Debbie Says I am Looking Stronger in the Saddle

I have ridden three times since my last blog and all three times I made it to thirty minutes, and on one of these rides I made it to 37 minutes!  I am losing track of time in the saddle since I no longer get totally exhausted after 20 minutes.

Both Mia and Cider are accepting contact better, so my weakness obviously affected my stability in the saddle.  Both mares had been rather polite about my worsening hands, but as patient as…

I Finally Rode for Thirty Minutes Again       

Last Sunday I rode Cider, barely made it to 25 minutes, and I got even more discouraged about the present state of my body.  Cider did great, when she started twisting herself up she readily obeyed my aids and straightened out, she kept contact fine, and she started backing up from me just advancing my waist.  By the time I hit my endurance limit at 20 minutes, my back and thighs were hurting so much I got horribly depressed, and decided…

I Wish I Still Had Some Energy   

In the past two weeks, I rode three times.  The weather down here is still going up and down, from the low 20’s F to almost 70 F, the horses are still shedding out early, and the ground never seems to totally dry out.  This winter is challenging for both horse and rider.

I have been on Gilenya for almost 4 months, and my muscles are still suffering from greater exhaustion.  Because of this, I am going backwards in my physical activity instead…

After Five Weeks off Cider Turns into a Pretzel Again   

Last Sunday I finally got to ride Cider again.  She did not seem too thrilled about the prospect when Shannon groomed her and tacked her up.  She did nothing bad, she just did not seem to like the fact that her vacation was over.

Going into the ring was fine.  Everything was fine until I asked her to walk by the fence on contact, the Cider started twisting herself, head toward Shannon, bulging out against my outside leg,…

Winter Comes Back to Stay

Fortunately, since I am in the South, it is not a terribly severe winter.  So far, all the precipitation has been liquid.  Even with several killing frosts, some flies appear when it gets warm, and then another killing frost hammers them.  Nights in the 20s F eventually get those nasty flies out of the picture.

Talking about flies, I have noticed something this year.  In 2014, I noticed that the population of the “buzz bomber” flies was miniscule, and…

You Would Think That Spring Was Here

Between nights in the 20s F and days and nights of rain, it has been difficult for me to ride, therefore last week I seized the chance to ride twice, on Mia, two days in a row.

Wednesday morning came in at 23 F so I did not get to ride.  Fortunately Debbie did not have a lesson already scheduled for Thursday morning so I got to ride then.  When Debbie curried Mia gobs and gobs of Mia’s sub-coat came off, and when I got after her…

At least I started the New Year right, I got to ride Mia on Jan. 1, the only time I got to ride this week.

On Tuesday I saw a few Bradford Pear trees in bloom in Charlotte, NC.

After three inches of rain and unseasonable warmth, a cold front finally pushed the rain off to the East.  It was brisk on Friday with a cold breeze and it was still cloudy so there was no sun to bask in.  When I was using my slicker brushes on Mia’s coat I found out that Mia has already…

I Got to Ride Christmas Day!

The last two weeks have been sort of odd.  First, my gut decided that something was not right and acted up too much to ride, and when I did ride I got exhausted after only 20 minutes in the saddle.  I got my gut issues under control enough so I could go see my oldest son finally get his PhD degree, a process that has taken many years.  Between all of this I just got to ride twice, a much needed ride on Cider so I could get back to walking steadily on my…

Cider Responded, Mia Did Not

Last Sunday I told Shannon to pick me up at my mailbox because my driveway now has major difficulties where it was dug up, now there is no place to turn a vehicle around on my land unless the driver wants to risk getting stuck.  Since I was not able to carry my dressage saddle down I told Shannon I would ride in the EZ-Fit saddle I gave her, and I was so glad that I did not have to worry about bringing a saddle!  But Shannon turns out to be much better at…

“Pushing Forward with the Stomach and Inwards with the Loins”

