“Fix me up so I can ride today”

A good friend from the barn called me in tears. Her horse had slipped in turnout. The vet examined the injury and determined it was a high suspensory injury that would take 8-12 months to heal.

The vet recommended stall rest, Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) treatment. laser, shock wave, and hand walking. The words tumbled out through her tears. I did my best to just listen and let her vent. From my own experience, dealing with suspensory injuries, I know how long they take to resolve.

Recovery has its ups and downs. The constant agony of waiting for the next Ultrasound visit. Fortunately, for my friend, she had another horse, who was starting to compete in the young

jumpers.

Two weeks later, the same friend arrived at my medical trailer at the horse show - one riding boot on and one boot off. Her right ankle was wrapped in ice. She had fallen off her bike and said to me “My class starts in an hour. Fix me up so I can ride today!”

I examined her ankle. It was pretty swollen and starting to bruise already. I was concerned about the movement in her ankle and suggested we X-ray.

She hobbled over to the machine and we got some quick x-rays, which miraculously showed no broken bones. However, the swelling, inability to walk, and my examination findings indicated a very bad sprain.

“Great!” she replied “Nothing is broken! Help me get my boot on so I can ride.”

With a grade 3 ankle sprain she was definitely not riding that day and would possibly need surgery.

“But I need to ride,” she countered.

This was the same woman who had called me 2 weeks prior, saying her horse needed 12 months of rehab. And that she was willing to give her horse every therapy and as much time as he needed.

What her ankle needed was immediate ice, elevation, and compression. She was on stall rest.

Fortunately, sprains tend to heal in 6 to 8 weeks, not take a year. My friend accepted that an air cast, ankle brace and crutches were in her future. I recommended PRP, ultrasound, and ice - all commonly used in the treatment of athlete ligament injuries.

These “Fix me asap” exclamations are something I frequently hear from riders. They are willing to treat their equine partners as athletes that need proper treatment and downtime, but don’t extend themselves the same grace.

We need to ditch the “competition at all cost” mindset for equestrian athletes. You can swap out a horse, if one has an injury, but not your own ankles.

When our horses jog off, we put them back in the stall for treatment and recovery. We understand the importance of catching even small injuries early, before they become something career-ending.

One of my missions as a physician and equestrian is to encourage riders to take their own health as seriously as they take that of their horses.

Your own injuries deserve the same thoughtful consideration. Give yourself the appropriate time and treatments to heal, so a small sprain doesn’t become something catastrophic.