Returning to Riding from Injury and Breast Cancer

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Claire Thompson volunteered for a podcast interview to provide her advice and insights as a middle-aged rider returning to the saddle from a severely broken wrist and then breast cancer surgery and chemotherapy within a two-year period. Her advice is very much on point for anyone recovering from serious injury or surgery with the intent to return to riding.

As shown in the picture at left, Claire started riding at an early age. She grew up in California and rode whenever she could using horses owned by friends and even braiding tack from ropes off of the family boat. She continued riding off and on as an adult, and in her 40s, she started serious work with dressage rider and trainer, Irene Moser Hill, in Austin, TX. Now living in Charlottesville, Virginia, Claire remains a dressage rider, and she's currently working with a Dutch Warmblood, nicknamed "Tigger" and pictured below.

In the interview, Claire makes the point that you have to impress upon your doctors and physical therapists that although middle-aged, you're a rider and an athlete, and you're not willing to settle for just recovering enough to get on a horse and walk around the pasture. Your medical and therapy teams should help you plan the support necessary to return to the level of riding you enjoyed before your injury or illness. That therapy support level may be more than your insurance plan would normally plan to provide for you.

Claire also advises people, when possible, to get into the very best possible state of physical fitness before surgery. If you can, it will make your recovery much easier and you'll be ready to ride again more quickly.

In her interview, Claire also describes her struggle to maintain fitness during her chemotherapy. She talks about how important it is to be a part of a fitness and therapy support system -- encouraging other patients while being encouraged by them -- as you sometimes have to drag yourself to the gym.

If you have any questions or comments for Claire, you can post them to the blog.

To Claire, thank you so much for sharing your experiences and insights with us. I'm sure you'll help lots of people facing and recovering from similar situations.