I am planning on surgery in February , my bmi is " only" 32, so I need to save a bit for surgery.... I am 59 and ride English / hunter ... Just for fun...no competition ...

This excess weight is getting hard on my knees , Especially posting . And walking in tight pants , past the " thin as a rail non - working , spend all day at the barn riding " moms is messing with my psyche . And of course I have a new horse I am getting used to after retiring my 26 year old ...

I asked my doctor how soon I would be able to ride post - op and he said 4 weeks ....aaarrrggghhhh.... 4 weeks ? So , what have other horse women done ? I have a pretty high pain tolerance , but I am worried the low calories will mess with me .

my surgeon had me wait 6 weeks and even then I was only walking bare back and taking it really slow. it's not so much about the pain tolerance its about the proper healing from the inside things are stitched up things are swollen and I did not want to risk any sort of tear or leak. I went to the barn almost every single day and hug her and groom do a little bit nothing major and spent time there to get my fix. sorry I know this is not what you want to hear but it is major surgery and even though they're only tiny incisions on the outside there's a lot going on on the inside. I honestly don't think it has anything to do with how much weight you have to lose or how old you are the bottom line is your body needs to heal.

Ok, I will be patient. And I'm not a youngster anymore....we will do lot's of bonding and hand walking and I have a teenager to keep her busy and in shape. And our rainy season is coming up anyway.
Thank you so much, non-horse people don't get it you know. By the way, your horse is a doll.

I haven't asked about that, I have not ridden in a few years now, I managed Olympic level show horses for most of my life and riding was a part of the job. I had my son seven years ago in April by C-section and was riding shortly thereafter. I decided to become a nurse and have been in school since 2009 full time, climbing the ranks. I have worked full time as well, but got away from horses and riding a bit. Because my eating habits have not changed my weight ballooned, I have put on about 50 extra pounds, not that I was ever a "skinny Minnie", but I was fit and rode well. I am having my surgery on December 17th and finishing school, at least for a while in July. I hope to start riding again once I loose a bit. Good luck on your adventure. Your time out of the saddle will seem so short in the long run! As far as endurance, as I have not yet dealt with life after sleeving, but am a nurse, I would think as long as you are hydrated and eating your protein properly, you should be just fine, especially since you have been riding pre-surgery.

Olympic level horses, wow. God bless you for becoming a nurse, nurses are angels.