Hi Dorothy, yes it's great to read your and Horsey Girl's descriptions of trail riding. I think it would take quite a long time to get your foot up into the stirrup, though, so any help eg mounting blocks etc would be imperative to begin with. I really like the description of Bea's fold-up mounting stool, that sounds such a good idea. I was wondering whether, when you're practising with your saddle-on-a-stand, you could start to raise it a little more each time, up on blocks or something, so that you can gradually encourage that foot higher. Would that be possible?
I'm trying to think back to what stopped me riding, and it was getting the right leg over the horse, but that's because my right hip was worse than the left, whereas with you I guess it's the other way round? I shouldn't imagine you'll be riding again before your next THR, which I can see must be frustrating. But you might find that recovery from the left one is quicker. I just want to tell you that my new hip is already brilliant, and recovery appears to be quicker this time, after a slower start. And as for the right one, I've completely forgotten that I ever had it done. I'll freely admit that it's not quite as strong as a healthy hip should be, nor do I have quite the ROM I'd like to see, but then it is only not quite 5 months old.
I've checked out Australian shepherds, and they look pretty similar to our border collies. Susie is half border collie, so I know a bit about their temperament, agility, intelligence. Great dogs but they need to work, don't they?