quietann | Entries tagged with body

I now have written clearance from my doctor to ride, yay! And I had a 30 minute session of pool PT with almost no soreness afterwards, though the therapist did pick up on the weird way my left side works, or doesn't.

Talked to

goddessfarmer. Minnie is feeling better, but it's pretty clear that this year's hock injection has not restored her to soundness :( I will have a short ride on her tomorrow, but how much she can be worked is still up in the air. Also up in the air is how she'll deal with the cold once it really sets in. She's *old*. We talked a little about alternatives should Minnie not be available. I dread the process of finding a good barn where I could half-lease a horse, and hope that it won't get to that for a few more years. I am fretting, oh yes I am.

Two teens with a very cute little boy. That's it. But we are out in the way-burbs, on a dark and curvy road with no sidewalks and everyone driving too fast.

Today Ben and I drove out to Lee to hand off some rats to a good friend of mine who's been getting rats from me for years. It was good to see her, and talk possums. (She is a vet tech who does wildlife rehab on the side. This was the year of baby possums.)

I am still coughing. Still sore, though less so than before. Cleaned four rat cages. Contemplating bath and bed.

Windrush won't let me come back to riding lessons until I have a doctor's note saying it's OK. I just wish they'd told me sooner, because getting the email on Friday means I can't get the note for Monday's lesson.

Riding Minnie went very well, though, and I was not sore at all afterwards. I seem to have made a big jump within the last few days and now have pain only when doing specific things that I know will aggravate things.

So I had my PT evaluation today. Of course, *time* is the most important thing to heal me, that and not doing any more stupid stuff to aggravate it. The PT woman was not thrilled about my continued riding, but she got that it's important for my head. So I am at walk only, do not lead horses for long distances, and be careful/ask for help when grooming.

I think this may be the first time in my life where I have *minimized* the impact of an injury because I could not stand to stop doing something. Odd.

So I will have twice a week pool therapy sessions for a couple of weeks, and then re-evaluate. The therapist said to expect about 6 weeks of PT.

I wish my brother didn't live in Alaska. We just had a very nice phone conversation, and he, having experienced all sorts of athletic injuries, read me the riot act, in a very sweet way, about not pushing myself right now. He's skeptical of the riding, or rather, not the riding, but the amount of time on the ground to get the horse ready, take it to the ring, etc. Will do what I can, and no more.

(My brother, if you don't already know, is an "all-around" athlete. He's hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, climbed a 20K plus peak in Bolivia, skis (both cross country and downhill, including back-country downhill, where one treks up to the top of some steep slope and skis down), bicycled across the US, won marathons, and once more or less carried a friend who'd had a stroke in the Alaska back country ten miles to the nearest landing strip.)

The verdict: "possible" hairline fracture of the pelvis (left ischium, I think), or a deep bone bruise. No need for differential diagnosis as the treatment is the same: ibuprofen, heat, and physical therapy.

really should be "butt update."

I finally went to see my doctor about my injury, because it's just not getting any better. He poked and prodded me, found the ouchy spots, watched me walk and didn't like the amount of wobble. So off to Xrays and he will call me when he has them. I *may* have cracked my pelvis or left "sit bone." It's more likely a deep bone bruise, and he will set me up for PT.

Ouch.

Notes on this:

Riding should probably be walk only and maybe a little cantering. Sitting trot w/o stirrups is fine on a smooth horse like Bearito. Posting trot only if it's not painful. No jumping! The gentle motion of a horse's walk is helpful. (This means walking Minnie on Monday, because she is rather bouncy. Given how long she's been off work, pushing her wouldn't be good, anyway.)

Watch sitting and driving positions. I tend to fold my left leg under, and it's painful to get out of that position. Especially when driving my car, which is a stick shift, I need to keep the left foot just by the clutch at all times.

Mornings are the worst; I may try sleeping in the other bed tonight, because it has a squishier mattress.

Keep taking ibuprofen but try to cut back a bit.

I went back to Bearito this morning. He was in a mood while I was brushing him; he kept trying to nip me, and was very pushy about trying to get out of the stall when I went out to get something... Yes, he was tied, but remember that he knows how to undo a safety knot with his teeth! I was faster than he was, however.

