In honor of the stressful holidays, a fun disability thread!

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Okay, sometimes you just need to laugh about things that happen and people who don’t understand. So, what bad things have happened because of your disability, but you had to laugh (possibly in silence) because of how people handled it.

I have so many, but I’ll start with this one:

I had been riding my gelding in the ring. He is trained to stand at the mounting block for mounting and dismounting…both can take a long time. I dismounted, but got just the edge of my mounting block. The mounting block tipped, so I went all the way to the ground. My legs get numb when I ride, actually they are always numb, so I should say more numb than usual. When my feet hit the ground, my legs crumpled up and my butt ended up on the ground. Because I also have weakness in my arms and have extremely limited use of my left hand, I could not pull myself up.

My dad finally notices I have been riding for a very long time…he was shop vaccing the barn…and comes out to the ring. Dear Daddy says,“Are you just resting from your ride or do you need help getting up?” My wonderful horse stood right next to me the entire time and sadly, my father was 100% serious. My response to Dad really cannot be printed here, but it was along the lines of “get my butt out of the darn dirt!”

I will think of more “NQR Funnies” I definitely have them floating around in my brain. What have you guys got floating or festering? Let’s have some fun with this!!!

[Bluey]

I am hard of hearing and now have hearing aids, but don’t use them, because they increase the volume, but I still can’t tell what the noise is.

Many, many years ago, I started working in this really fancy riding center and, since I handle guessing at what people say fine and didn’t think to say other than the standard “by the way, I don’t hear too good”, no one had really listened, pun intended.

The indoor was not that large, so I was doing well, until we moved to the outside course and then, no matter how much the trainer yelled, I kept grinning and riding, didn’t hear him.:eek:

Boy, did I get a chewing up about listening.
When I meekly said I didn’t hear him, he sent me for a hearing test and guess what, I really didn’t hear well at all.

After that, I was just told to pay extra attention and we communicated by semaphor signals.

[DressageGeek_Ribbon]

I’m riding in a clinic with a clinician who comes to our barn 1-2 times a year, and has for ages…very well respected.

At one point he asks me to put my horse into the right rein. Which I do. But he keeps saying, “No, no, the right rein!!!” Well, I am in the right rein, and I kept going around, and he kept exhorting me, “Right rein!!” until one of my barn mates finally yelled, “NO - the OTHER right rein!”

I do it every clinic. Well, I do it every lesson! My trainer has finally figured out to say, inside or outside rein, I can usually get those.

[the_other_mother]

I have several physical issues that cause me to have only a 28% total lung capacity on good days. At a horse show last year, in an In Hand class, the judge had us jog our horses in hand in an unusually long pattern. I’m always gasping for air when Im done but this was a particularly bad day and halfway thru the jog in hand, I couldnt breathe at all. I stopped and was bent over trying to get air. The judge repeated several times “Jog your horse please, continue to jog around the long side please” etc. I just couldnt even move so I just stayed there bent over while my husband, who was also in the ring and next in line to jog, thus standing right near the judge looked on. I kept thinking he would tell her I couldnt breathe. Nope. Finally a friend in the ring told the judge I had a breathing issue, and she moved on. I hobbled over to my spot in line, very embarrassed. Later, outside the ring when I asked my husband why he didnt tell the judge, he said “I didnt know you couldnt breathe, I just thought you werent paying attention.” We’ve been married 33 years…:eek:

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[QUOTE=the_other_mother;4525973]
Later, outside the ring when I asked my husband why he didnt tell the judge, he said “I didnt know you couldnt breathe, I just thought you werent paying attention.” We’ve been married 33 years…:eek:[/QUOTE]

Don’t you just love men sometimes I’m single, but my dad helps me in the barn every Sunday. My famous last words to him were,“Dad, please don’t make too much noise.” I was riding my gelding who was in a feisty mood. Dad proceeds to Shop Vac the barn. Meanwhile, I am face down in the sand with a shattered finger. I couldn’t get myself up. Luckily, my horse just stood next to me while we waited for help! To top it all off, my Dad wouldn’t take me to the hospital. He felt I had just bruised it. Suffice it to say I now have screws holding the “bruised” finger together!

[cadriver]

So Saturday I went on a pleasure drive arranged by a local club on a 16000 acre cattle ranch. Since family was visiting, I left them all at home and recruited a 20 year old college student who also just started driving and occasionaly helps me drive. The weather was gorgeous sunny and 62, horses were fit as I passed many other sweat soaked horses and my boys just out walked and trotted everyone else:-) The horses could have gone around the loop again but lunch had arrived. So as I was un-hooking, college student at their heads. I undid one horse’s traces, went to the head friend, undid the other traces, so now the horses are holding the carriage by the breastcollars at the front of the pole, I un-snap the 5 year old first (thank god) . carriage rolls back older horse holds it since he is still attached, I grab the end of the pole, okay so now I am on wheels, holding a carriage on wheels, obviously on a slight slope, yell at friend get a rock chock the wheels. She chockes the front wheel, I unsnap the older horse, carriage rolls back I grab the pole right before it pokes the 5 year old… yelling once again grab the carriage:-) Luckly a couple of friends walking by grab it and I can move the horses out of the way.

Lessons learned, always check out the slope your unhooking on:-) Don’t chock a front wheel since it is attached to the 5th wheel and it will turn. Always chock a back wheel. Stopping a carriage from rolling while you are sitting on wheels and holding 2 horses and the carriage leaves you with no empty hands to stop everything from moveing:-)

Diane

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Bumping up

Come on guys. I know there are a lot more then 4 of us who have had embarassing, but now funny, moments with our horses due to our disabilities. We may not be able to top CADriver, but join in the fun. There is no need for this to be a somber forum! We’re all disabled, so let’s embrace our funny stories!