Horseback Riding

[lovemygirl]

This may be a silly question but I am wondering about horse back riding for my 5 yr old daughter (w/cf). I thought it would be good because it would help move around all the mucus (bouncing on the horse), and I have heard other parents mention it.
I am concerned about the dust surrounding the activity. We live in an area where it is more sand than dirt and there are plenty of horses around.
Just wondering what people thought?

 

[JazzysMom]

We have a few people that horseback ride on a regular basis. I suggest you do a search on the older/wastebasket topics to find the chats about it. I think Blake was the one who owned a horse farm, but she is not the only one involved with horses. Great exercise. Wish I had the time to do it more!

 

[skh]

My daughter has been horseback riding a few times and loved it. We just went on trail rides but it didn't seem to harm her. Depending if we have had rain or not it can be a little dusty where we live. I never thought about all bouncing being good...good idea though! I will have to remember that for this summer.

Sue

 

[Abby]

My mom has horses and had one of her farm t-shirts on at the hospital when dd was there. One of the doctors asked if Abby was exposed to horses and we said yes, she is. She never said horse back riding was something that she couldn't do, just advised that she wear a mask when around the barn because the hay or straw can harbor bacteria harmful to cfers if not stored properly. My mom always stores her stuff properly, but you never know when you get a bad bale. Just something to maybe ask about at your next appt. if interested in horses.

 

[Scarlett81]

I live on a small farm and have horses.

I mentioned a few things about horses in a previous thread, like Jazzysmom said. But, my doctor told me that 30 mins-1 hr of a riding session is equal to something like 4-5 sessions of chest pt.
The bouncing up and down is so good. Not to mention the psychological benefits! I love riding. And I encourage anyone with cf to do it if they have access to it.
Hope you get some riding in!

 

[Scarlett81]

Just forgot something-
I wanted to point out that though I have the horses, I'm not the primary caretaker of them. My nieces and nephews sweep and do the stalls every day for me. To help avoid the mold/dust in the barn. And they in turn get to ride and get a little allowance for doing the barn.
So, I would avoid too much dirty contact with the barn. I mean I can walk in -no problem, do a little bit around it. But no sweeping, nothing that kicks up dust. Of course if you keep the barn especially clean that helps.
It's funny-I grew up on a farm, (a different one than I have now of course), but my parents rarely treated me differently than the other kids in the family. I baled hay with everyone else. All the typical working farm stuff. I think the activity kept me very healthy as a child. So-I don't know what's better!
My childhood was basically spent outside. My mom always made me play outside, work, ect. And I pretty much lived a normal childhood healthwise -partly b/c of how active I was I'm sure.

 

[anonymous]

I took riding lessons and was a serious horse girl for a long time. I started riding around 5 years old and rode regularly until I was about 12 and then started back a few years ago.

Its wonderful physio amd just wonderful in general.

If you ever watch 7th heaven...MacKenzie Rosman who plays Ruthie has a half sister(or maybe step sister?) who was in a episode they did on CF. Katelyn really has CF and recently had a lung transplant. Anyway my point in this is that Katelyn is a serious, competitive rider....very highly ranked

The way I look at it? Theres a risk to everything you do, CF or no CF. You can't live your life by what may happen or keep away from all germs just to stay healthy. I would much rather have quality of life than quantity. I would much rather participate in things and take a chance and maybe not live as long than to to play it safe and live longer.

I have never cultured any "bad"(MRSA,Cepacia or really anything out of the ordinary for a CFer) bugs. The only issue I ever had with riding was riding in the indoor arena in the humid, windy summer. The dust was a lot worse in the indoor arena and did irritate my lungs. We live in the south and sometimes the hot weather would get to me but gatorade before and after my lesson did the trick.

 

[Rokiss12]

i rode for like 5 years, and i was fine... the only reason i stoped was because i got a UTI, but they didnt know, and i thought that horse riding was hurting my stomach, oh well i wish i could go back to it though...

 

[Scarlett81]

I remember that episode of 7th heaven. I loved it! I could tell she had cf when I watched it.
That was such a unique story. Does anyone know she's doing?

 

[Cheryl2424]

We own a boarding stable and my daughter has CF. She helps with chores, rides and shows her horse and is very healthy. Her doctors say riding and the sports she is in play a role in keeping her healthy. I do keep in the back of my mind that the mold that can grow on hay can be a health hazard for her, so we keep the hay under cover and I handle it most of the time. I really believe the more exercise our kids get, the better health they are in.

 

[skh]

I am so glad to hear the good things about horseback riding. I am definitely going to encourage my daughter to go on a few more trail rides this summer - downfall to that is she will drag me along!! Actually, I enjoy it too. I am always looking for ways to help with her cf without her knowing it. It pays to be sneaky every once in awhile!

 

[NoExcuses]

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