Old Ladies and Ponies

Okay, I'm not really all THAT old but I am old enough that my body is not what it used to be.  Add to that some pretty big accidents with horses in my 20's and it takes it's toll.  I've had hip problems since I had my big accident in 1997 and I just can't seem to get it to go away.  It's a pain right by my groin.  I believe it's the adductor muscles because it hurts  when I lift my leg outward.  I've had this pain off and on for so long that mostly I ignore it.  But with the return of horses into my life, the pain has gotten worse.  I'm not a big fan of taking stuff constantly to mask the pain so mostly I just deal with it.  But since the last few weeks of saddle shopping, it's becoming clear that I need to figure out what's going on and what I need to do to make it better if I want to ride in a lovely, deep seat for dressage.

So, Monday morning at 8:30a.m. I'll be seeing a hip specialist at the Orthopedic Center.  I'm excited to put a name to what's going on and nervous that they might not have any answers.  But, better to know now what I'm facing BEFORE I buy a $1700.00 dressage saddle, right?  Because if they tell me I can't do the deep seat, I'll want to look at close contact saddles instead.  And if they tell me I can't ride english, I'll have to look at Western saddles.  And if they tell me Western is a no go, I'll have to look at alternative saddles like Australian saddles.  And if they tell me no horse back riding...well, they're just crazy if they tell me that.  Besides, there's always Combined Driving.......