“Not Today”

MJ and I are old. Our joints ache at the best of times. Throw in ANYTHING, the weather, sleeping on the wrong side, MJ being bullied out in the paddock, a little bit of gas, and our whole system gets thrown out and we just can't do stuff that is easy when conditions are good.

Like my rides on MJ. In the past…

I've Been Studying Horse Anatomy

I have been riding MJ for my riding lessons, walk, trot, halts and turns. I have also been riding my Home Horse with Shannon's help every Sunday, and last Sunday I made it to 22 minutes riding my Home Horse!!!! But there has been nothing new, nothing exciting and certainly nothing ground breaking in my riding this summer. Riding in the summer heat can get boring…

The Heat is Getting to Me...

And the smoke from the wildfires in the North American continent just makes it worse for me. The horses deal with this more easily than I do so at least I have the comfort that I am not asking the horse to do too much as I walk and trot around the ring.

When I got to the stable for my lesson with…

Sorry I've Been Gone

I have not ridden much lately because I just cannot deal with the heat, the polluted air, and the humidity, all of which affect my ability to write as well as my ability to ride a horse.

There were other reasons I did not get many lessons lately,…

Slogging Along

For me the beginning of the Summer weather has been a lazy time, very lazy time. I had gotten over whatever was wrong with me, I was really looking forward to my lesson, but when I went outside for my lesson two weeks ago I faced a new challenge, extremely dirty air. This was from the wildfires in eastern Canada visiting us just in time for my riding lesson, bummer.…

Getting FORWARD in my Saddle

I'm sorry it has been so long. My son visited and he was carrying some bug or another and I got sick. Since then my energy levels have been LOW.

I did get some rides in. I got some different stuff from MJ but I paid for my rides with my aching joints and muscles. Then my energy levels plummeted,…

Now I'm a Human Barometer

Lately I have not posted much because my body, all of a sudden, has decided to become a weather forecaster for rain. Two days before the rains come many of my joints and muscles start suffering tearing pains and any exercise I do before the rains come ends up causing even more pain extending for days. Just one of the perils of being older I guess.…

MJ “Forgives” My Mistake

As in he mostly ignored it. Good Boy!

I hadn't ridden a real live horse for three weeks so I was excited when I got ready to go to the stable for my riding lesson. Since lots of my joints ached when I woke up I had put on various pieces of my BOT/Fenwick/Incrediwear far infra-red radiation therapy…

Changing Weather Brings on a Protest

Last week I did my homework, first 4 minutes on the Anywhere Saddle Chair (ASC) then two days later 10 ½ minutes on the ASC because Shannon had the sniffles and did not come out on Sunday. This last session made me tired, on Monday I woke up really tired and I was moving very slowly all day. Then on Monday I rode my Home Horse (HH) for 5 minutes when my…

My Homework Paid Off

Wednesday morning did not start off that well. My hands were klutzy when I dressed for riding, all of a sudden starting zippers and getting straps through buckles became a major challenge. When I got to the barn and Debbie brought MJ in he decided that he did NOT like the sound of the clippers as another horse got his head trimmed in the next wash stall. MJ was moving from…

Tired of Being Exhausted

When I bought my Home Horse (HH) and Anywhere Saddle Chair (ASC) I was full of bright and optimistic hopes of improving my riding, of increasing the strength of my riding muscles, of improving my balance, and of being able to practice such mundane things like posting and 2-point. I was determined not to let these simulators just sit and collect dust, darn it I was going…

Topsy-Turvy

Last Sunday I got to ride Cider, for the first time in over 6 months at Shannon's new place where I had not ridden Cider before, in her current pasture. Cider was all groomed and waiting for the saddle when we got there so I did not have to wait long to ride. I had change from the BOT/ThinLine Contender II pad with center shims to a combination of a Fenwick Western pad with a…

Establishing a Base for Movement

I got my lesson this week. I even trotted twice. Of course MJ was rather stiff at the beginning so we meandered around in 2-point for a minute or two while he warmed up with the help of all the far infra-red gear I put on him for my rides. He did OK during the ride but he most definitely did not feel like extending his walking stride so I contented myself with a…

Working on My Core Muscles

I did get a lesson this week on Wednesday with Debbie. I told her of my physical exhaustion from exercising too much on my Home Horse and that I would just be walking for my lesson.

MJ started off STIFF. Debbie told me that his leaser and her daughter rode him on Tuesday and I think he felt it in…

I Did Too Much for my MS

I have one personality trait that does NOT go well with having MS, I tend to be too ambitious for my own good. When I start physical work I try to start of sort of slow, but my ambition drives me to do just a little bit more, then a little bit more. This always ends up the same way, I get into a deep exhaustion and all progress comes to a screeching halt.…

Strengthening My Seat

I did not get to ride a real, live horse this week, my usual riding days started off in the low 20s F, the ring would have been frozen and we would have thought we were frozen solid in the cold wind.

At least now I have an alternative that exercises many of my riding muscles.…

I Welcome My Home Horse

I apologize for my long absence. I had two rather boring lessons of the same old, same old, nothing new to discuss. During this time I learned about the Home Horse (http://www.homehorse.com/), I saved up enough money, and I bought one. It got here before the weather, either rain or COLD, interfered with my riding. My husband put it…

A Smoother Sitting Trot

Monday it was hot and humid. I did wear my technical fabric tights, shirt and socks, but I should have worn my ice vest instead of my protective vest. I only walked but I ended up hot and sweaty, and I felt exhausted before the end of my placid ride.

MJ was stiff since he had been in a St. Jude's…

One Reason Why I Use the Double Bridle

The weather down here has been wonderful for riding, the worst I had to deal with was a minute or two of a sort of serious sprinkle but the rest of my rides were rain free.

When I got to the stable Monday morning it was a lot more crowded than usual. They had gone to a show on Sunday…

One Link

Monday morning it was cool and misting, so of course I went to ride. A little mist is not going to keep me out of the saddle. Luckily the mist tapered off and I did not have to ride in the rain like I feared would happen.

I got my upper body warmed up by currying and brushing MJ's body and legs. He was pretty quiet…