Great news!
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Will you get to have a lesson this week?
I had my lesson this morning.
I tripled checked to make sure that I had taken off ALL my Far Infra-red therapy gear. MJ rewarded me by taking up contact readily and he was more responsive to my aids. We had a good ride.
Near the end, after I had tied up my bridoon reins, I took contact with the curb (no problems, he readily reached for the bit). I was slowing him down at the walk using the collecting leg aids, and as usual he shortened his stride and slowed down. Then I guess he felt ready to me, I feathered the curb bit when his head was going up, and I think MJ started elevating his forehand a tiny bit. I could feel him under me getting ready, waiting for my aids, to do anything. He was ready, so I just walked a few strides like this, let the reins out and we returned to our normal walk.
At his age I do not want to force him into anything that could lead him to be uncomfortable. He is 25, right now he is getting just 30 min. a week being ridden (me), with some achy joints and his croup muscles take a while to warm up even with the BOT exercise sheet on. Collection is more work for the horse, and until MJ “tells” me he is able to do more comfortably I will just be doing the “collection” for short periods during my lessons, he if feels to me like he can do it without problems. It takes a while with regular work during the week to get a horse’s muscles strong enough to do collection easily, so this is just part of what I do to keep the horse being bored out of his skull when I ride him since I can do so little.
Then I showed Debbie how he reacted to the same feathering on the curb reins while I was using my leg aids to tell him to extend his stride (“driving aids”). He did not “collect” at all, he poked his nose out front and gave me some extension in his walking stride.
I also remarked to Debbie that if I used my upper thigh for a turn signal (as his back comes up on that side) MJ automatically reaches for more contact on the outside rein. I am NOT telling him with my inside leg to take more contact on the outside rein, he just reaches out while flexed to the inside and does it all himself. By using my upper thigh when I do I am sort of limiting the movement of the horse’s spine, getting its spine straighter which lets the outside back muscles work properly, thence he reached for a little bit more contact on the outside rein. Debbie and I also discussed this. MJ will not reach out for more contact with the outside rein if I use my lower leg to give turning aids, which means I would have to reinforce with a driving aid on the outside instead of just letting MJ do it himself.
By using less strength on my inside upper thigh I can now get gradual turns. The more strength I use the sharper the turn, and with a slightly stronger aid he will turn in place without me having to use the reins at all occasionally. It took MJ a while to figure this all out when I introduced my inner upper thigh aid, at first he did not realize that this IS an aid that he needs to listen to, then I had to use it pretty strongly to convince him that yes, this is an aid. Now I finally got to the point that he will obey a light upper thigh aid without any discussion, he flexes according to the strength of my upper thigh aid. This has taken me many months at 30 minutes each week.
I also got several posting trots in, one trot I made it around about half the ring OK though it made me tired. I was even able to get a turn or two in at the posting trot by using my inside upper thigh but it was not as pretty as I can get it at the walk. I need to work on myself for this, getting my coordination right.
So I make some progress even though my progress is SLOW.
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It is great that you are so in tune with his needs as well as your own.
Good job!
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OK. On Sunday I “rode” my HH for a grand total of 16 minutes.
Yesterday I rode MJ for 33 minutes.
So far this week I have slept and extra 4 hours and 45 minutes.
AAAARGH!!! I am getting really tired of these little bits of exercise meaning that I have to sleep almost 4 hours more than the time I spent exercising.
At least I had a decent ride on MJ.
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Shannon came out today.
On Friday I rode the ASC for 3 minutes. I felt ambitious but decided to stick with what I thought would not be too much for me. Saturday I was fine but this morning I overslept 20 minutes and I was wishing I could sleep some more. But Shannon was coming so I got up.
I did a full 20 minutes on the HH today, first session for 10 min., 41 sec., after resting around 15 minutes the second session was 10 minutes. This is more that I have ridden the HH in many months. I did a good bit of “walking” plus I tried 2-point and posting some. I also tried some small circles with my butt. Right now, today, I just could not post for more than 10 times each session. Posting is so much easier on a horse who is trotting!
Shannon said that I kept myself centered from side to side just fine when I was sitting still, though my front to back is still off some, I tend to overload the HH’s “hind end.” To get my weight more forward my most successful method was “advancing my waist” to my hands, something I picked up from the Duke of Newcastle’s dressage book for when a rider wants to slow down or halt. This seems to serve to get the rider’s weight over the horse’s forehand, at least whenever I do it on the HH or the ASC they start tipping forward. A rider cannot “fool” a HH!
