In 1999 I was told that my right hip was bone on bone and I needed a hip replacement. It was an ice hockey injury, but the doctor at that time said I was too young and replacements lasted only 10 years. I was told to hold out as long as I could. Well I continued to play ice hockey (club teams) and did as much as I could. I most enjoyed going to Wyoming trout fishing in the Bridget-Teton Wilderness by horseback.
I gradually had to stop playing hockey. My hip got so bad I couldn’t lift it sideways more than a foot. The pain was too much. I wanted to take my son fishing in Wyoming but there was no way I could ride in a saddle (not a chance). I always said when I get a new hip maybe. When I couldn’t even walk around the block with my wife, I knew it was time. I got my hip replaced the day after Thanksgiving last fall.
I took a few steps 3 hours after surgery. I was up and down stairs the next morning and went home less than 24 hours after surgery. What was pain a level of 10+ turned to zero. It was truly amazing.
I did PT every day and rode an exercise bike for the first time in 10 years. My son immediately started asking, "When can we go to Wyoming?" Well, by Christmas I felt so well that I knew I could get back on the horse by summer. We booked a trip. I continued PT and kept riding the bike. I got to 10 miles a day and hoped I was ready for a week on a horse. We flew to Jackson Hole on July 12th and spent a week on horseback fishing the mountain lakes I fished so many years earlier. This time, my son was with me.
HSS got me back in the saddle. I am very thankful to the outstanding staff and facilities. The HSS team got me back in the saddle again!
Horseback Riding
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