of months before I could put my socks and tie my shoes etc on my own. Just don't rush anything it will eventually come.

Thank you Valerie, that's encouraging.
Stephanie

Sounds like you have great fun at yr yard.

Trick horse training - Alan Pinogue, now he is seriously good. Has a yahoo group, trick horse training...haha But, it is sooooo busy that you'd better have nowt else to do but hook onto his site!

Clicker training is interesting as well. Alexandra Kurtland is certainly one of the best (think she was the first to 'refine' or finesse it). But for all else, Dorrance. Parelli based his work on Dorrance - and is happy to give the bow and credence to Dorrance.

Like Craig Stevens for his dressage work - excellent and a wonderful teacher. His training included training at the Cadre Noir (France)
http://www.classical-equitation.com/aboutcraigstevens.htm

You don't have any problems with your spine then, riding? No problems with the sitting trot or with the canter? You must try out a gaited horse sometime. But IF a Paso Fino, ensure not a fono-fino (will rubbish your back!) A good TWH with a really smooth RW should be interesting to you.

OK. Now MUST call it a day here. Will be thinking of you -Oops, apologies folks, get a tad carried away! (Yes, we'd better get to pm'ing afore the whole group falls asleep... 'VBG')

Molly C (UK)

Hi Molly-

I tried sending you PM, but somehow it didn't work....

No, I don't have problems with the trot botherring my spine. Not usually, anyway. Actually, it feels good on my low back, it's been my hips that have been really painful during & afterward, though I do tend to walk around bent over a bit after I ride. Just before I had to stop riding last month, there was a lot of grinding & crunching going on in my low back, but that was more at the walk than the trot. I'm hoping that goes away after I get my new hip. We'll see. And, my mare has a lovely canter, and I love sitting her canter. Tho that crunching & grinding in the low back started happening at the canter towards the end too.

Thank you all again for your kind words of encouragement & support! It's keeping my hopeful & easing my fears.

Hi Stephanie, I am in a similer sitution to your's with my hips, but I'm almost looking forward to getting a replacement in hopes that I won't have this awful hip pain anymore.
I wish you well and I hope that you keep us updated on how you do.

Toni

Hi Toni-
Thanks for your kind wishes. As afraid as I am (hate the thought of what they'll be doing to my bones with that saw!), I am actually looking forward to getting it over with. Do you find yourself yelping out loud at times because of the pain? I hate it when I do that. Fortunately, my spouse is a bit hard of hearing because I really hate the look on his face when he hears me...

Oh yes, bed time is the worse, I end up sleeping on my back all night because it hurts so much to turn over. Luckely it only bothers me badly during flaires but each time it is worse than before. My husband has to lift my legs up into the bed for me during bad flaires. It's starting to get scarey, not so much because of the limitation but because of the pain.

Toni