I probably did too much today, especially since I have to go and see my neurologist tomorrow. At least I will be able to rest on Tuesday, hopefully enough so I can have a decent riding lesson on Wednesday.
I will be showing my neurologist the pictures and instructions that came with the HH and ASC. Since there is no “stable point” for either of them they seem to be good for me to use to work on my balance.
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Yesterday I talked with my neurologist during my appointment about my riding simulators. I had brought pictures and whatever tiny bit of literature that came with them.
I told him, that besides being affordable for me, my two simulators I have and the other one I want (Equicizer) are probably better for me than the expensive motorized simulators, like the ones that cost 47,000 British Pounds. My feeling is that none of the motorized ones could give the rider the equivalent of a sudden shy, like when the horse disappears under you.
My neurologist had ridden as a kid. He understood what I was talking about.
We talked about how the Home Horse is helping me improve my balance and recovering from losing my balance, and how the ASC is helping me tone my core muscles. He was not surprised when I told him that just sitting on the ASC was the most tiring exercise I do now (I am now up to 3 minutes), that the HH took less of my energy even though I end up swaying (I’m now up to 20 minutes in 2 sessions), and that riding a real live horse was the least exhausting of all.
This neurologist is good for me, he actually understands and can visualize how riding horses helps with my damaged central nervous system.
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That is great that your doctor understands your passion!
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I got my lesson today and I am very tired right now.
MJ seems like he is improving in his attitude now that he only has a 30 minute lesson a week.
It was warm so Debbie took off his BOT Exercise sheet when we got to the ring. When I started our ride it was leg-leg-leg-leg, then I asked Debbie to put his butt blanket on. That CURED the leg-leg-leg-leg as he strode off confidently instead of trying to tell me he was working hard when he was moving at more of a lesson horse walk than what I usually ask for. He just wanted to feel better, and when he felt better all hesitation vanished. We did take off his butt blanket when he indicated he was warmed up enough. I did not have to do as much 2-point as usual during his warm up so hopefully his back is feeling better.
It was warm this morning, at least it was cool enough so I could wear my protective vest, but soon I will have to switch to my non-protective ice vest.
I did several trots. I lasted longer than normal at one of them, I did a full circle the width of the ring at the posting trot, and boy was I tired when I asked MJ to walk again. He was very cooperative about contact with both the bridoon and the curb when I did them separately (I am not really good enough to use both bits at once.) No hesitation with reaching out for the bit and he strode forth fearlessly. I even got him to extend his trotting stride a little bit.
Since last week I had done a few steps at the really slow walk feathering my curb bit just to see what he would do I was mildly worried that he would not feel confident with contact with the curb today. The last thing I want is for him to start worrying about what the curb bit might do to him so I had decided that I would wait for at least three lessons before I tried this again, giving MJ plenty of time to think it through. But MJ was fine, I had done no harm, and he still felt confident with my hands (I was not wearing any of the far infra-red radiation therapy stuff so I met MJ’s standards for proper contact.) After two more lessons I will try feathering the curb at the slow walk again. I am not trying to do dressage stuff, I am just trying to give MJ some variety in our rather boring rides without causing him any anxiety about me riding him.
I seem to be gaining some additional fitness, I am able to do the posting trot longer than I was able to a month or two ago, so my homework with the simulators is helping my endurance, a little bit.
Even so, after 30 minutes in the saddle I was TIRED and Debbie and MJ easily out paced me heading back to the barn.
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Last night I “rode” my ASC. I was ambitious and daring (hah) and sat on it for 4 whole minutes. Bored I did some “walking” movements with my seat bones and some shifts of weight to the front and back. My last session with the ASC was sitting still on it for 3 minutes.
I have been SO TIRED today. I was OK this morning but gradually during the day I’ve become more and more inert. I just do not want to move much at all.
Just one more minute wipes me out. Do you all think I will ever get up to 10 minutes? My long term “goal” is sitting on it for 30 minutes once a week. I can ride a horse 30 minutes with short rests, I can ride the HH for 20 minutes with a long rest in the middle, but 4 minutes on the ASC wiped me out worse.
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I think you will get there in time.
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Shannon came by today.
In two sessions, added together, I made it to 31 minutes on the HH today! I made one goal, to ride a simulator for as long as my lessons are.
I was riding my first session, “walking”, trying to get my seat bones out of the saddle for 2-point, and “posting” for 10 “strides.” Whenever I asked Shannon if I was in balance her answer was usually yes, and the other times I just had to shift my weight over a little bit. One thing she tells me that helps, she makes sure that my feet are in equivalent places on the platform, which makes the side to side balance easier to find, at least until I put my feet in the stirrups. I managed to keep my side-to-side balance pretty much throughout, even with my feet in the stirrups. For some reason the rectus femoris muscle on my left thigh started aching some.
