Little did I know when I rode in the Hunter Pace that it would be my last long ride for some time. Last week, when walking down a hill in the rain to check on the horses I slipped on the grass and fell. I knew it was bad. There was a popping, which didn’t sound good, and then I was lying in the mud wondering if I could get up. Adrenalin is a powerful force. I stood, got back up the hill, fed the horses and drove home.
I didn’t look at my ankle for a while. Just as well, as it was very swollen. At first, I hoped it was a bad sprain. Even the doctor thought that might be the case as the x-ray could have shown the remains of my last break.
Sadly, a CT scan showed it was, indeed, another fracture. In the same ankle I broke two and a half years ago. The ankle has been weaker since my recovery, so I think it was predisposed to injury.
Now the only boot I’m going to be wearing for the next eight weeks is an air boot. Better than a cast, but not nearly so much fun as my Tredsteps. The good news is that while there are two small fractures, they are not displaced and provided I don’t do something stupid (do you think the doctor suspected I might try to get on my horse), I will not require surgery and should be back to weight bearing in another month, and riding again in 8-10 weeks.
Looking at the x-rays of my ankle, the doctor commented that I had some arthritis in that ankle, but that “we treat the patient, not the x-rays.” I felt like I was in the middle of a pre-purchase exam and was about to fail!
There’s no “good” time to break your ankle, but fall in New England is a terrible time to be laid up. After waiting all summer for the heat, humidity and bugs to go away, we are enjoying lovely weather that is perfect for riding. You would be correct to say that I am feeling might sorry for myself right now.
Zelda doesn’t mind. She’s enjoying the time off by chasing Curly around. Freedom looks concerned, but I think it’s mostly because he’s afraid of my crutches and my knee scooter.
I had been gearing up for hunt season. I had a new bridle for Zelda and had a saddle delivered right after I broke my ankle — on trial for 10 days. Think I’m going to need a little bit longer for that. I guess I’ll have to make due with heading out with my camera and my scooter, taking photos and counting down the days until I can ride again.