‘If your horse was lame, you wouldn’t ignore it’: riders reminded to get injuries checked out

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14:56

Horse And Hound

C3W0RJ A riders boot in a stirrup on a horse.

Riders have been reminded to “treat themselves as they would their horses” when it comes to foot and ankle concerns, and to have niggles looked at before they become problematic.

Consultant orthopaedic surgeon Nik Nanavati, who has private clinics in Sheffield, Lincolnshire and Doncaster, has seen a rise in equestrians requiring treatment for various foot and ankle conditions, and believes there is a need for better understanding among riders of things that can go wrong.

Dr Nanavati told H&H that alongside “elective conditions”, such as arthritis, Achilles tendon issues and heel pain, riders are also prone to sprains, tears and injuries associated with the foot becoming trapped in the stirrup in a fall, such as a ligament injury known as a “Lisfranc”.

He described riders as a “unique population” when it comes to dealing with injuries.

“Riders are usually very stoic characters. You’ve got to have some gusto to get on a powerful animal. So with that, I think, comes the ability to self-manage and maybe not take too much notice of injuries that would otherwise be painful to a lot of other people, and just be able to soldier on,” he said.

“Riders tend to be in a different category to other athletes in terms of their pain threshold, functional abilities and willingness to return to their hobby at a much quicker rate than a lot of sports.”

Dr Nanavati recommends that equestrians have pain and injuries checked by a medical professional, before they become bigger problems.

“Riders are pretty aware of the injuries they can sustain in the upper limbs, but when it comes to the foot and ankle, a lot of the time it’s assumed there’s little wrong. It’s having awareness that if you do have any pain or have sustained an injury, to get this looked at so it doesn’t deteriorate,” he said.

“I think a lot of people can be scared that ankle and foot issues are going to stop them getting back on or looking after their horses. But often with elective conditions, we can treat things with either medication or simple injections. Even if surgery is required, often rehabilitation doesn’t mean that riders can’t continue to look after their horses.”

Physiotherapist Anna Nanavati, Dr Nanavati’s wife, whose equestrian clients have included Becky Moody, agreed that generally riders tend to delay getting concerns looked at until they have become worse.

“Many injuries I’ve treated have been chronic ankle sprains from doing normal yard work, or walking across an unlevel field, rather than injuries caused by riding,” she told H&H. “My mantra is to treat yourself like you would your horse; if you brought your horse in and they were consistently lame, you wouldn’t ignore it.

“The same comes to rehabbing injuries; if your vet gives your horse six weeks’ box rest and in-hand walking, you wouldn’t skimp on that and just return to competing. So if you’re given rest and rehab, we say it for a reason because that’s how long it physically takes your body for the repair process. Any faster than that and you’re just going to end up with more problems down the line.”