In the UK where everyone has decent basic health care on average you live 2 years shorter if you own a horse. It’s worse than riding a motorcycle (1 year shorter). It turns out that owning a big animal that will kick you if you look at it funny or throw you off if it gets startled by a packet of crisps in the road isn’t that great for your health.

The other thing you have to remember is opiods are only short term painkillers. For most people after a while all you’re left with is the side effects. https://fpm.ac.uk/opioids-aware-clinical-use-opioids/opioids-long-term-pain

I think it’d be better if you planned that career change or looked at that hip replacement before you properly fuck yourself over physically or with an addiction. If I’m doing heavy manual labour I try to never be on painkillers because that increases the risk of further injury. In this case it sounds like the pain is doing its job and telling you about a problem with your body. It’d be sensible not to ignore it.

Have you tried a good physiotherapist or osteopath? I was giving up on myself as I got older but a good sports physio has got me back mostly in good working order.