OTTB - Wintertime Is Here

I couldn't ride today because the outdoor ring was frozen and when and if it thawed out it would be a bog. I did manage to groom Bouffe and of course feed him his carrots. His coat looks good and shone in the sunlight, even though it is starting to grow out. He seems to be very content having a few weeks off. I am trying not to be upset about the ring conditions. I know Leslie is doing her best and this is only the beginning of the winter weather. There will be many more days like today in the coming months.

Even if the weather gets better, I am probably not going to ride until later on next week, after my new saddle arrives. Yes, I bought another saddle. I plan on keeping the Billy Cook, but it is just too heavy for me to use on a regular basis; so, it will be my show saddle.

 I bought a synthetic saddle which only weighs fifteen pounds instead of the thirty-five the Billy Cook weighs. It should be here Monday or Tuesday and I am anxiously waiting its arrival. 

OTTB - The Rain, Wind and Snow

Today the weather got worse as the day went on. I had physical therapy with Mike at 8:30. He worked his usual magic on my legs and I felt better when I left. 

I originally had planned to go to the farm when I left PT, but when I opened the door of the office building, I was welcomed by rain, wind and temperatures that would soon fall enough that the rain changed to snow, which was enough to change my mind and I came home. Hopefully, Friday will be a better day.

Hippotherapy

As I have written before, I consider physical therapy and hippotherapy the reasons why I am still, for the most part, mobile, after having Multiple Sclerosis for the last twenty-five years. Yesterday it was hippotherapy's turn.

Even though it was very cold, about twenty degrees, which is usually enough to keep me inside, I rode Roscoe, Robin's therapy horse, for about an hour and felt better when I finished. I was surprised and pleased, with the amount of energy I had for the rest of the day. 

But, it really was too cold to ride Bouffe, or even groom him, unless I absolutely had too, which I didn't. What I did do was feed him his carrots and put two more holes in his halter's headpiece, so it wasn't hanging down by his nostrils, like it had been.

Robin was very pleased with the job I did, cleaning one of the very dirty western saddles, she was given for her therapy program. I brought another one home to clean, with the eventual outcome, of Robin consigning two of the four saddles with me to sell on eBay. I have a lot of cleaning to do today.

   

Multiple Sclerosis - Still Not Able To Ride

I had physical therapy this morning and I am feeling better, but still not able to ride. I have another unrelated doctor's appointment on Friday; so, I am done for the week. I am thankful that this is happening now and not during the show session. I keep on thinking that when I am down.

Multiple Sclerosis - Done For The Week

Right now I am so sore that I am having problems even walking. And after doing anything but sitting, the fatigue sets in and I am back in the chair. Because of all of this, I didn't go to the farm this morning and might not be able to the rest of the week. 

I have a physical therapy appointment first thing Wednesday morning, with a man who knows more about my MS and how it has effected my ability to be mobile, than any doctor I have ever seen. I would not have made it this far with out my physical therapist, Michael Mauro. Not having PT for the last month because of the Medicare system is the only thing I can attribute to my feeling so bad. I am very hopeful that after seeing Mike on Wednesday I will be able to ride Bouffe again. It has worked before and I am counting on PT again.

OTTB - Bouffe The Clown

I am still going to refer to Bouffe as Bouffe. That's the name he has become and today he lived up to the meaning of his name - a  clown or jester.

It wasn't as cold this morning, but I was still feeling lousy. My legs were so stiff I could never have lifted my left leg high enough to put my foot in the stirrup and the right would never had swung over the cantle. Bouffe seemed to notice I was in pain and tried, just a jester would, to cheer me up. 

He had a look on his face as if he was almost laughing when he continued to butt me gently with his head until I made him stop when he hit me in the nose, which hurt but I knew he was just playing. He seemed to think it was funny, when he pooped on the floor of the grooming area, and then stomped both of his back hooves in it. I say this because any other time this has happened he is very careful not to step in it.

His eyes expressed how pleased with himself he was and seemed to be waiting for me to laugh at his routine, which I didn't, but feed him apples instead. Bouffe knows he is spoiled and was very appreciative of this treat. I swear when he and I are in that grooming area it isn't just me and a horse. No, we have a special bond just as two good friends would.

Multiple Sclerosis - Cold Weather Blues

It's only the middle of November and my body is already reacting to the cold weather. With the wind chill, it was 23 degrees at the farm this morning and my legs didn't just react to the temperature, they pretty much shut down. Walking was so difficult that I wasn't able to bring Bouffe out of his stall, much less ride him.

I know the worst is yet to come. The only way I will be able to ride is in the late morning or early afternoon, when the temperature has warmed up a little. I can't ride any later then that because of the MS related fatigue, I am done for the day by 3 PM. I haven't talked to Leslie yet about my proposed changes; so, I hope Friday morning will be a little warmer.

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.

Multiple Sclerosis - The Rain and The Cold

It has been cold, damp and raining since last night. It didn't stop the trick or treaters, but it sure stopped me from riding today.

I could have ridden in the rain; the outdoor ring drains well, but gets very deep, which is not to Bouffe's or his old bowed tendons liking. Or, I could have tried Bouffe again in the indoor. But neither of these were an option, because my MS has flared up again.

One of the most prevalent things that brings on an MS attack is the heat, but not with me. With me it is the cold. I have to be careful in the heat, but my MS rages every winter and when it rains or snows it is even worse, with muscle spasms and increased numbness in my legs, which is what happened today. Just the little change in temperature along with the dampness was all my MS needed to show its ugly head.

After living with this for many years I have gotten used to missing things I wanted to do, but it is still disappointing. I hope by Monday I will be well enough to ride.