Things Are Looking Up - OTTB

My hamstring muscle is much better, so after physical therapy I went to the farm and saw Bouffe. He is loosing his winter coat and his mouth was better, as he ate his carrots like before and let me put a bridle on him. All good signs that we will finally be able to start training again on Wednesday.

Even though my leg is better I still got tired by the time I finished grooming Bouffe, which something I have to keep in mind. I still have MS.

OTTB, Multiple Sclerosis - A Day of Rest

My MS has been acting up to the point that I think I may be having an exacerbation, only time will tell. But I still felt well enough to go to the farm and visit Bouffe. It was just as well that I wasn't going to ride because Bouffe's back was still sore. 

I had Leslie look at Bouffe's back and she thought it was arthritic caused by him trying to get off where ever the real problem is. She was going to look at him further today. She also suggested that I try Reiki on Bouffe. One of the boarders is certified in giving Reiki treatments and I should talk to her.

So, Bouffe got a bath and ate hay until he was dry. I also bought some corn oil, which Leslie is going to put in Bouffe's grain to help  him gain weight and his coat to shine. 

The next show is two weeks from this Sunday. I hope we will be ready.

OTTB - The Indoor Arena

Bouffe spent about thirty minutes loose in the indoor arena this morning. His anxiety level was high, as he did an extended trot, one direction and then the other, around and around the perimeter of the indoor space for ten to fifteen minutes, before finally settling down to working trot and then a walk. Eventually he did get down and roll in the sand, which I was glad to see him do. 

The weather has been hot, so after today's session, the next time I go to the farm I plan on riding Bouffe outside, with no trips to the indoor.

I got the feeling today that from being turned out for so long before I got him, with little or no human interaction that Bouffe is herd bound. I need to talk to Leslie and see what she has planned for a field mate for Bouffe, which I'm not sure would help or make worse his behavior in the indoor arena. 

I wore myself out pretty good today supervising Bouffe's "playtime" and I will have to see in the morning if I go to the farm tomorrow, or wait until the weekend. I did swim a few laps when I got home to keep with the exercise program, which includes a regiment of stretching exercises every morning for my back, which I broke twelve years ago, and my legs for the MS; in addition, I also have dressage exercises I found on the Internet http://dressageridertraining.com/ I do feel so much better now that I am getting fit!

re: Last Week's Post

I have skipped over my recovery process, or lack there of, from last week's post. The three days rest I hope I was going to get never happened. For we spent a good amount of the time we were away walking and sitting at a wedding reception for several hours. Of course both of these activities took place outdoors in eighty degree heat, not good for my MS. I have not recovered from this or the activities of the week before, and still wanted to ride today, but my legs are not cooperating.

As I said yesterday, I planned on riding Bouffe today, but as soon as my feet hit the floor this morning I knew that wasn't going to happen. Even though I slept good last night my legs hurt and were weak. After living with MS for this long, all I can say is, maybe tomorrow. 

Multiple Sclerosis - Too Hot

We went away for the weekend and ended up missing all the good riding weather. As any of you with MS know, with temperatures in the upper eighties this morning and over ninety degrees now, it is just too hot to ride without an indoor ring, something I will have starting next week. The move is all set up for Monday and I am looking forward to boarding Bouffe at Four Quarters Farm.

The weather forecast is the same for tomorrow. I am hoping to get an early start and ride before the temperature rises out of the seventies.

Since I didn't ride today, I swam my ten laps to keep the level of fitness I have. 

Multiple Sclerosis and Exercise - Finding The Right Mix

This is my second post for today because the earlier post should have been written last night, but I was too sick to do so. After I rode yesterday I was a little sore but went ahead with my exercise program and swam my 10 laps (almost 200 meters) anyway. If that wasn't enough, Barbara and I then went shopping for a new range. A trip we thought would only be for about a half and hour, two hours later we were finally leaving the store. 

But that wasn't all. We then went and did our weekly grocery shopping, which took about another hour. So, by the time we got home I had been on my feet, standing in the appliance store and pushing the grocery cart for three hours, not good for a person with MS.

My body fought back violently with extreme numbness and tightness in my legs, along with the shooting pains down my arms. I was miserable and nothing seemed to help: not sitting, or lying down, or taking a hot shower, or even my usual meds, nothing until 11 PM when I was finally able to fall asleep. Of course, that only lasted until 6 AM, when the roofers started the tapping across the street on the church roof.

It is now 4:30 PM and I have spent the entire day doing nothing. Of course, I am feeling better from all the rest and plan on riding Bouffe tomorrow. I'm telling myself riding is all I'm doing, knowing full well I'll probably give in and swim. But I've got to set some limits, or I'll be too sore to make it past being an occasional trail rider.