The lesson was mostly inside flatwork. I think I am getting better, though I also think Tina gets exasperated with me sometimes, because I don't understand what she's saying. I now know that Bearito requires precise canter aids, because he will counter-canter (canter leading with the "outside" leg) if those are the aids he is given. Like I have said, he's a well-trained pony.

We went outside and did a little jumping. Tina was mad because she had set up a little course for us on Friday, and the people running Special Olympics on Saturday took it all down. I did three jumps, two 12 inch crossrails and one a little higher, with no problems except for jagging the pony's mouth on the second one. It just feels so weird to *not* move up into jumping position until Bearito is taking off; I think that way back when, when I learned how to jump, I rode more "forward" to be absolutely sure I would be easy on my mount's mouth. But Tina was pleased.

But... I am still sore. really sore. Riding made things worse, though I seem to be recovering now. I feel wobbly, like my left hip joint is too loose. During riding itself, I was in pain but not enough to stop (and I am a pain wimp!) except when landing after a jump, which was bite-my-lip painful. I quit while I was ahead; the other students each did a little more than I did. I won't be riding again until next Monday, which is probably good.

After that, I had a brief trip up to see Minnie and brush at least some of the dirt off her before she went to the vet. She was not happy that I did not take her out to graze, but I was just moving too slowly to feel like I could control her if she got silly. She was extra-fussy so I think she might be in heat. Also I needed more treats for her than I had available. I watched her with the pigs afterwards... they Wuv her, and she wants to bite them.

But... NEXT WEEK I will be able to ride Minnie again, and I am very happy about that!

I am doing *much* better today... little pain, except when I turn (any torque on my pelvis/hip is a problem.) Cleaned ALL the rat cages and did most of the lifting without Ben's help. Ibuprofen is a good thing, and lucklily it does not bother my stomach.

Tired now, will go fall over.

My doctor can't see me until Tuesday (by which point I hope I am better!) but recommended that I up my ibuprofen dose to 800 mg every 6 hours, and go to the ER if things get worse between now and then.

Cider Hill Farms email newsletter has 20 varieties of apples listed as being picked now, including some really unusual ones. But one has to go out to the orchard and pick the rare ones; they are not in the store. There is NO way I can do that right now. Actually at the moment I can only walk in a straight line, and slowly at that. Yes, I should go to the doctor... 4 blocks away and I just can't imagine it.

By the way, the La Jolla Landslide is about a mile from where I grew up and I used to ride my bike on the street that collapsed all the time when I was a kid. Actually, my dad would drop me off at the top of Soledad Mountain on his way back to work after lunch, and I'd ride all the way down. The houses on the lower streets (Palomino and Desert View) should never have been built...

And... went to get lunch. Two slices of pizza, OK. But I did not realize it had both carmelized onions and red pepper on it, neither of which I can stand. So back downstairs, slowly, and I now have a salad, hardboiled eggs, and rolls.

Took some Big Drugs to kill pain and help me sleep, going to bed now. Feeling better about the riding... need to talk to Tina when I am feeling brave. Current hope is to ride Trump on Thursday *at a walk* and let his big swinging butt do some physical therapy on me... (I swear that horse, from the rear, reminds me exactly of a very sexy woman shashaying down the street...)

I have a problem.

I fell off Bearito this morning... he "refused" at a jump (quotes explained below) and I kept going and landed on my butt. I was up within seconds but still pretty rattled. Tina was nice about it, handed me the pony and told me to go cool off and get back on when I was ready to. After crying into his mane for a few minutes, I did get back on, and went through the line of jumps again, made smaller because of....

well, those "quotes". I just can't find my balance on Bearito; he's small and his center of balance is somewhere in that enormous neck of his. My going into jumping position, unless I get it just right, unbalances him and makes it hard for him to get over the jump, unless it's tiny. It doesn't help that I am a lot more top heavy than I was when I was 17, the last time I was jumping ponies of comparable size.

In short, I am too fat for him. Well, to jump him anyway. We do fine on the flat. It was totally not his fault that he couldn't get over a 2 foot rail with me on his back.

So much for this; it was a fluke. ETA: that is not Bearito! That's Trump, a 16 hand TB/Warmblood...