In the two weeks since my last post I rode only once.  Our glorious rain, that has filled the lakes, ponds, rivers and creeks, has really interfered with my riding.  Then last weekend I went with my husband on one of his frequent business trips up to the Northern area of Virginia near D.C..  As usual we went by various used book stores and I found a copy of “Dressage--The Art of Classical Riding” by Sylvia Loch.  I…

I Am Too Tired to Think of a Good Title     

Tiredness, always a problem with Multiple Sclerosis, has me in its unrelenting grasp.  Last weekend my husband and I went to Raleigh, just two and a half hours away, to see my youngest son and grandson.  We stayed overnight so I got to rest before the drive home, but when I got home I was too tired to write my blog, and today, a full week later, I am having trouble finding enough energy to do anything.  I am managing to ride and I am VERY…

We have had 6 ½ inches of rain down here in the last two weeks, and of that 5 inches fell this week.  All the ponds, creeks and rivers are swollen, there are puddles everywhere, the horses’ winter coats are getting all muddy and matted, and I think every single bug on my land is trying to get into my house to get out of the wet.

Even so I have been able to ride some.  These have not been exciting rides since I have less energy since I started changing my medicines around, but…

After waiting 5 months from the time my neurologist started the process I finally got my first dose of my new MS medicine, Gilenya.  During the 5 months I have had a lot of miscommunications (the phone calls from Gilenya NEVER came up on my phone as anything but usually ignored mass calls), voice mail messages in a thick foreign accent at the lowest possible level of loudness, misdirected doctor appointments, general frustration, and my neurologist thinking that all the…

Some big changes are coming into my life.  In two weeks I will have my first dose of the hopefully better MS drug, Gilenya, requiring a 6 hour stay at a cardiologist for my first dose.  I have such big hopes of how this new drug could affect my riding.  Will I have more energy?  Better balance?  Better coordination and timing?  Will I be able to “feel” the horse better?  Will the horses like me riding them better?  Only time will tell, of course.

The second big…

The Drought is Over—At Least for Now

And all this rain is messing up my riding.

We were in a drought this summer, getting just enough rain to keep the grass growing somewhat and keep some of the crops from dying, but the ponds, lakes, streams and rivers were down several inches. Our local river, the Rocky River, lived up to…

Today is a Cool, Dank and Rainy Day    

As was yesterday.  When I got up on Friday it was raining, with a pretty cool breeze.  I debated about going riding, after all the weather radar showed that there would be a break in the rain by the time for my ride on Mia.  But my body said NO since I had spent the earlier part of the week on multiple doctor visits trying to get ready for trying the new, to me, MS drug Gilenya, and I was feeling quite run down.  Then I thought about Mia, thirty…

The Changing Seasons Always Mess Up My Riding    

Some mornings are cooler, and then other mornings are warmer.  Which breeches and shirts should I choose?  If my clothes make me feel too cool my muscles start moving slowly and it takes me more effort to move.  If my clothes make me feel too warm everything gets worse, balance, coordination, timing, and my stamina disappears.  The worst are the mornings that start out cool and then rapidly heat up, oh my, whatever can I do so I can…

Last Saturday, after reflecting on how good it felt to ride in my Crosby again I decided to ask Shannon if she would let me use my dressage saddle on Cider.  I had used my dressage saddle on Cider many years ago, before I got my Wintec Wide and EZ-Fit saddles.  Cider and I were only making teeny-tiny improvements during our rides the last few months and I was getting frustrated while Cider essentially plodded around the ring.  Shannon and I discussed this a little, and…

First, some very good news, Mia did not cough at all when I rode her on Tuesday!  Mia is looking chirpier and she is ignoring every previous trigger for coughing fits.  I am still just walking her to build her up gradually from her 6 weeks of sick leave, but Mia no longer acts as if she is waiting for death.  And what caused this big change?  The remedies just helped her get the phlegm out of her lungs, what REALLY helped her was that Debbie could not find any round bales to…