Hello. I would welcome information from anyone who rides and has had back surgery to fuse a disc(s). I have a herniated L5-S1 and will be considering surgery if the steriod injections do not alleviate the discomfort. My biggest concern is to be able to "sit" the trot and canter. If you have any knowledge of how this surgery would affect my mobility to ride, I would appreciate hearing about it. Thank you. jobug./p>

I had a similar surgery 10 years ago. It was a long recovery. I wouldn't have been able to sit a trot the first year after surgery but  then I could barely walk before surgery. The exercises are crucial to your recovery. I still do them and know if I skip them for a few weeks.

Now, I have some discomfort if I do a lot of sitting trot. Normally I'm O.K. My horse has a big, loud trot. Posting trot is fine. Canter doesn't  bother me. Bucking hurts. Falling hurts more.

Good luck. I'll send prayers, wishes and toe crosses your way that the other treatments work.  Have you discussed this with your doc?

Hello Dancing. Thank you so very much for your reply. I have talked about this with my doctor. He is not sure, since he doesn't ride, how much my riding would be affected. He did say the surgery has dramtically improved, much less invasive and more precise, even from just a couple of years ago. Most of his patients are up and walking out of the hospital in 24 hours. He assures me it is not because insurance is pushing them out! He did say my husband would have to do most of the chores for the first 3 months, and possibly as long as a year. That would be interesting to watch... Thank you again, I appreciate your kind thoughts and wishes. jobug

Hello again Dancing. I have another question for you, if you don't mind. Realizing everyone would be different, how long can you sit the trot per day (without being crippled the next day)? 10 minutes per hour? 10 minutes for the whole day? I don't know about you but bucking and falling off is a lot harder for me now than it was 25 years ago anyway! Thank you for your time, jobug

 Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. Now I  can do 10minutes/hour but had to slowly build up to that... and by slow I mean over a year or more. I didn't even try sit trot for a long while... your body will tell you. I've probably never ridden more than 3-4 hours though. The most difficult thing for me is tacking up. I no way could put a heavy Western  saddle on a horse from the ground!   Even my Stubben cause pain from the ground. I've compensated my standing on something and going treeless.

The new surgeries are much less invasive. Laser is probably the way to go. I think I mentioned in my first post that I do some stretches before getting out of bed and more throughout the day, everyday...  even now 10 years after and pay if I skip.  I find sitting without moving... in a car, a movie, church, computer... harder than a ride on my horse.  I'm sure your doctor will recommend the exercises he wants you to start with. The exercises kgb recommended are some I do now. Also ab work. Exercise is key to your recovery (and, at least in my case, continued "move-ability").

I have exactly the same problems you do with l4 and l5 that you do.  Thank you for taking the time to post your reply.  If I ever have to give up riding I dont know what I will do.  I currently get some relief from gentle pleasure riding.  I would love more information about resources or books you have used for pain relief.   I have done the gammet of steroid injections but they only give me temporary relief, and I am back to square one, with a big medical bill!  Thanks for your time.

Heather

You may want to consider retiring your trotting horse and buy yourself a gaited horse.

 I switched to a Tennessee Walker 18+ years ago in order to keep riding.  My back injuries started when I was 12 and I just kept on adding to them because I had a real penchant for re-schooling Widowmakers and rode my snowmobile like it was the General Lee on "Duke's of Hazzard".

Two months ago, two sets of x-rays and two doctors confirmed that I have Level II spondolotheliosis (I know I spelled that wrong) .hat is a major slide of the vertebra and my spine is mis-aligned.  I am opting out of surgery for now and am being successfully treated by the best chiropractor I have ever run across in my entire life.  He has taken me from horrible pain and walking on crutches, to one crutch, then the cane, finally to only needing to carry the cane as a mental crutch.  The exception to that was today when I was helping hubby clear up some trash and thrashing on the nine acres we just bought.

I am going to wait another month or so before getting back on one of my horses, but if they weren't gaited I most likely would not be getting back on.

 All gaited breeds are known to have great people-oriented dispositions.  I would not focus on one specific breed but on a horse I connected with and whose intermediate gait feels good to my back.

 For example two of my Tennessee Walkers do the true 4-beat running walk but it feels different on each of them because of their body structure.  One is 16H with a lanky/athletic build, the other is 15.2H, short coupled and very stocky built.

 The Walker in my avatar does a smooth-as-silk Stepping Pace and it is this horse whose gait is the most comfortable to my back.  In all fairness he is the first TWH I bought 18+ years ago, so maybe my partiality to his perfect self is why my back never hurts when I ride him - lol lol

I will be 62 next month, so don't give up hope about riding again.  Good luck and best wishes to you:)

I have had several back surgeries.  My neck is fused at C6 & C7 and I have had 1 herniated and 1 ruptured disc in my lumbar region.  The L5-S1 was not fused.  They removed only the portion of the disc that was bulging out and pressing on the nerve.  I was back to riding in about 2 months.  As others have mentioned, the follow-up exercises are critical. Your abdominals are extremely important in supporting your lower back.   I ride both dressage and hunter, plus start all the babies on the farm.  If I do too much, my back will hurt, but for the most part, I have no trouble with sitting the trot or canter.  Fusing L5/S1 should not affect your mobility with riding, but if you have pain, you will stiffen to protect yourself.  That's why the exercises are so important.  And stretching prior to and after riding will also help.  Good luck to you - I'm sure you will be fine.

i had broken my vertebrate at l4. i am now starting back. i didnt have operation tho but did have steriods and just about to start physical therapy.

WO therapy, it is difficult at first and after each ride (usually less than 30 minutes at firstride) you are extremely soar and keeled over. of course i am 42 doing this...if you are younger it will be easier...as you increase the number of rides, you start to feel a little bit better when the next ride occurs.

the physical therapy is just starting and it is helping immensely. rite now when i do trot my rite side pelvis/spine area kinks down on itself and i'm soar for few days until i "crack my back" unintentionally or i see chiropractor to straighten me out...

 dr suggested i never ride again, but i refused and said i would ride...she decided to have a brace made for me so that if i fall in future, it may help my back from not being broken or broken as bad. i can even canter in this brace which was the real concern.

Check out Dr James Warson's book, the Rider's Pain Free Back. Jim is a longtime rider, Morgan horse breeder, and retired surgeon. You can also contact him through his publisher, and I think he may be available for clinics and consultations. A great guy and very knowledgeable.

Hey Jobug,

Thought I'd give you the heads up on your back surgery and riding afterward. I had the same problem (L5-S1) and had the surgery in 2003. After about 4 months I started back riding at a walk. At 6 or 8 months I was healed enough to start back riding as usual. I'ved never regreted having the surgery. I haven't had any problems. I wouldn't recommend grabbing any electric fences (I've bumped into mine a few times.). I was living in a lot of pain and sometimes my right leg would fall immediately asleep and cause me to fall if nothing was available to grab. I think the first few times I got back in the saddle my horse sensed that something wasn't right and he seemed to be extra careful. Good luck with your surgery. I hope you have good results as I did. Jim