So I somehow need to change horses, *if* Windrush even has one that's suitable for me... I need a bit bigger horse, who is as reliable over jumps as Bearito is. Or I need to switch lessons, either back to flatwork only or "baby jumping" ... I like the lesson I am in, but it's advanced for me and I am still getting my "jumping legs" back. And somehow I need to talk to Tina or someone in the next two weeks (no lesson next week because of Columbus Day.) and find out what is possible. Which terrifies me because I am afraid they'll just kick me out because they don't have a horse I can ride, and I am kind of too weird for them anyway... Keep in mind Windrush's main focus is therapeutic riding, and a lot of the horses can't be jumped at all.

Oh, and then, after the lesson, I forgot to close the gate. (The jumping ring is within a huge field where some of the horses get turned out.) Luckily no one escaped, but I just keep making mistakes like this in my riding and horsemanship, and sooner or later *someone* or more likely *some horse* is going to get hurt.

I really just want to walk away... one moment, and then the next I realize how much I like it there.

I spent some time with Bearito afterwards, scritching him and hugging him until it was time for his next lesson.

My butt hurts, I'm cranky, and still crying occasionally over this.

sometimes what I need is 10 1/2 hours of relatively uninterrupted sleep.

I actually feel alive today.

So yesterday was my last ride on Guiness until the fall, sigh :( But we had a good lesson, and because the weather wasn't too hot, Tina assigned a *lot* of cantering. This included half-seat (two-point, or whatever), which was fine, and *without stirrups* which was a little more shaky, but I never felt like I would fall off. We did have one, um, episode, which was either a sudden speed-up or a start of a buck, but I recovered quickly.

Also I got a little horsemanship lesson from Tina on the good and bad points of Guiness's conformation. Good: very sound legs and hard hooves and a good "engine" (hindquarters), withers to hold everything in place, and a pretty head and expression. Less good: weak topline, back is bit too straight, slightly straight shoulders (yet he does not go heavy in front.) What this all means is that it's hard for him to "pretty up" when moving out. Tina likes him, but for some reason she kept saying that he's small. Well, yes. He's 14.2 hands. But that's a good size for me. But Tina's thing is eventing, where a 16 hand horse is considered small.

I am also seeking a better sports bra; sitting trot is, well, bouncy, even on a horse as smooth as Guiness. The highly recommended Elann bra turns out to be all wrong for me. It's meant for women who are not flat-chested, which I'm not, but my ribcage is too big and my breasts too small to fit any of their sizes.

One more thing: on June 23 and June 30, I will be helping Windrush raise money by collecting money at the parking lot at Groton House Farm's horse trials. I will be going out in the late morning each day and then working a noon to 3 p.m. shift. The setting is beautiful and it should be fun for horsey people. http://www.grotonhousefarm.com/html/groton_house_farm_events.html

I finally returned to riding lessons today! I got to ride Guiness again, and he's just wonderful. He was hyper at first and a little spooky, but he calmed down. I still need to work on using seat more than hands, especially for halts, because his mouth is so sensitive. (I sort of wonder how he'd go without a bit, in an English-style hackamore. Windrush uses them for a lot of therapeutic riding students, so they are available. But he may need more control than a hackamore would provide.)

Today's lesson was taught by Marge, who rode with us on her ancient and excessively well-trained mare Quadrille. It was a lesson in *bending* the horses around curves, at walk, trot and canter. Guiness *will* bend but he has to be reminded to do so. We also tried turn on the haunches, which isn't easy!

Guiness is a funny horse. He's really smart, but also very herd-oriented. He'll go to the other horses in an instant if one isn't paying attention. I suppose this isn't surprising since he ran with a herd for the first four years of his life. I found myself strategizing a lot about how to either keep him ahead of the other two horses, or far enough back that he wouldn't run up on them. (He's also very fast, even faster than Bearito, and getting to his buddies motivates him to move out!)

goddessfarmer, he's reminding me a lot of Minnie, with brains added. And I really want to visit her soon...

Hippotherapy went well, and was therapeutic for me, because rather than leading, I was sidewalking, which meant keeping my left forearm across a child's leg to help him stay on. MY left shoulder, which was the one that was so badly frozen a few years back, complained like hell for the first 10 minutes, but then it stopped hurting at all. So, good for me as well as the kid! (The kid in question has severe ADD and also some sort of birth injury which damaged his right side, so his hippotherapy includes a lot of right-side strengthening exercises. He's a cute kid and a pretty good rider when we can keep him focused.)