I am looking for an Arabian, or a appalousa gelding for a reasonal price in the northern and central california areas......

ugh - EIGHT weeks????????? I'm sooooooooo sad but I know it's worth it.......love my horse and I HATE being overweight and OFF balance when I ride. THanks for the question and the update. Ann

Good Luck on your surgery, Karen. You'll be in my thoughts and prayers. I ride hunters, and was riding 4-5 times a week pre-op. I had open RNY, and had to wait 8 weeks to ride again. I felt fine, and would have been back riding in much less time if I hadn't been threatened with all kinds of bad things that could happen with my incision if I fell before it healed sufficiently. I would strongly suggest that you discuss this with your surgeon. Something to look forward to- I'm only four months post-op, and amazed at how much better my balance is! All the best, Deb

I've been back riding my warmblood mare since mid-February, but it wasn't until tonight that I started feeling confident again. I've been taking a couple of lessons a week, and my trainer told me that tonight looked like a completely different ride than the past month. Part of what finally convinced me that I had to have the surgery was breaking my left arm three times last summer. The weight was causing my balance to be almost non-existent in the saddle, and I was almost ready to give up and sell her. Thank God Liberty Belle talked me out of it! After a couple of seasons of watching my trainer ride Libby, I'm starting to feel at home in the saddle again. The balance is back and we're cantering again. Now I can't wait for the trails to dry out so we can get out of the ring. Has anyone else had these issues of fear in getting back to riding after surgery? What did you do to get through the fear and back to the joy of riding? A girl and her horse...it's a beautiful thing!

Hi Beth! Its been a while since our last talk, but I wanted to let you know that I signed up for riding lessons. Its great! I am having so much fun, and I am regaining a lot more confindence. I have been spending a lot of time with my mare - grooming, working with her feet, and some walking. She has been doing pretty good. I will be purchasing a round pen in about a month or so. I can't wait! I definitely need that in order to properly work with her. Oh well, just wanted to let you know how things are going and thank you again for your support! Have a great day!