“It is what it is” has been a phrase that I have repeated to myself and others dozens of times over the last few days. Why? I will not be riding for six months.
Not riding for six months? To make a long story shorter here are the basics. I fractured my trochanter ( that is the bone you can feel at the side of your hip.) back at the end of June. There was a silver lining to this however. The xrays showed that the replaced parts of this hip were worn out and needed to be replaced It had held up for 20 years so clearly it was past its “best before” date. I went to see the surgeon who had replaced both of my hips. He agreed the the right hip was in need of repair. He is now retired from surgery so he referred me to another surgeon in the same hospital. I saw him this past week. He told me he did not think he could do the replacement surgery until the fracture in the trochanter had filled in more. He told me he has to dislocate my hip to put in a new socket liner and if he did that now he would most likely break the hip again. So that’s pretty clear. He told me he did not want to forbid me to ride but also did not want to see me on a horse. So that was pretty clear too . I thought about it and decided the best thing to do was not to ride. I had been taking Biasini for walks in the forest but the last time I went my hip had been giving me grief while I was riding and when I got off it was very sore. It did cross my mind that it might be best not to ride.
On December 6 I go back for more xrays and I hope the trochanter fracture will be looking better. Then we can book the surgery for when I return from Florida in April. So now what?
- I have a plan and know that once this surgery is done my hip will function better and I will be back riding and training.
- In the meantime my coach Belinda Trussell will ride and so will her assistant trainer Lynsey Rowan. That has kept Biasini in tip top form and condition and they will keep him there in Florida also.
- Since Biasini is looking good and going so well I have asked Lynsey and Belinda to show him at the Global Dressage Festival. Both of them were happy to show him. So now I will able to watch two excellent professionals compete on my horse. And one of them, Belinda, is an Olympian! I am so lucky to have them ride Biasini in the competition arena.
- I can still go to Florida and groom and tack up Biasini and be in warm weather while doing it. And I can watch Belinda and Lynsey riding and training Biasini.
- I have lots of blogging work to do. This year there are several Canadian dressage riders who will be competing for scores to try to qualify for the Pan American Games, to be held in Santiago, Chile, October 2023. I will be interviewing the Canadian riders and taking photos of them competing. So I will be busy.
I think that there is much to be grateful for despite not being able to ride. So I am looking ahead with optimism! Similar to the view in my featured photo it may seem dark but at the center there is a view of sunshine and flowers blooming.
HorseAddict 
I’d love to hear from you!