Multiple Sclerosis - Even Though They Say It Can't Happen

I wrote last Wednesday how sore I was and blamed it on all the time I spent with Bouffe on Monday - but I was wrong. Every doctor I asked and every article I read said it was safe to take a flu shot, which I had done on Tuesday - WRONG!!!

After I dug deeper into articles post on the Internet by reputable sources, I found out that the flu shot is called safe because in studies 95% of the people had no reaction to it; but, what about the other 5%, which I seemed to be a part of. It is thought that at least some of the 5% had a reaction to the mercury that is the base for the flu shot. The mercury level is considered safe by the FDA, but there is a small amount of individuals who still get mercury poisoning, which has the same side affects as a MS exacerbation. And bingo, that sure sounded like me. 

So, I rested over the weekend and had hippotherapy this morning, which went well, but I still didn't feel strong enough to ride Bouffe too. Bouffe was glad to see me but was most interested in the carrots he knew I had. But he waited patiently while I groomed him and even pulled his mane before he got the first carrot.

Because of switching to a western saddle and the experience I had at the Thoroughbred symposium, I have been reading articles about cowboy and rodeo terms. When reading an article about rodeo terms I came across the word Bufford: An animal that is easy to ride and work around. I am now wondering if Bouffe's nickname isn't Bufford. I remember that originally I was told Bouffe's name was Bouffer, which I couldn't find any reference or definition on the Internet, so I changed it to Bouffe which is found in the French dictionary. Bouffer sounds much like Bufford, which is now Bouffe's name. 

Multiple Sclerosis - Playing Monti Roberts Took Its Toll

I made a big mistake on Monday, thinking I could stand for almost an hour while I used Monti Hall's training methods, along with the normal time I spend grooming Bouffe. My legs were swollen yesterday and this morning along with the swelling, I was having muscle spasms, both of which are attributed to my Multiple Sclerosis. 

The same thing happened this past summer, when I worked with Bouffe in the round pen and I was foolish to think it wouldn't this time. So, I am back to the drawing board in developing a training plan to help Bouffe get over his fear of the indoor arena.

OTTB - Trying Out Monti Roberts

I don't know how many of you have scene Monti Roberts work with horses. He takes and unbroken horse or a horse with some behavioral issues and turns them around in fifteen to twenty minutes. Now, Monti works in a large round pen,  but I saw no reason why the indoor arena, which is not that large, wouldn't work.

As I have written before Bouffe does not like being in the indoor arena; so, I thought I would try out Monti's techniques and see if they would work on Bouffe. I led Bouffe into the arena in just his halter and then turned him loose. He raced around, just like Monti says his horses do. I followed Monti's instruction and paid little attention to Bouffe as he jogged and galloped in one direction and then the other. I had looked at the time we started on my watch and after three minutes Bouffe showed no signs of stopping and I wondered if this was going to work since Monti is usually tacking the horse up by now. But I continued to wait: five minutes, ten minutes and finally after fifteen minutes, when I was getting ready to give up, Bouffe stopped, walked over to me, dropped his head and nuzzled me. Success!

I reattached the lead rope and walked Bouffe around the ring. He remained quiet, even when I opened the door so he could see outside. This was a wonder experience for both Bouffe and me, one that brought us closure together.