I lost track of time, looked at my watch, and I had been riding for 18 minutes 25 seconds.
I then rested when Shannon rode the HH. She was working on doing her pelvis in a circle (remember hula-hoops?). I asked her if she thought if I did the circles if it would get me more ready to ride the canter and she said yes.
I got back on the HH for a shorter session. I did everything I did the first session and added trying to get my pelvis to go in a circle, going in both directions. My gut muscles got tired quickly.
When I get up into 2-point when my feet are in the stirrups the HH shifts to its “forehand”, bringing up the back of the saddle and I can barely get daylight under my seat bones. Thankfully the horses’ backs do not tilt like the HH does when I try to do a 2-point on it. It is so much easier to get my seat bones off the saddle on a real horse.
My second session ended after 12 minutes 20 sec… I made it a full 30 minutes today! Maybe some day I will be able to do 30 minutes without a rest break in the middle.
And I am so tired right now.
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Rest up! You deserve it and good job!
That’s incredible! Congratulations.
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Ah, one step forward (Sunday) and three steps back. My Sunday “ride” on my HH resulted in a 2 hour nap on Tuesday.
Yesterday I had my lesson on MJ. I ended up grooming more than usual because I got there early so my muscles were warmed up some when I rode. He had been used in an W-T-C lesson with a beginner on Tuesday. Our ride was not as good as usual, rain was coming in, the air pressure was dropping, and I know my joints were hurting when I woke up so I figured his joints were not feeling that good either.
After we warmed up (we trotted early) we got into the usual circles/turns around and doing twisty trails through the jumping course. Debbie had noticed on Tuesday that MJ did not want to do much going to the right–turns and reluctance to pick up the canter to the right so we did gradually tightening turns to the right while not neglecting turns to the left. Our turns to the right were pitiful though we got to where we needed to go. Our turns to the left were much, much better.
When his back was loosened up and his trots had smoothed out I tried to sit his trot. I sat down to the trot gradually from a crotch seat, and while his back was swinging fine I was getting jarred and I went back to posting.
This morning I PAID for those few strides of the sitting trot. When I woke up my back, shoulder and neck muscles were SCREAMING at me. I did not dare take a bath, I did not feel confident enough about being able to get into and out of the bathtub.
All night I was wearing the Fenwick, BOT and Incrediwear F.I.R. (Far Infra-red Radiation) therapy gear on my head and neck, and Incrediwear Shoulder brace and a Fenwick T-shirt, usually enough even when they are not all layered. Since I am not walking around it does not matter as much if I wear a lot of the F.I.R. stuff when I sleep, but when I wake up I usually start shedding the stuff. When I have to walk around the excess heat can mess up my nerve conduction big time.
Right now my pains are better since I piled on the Fenwick head band, neck gaiter, hat, scarf and T-shirt, BOT neck dickie, mesh head band all on my head/neck/shoulders, and knee brace just over my right calf, and the Incrediwear hat and I have their body sleeve slanted from my right neck to under my left arm to cover a particularly painful spot. When I layer this stuff it works quite well with dealing with my muscle and joint pains, but for them to work I have to layer ALL THREE of them where I hurt. I also took 2 aspirin.
I finally feel human so long as I don’t try to do too much. I have as few other clothes on as possible so that the rest of my body can cool down enough to offset the extra heat from the F.I.R. gear.
I am not planning on trying the sitting trot again soon. This is frustrating, when I sit down for the downward trot-walk transition there are a few steps where MJ’s back is relaxed and swinging, just what I like for a good sitting trot, up there with the best sitting trots I’ve gotten from horses. It will take a long time, with other students riding him for lessons, Since we both are elderly I may never get MJ physically to the point where he can give me this super good sitting trot at other times of our rides.
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It’s so frustrating when we have to pay so dearly for anything we do. I think we disabled people are better off pushing ourselves even though we pay for it. I think it helps us physically and mentally. If it results in a two hour nap, so be it.
Hugs,
Rebecca
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Last night I layered my Incrediwear, Fenwick and BOT stuff over where my body hurt. I woke up this morning with minimal pain though I overslept 42 minutes. I’ve noticed that I get my utter exhaustion from exercising 48 hours or more after I do my exercise of riding horses or using my riding simulators.
I felt so much better this morning that I used my Anywhere Saddle Chair for a full 5 minutes. I did not just sit on it, I worked on isolating muscles that improve posture in the saddle, rocking forwards and back with my pelvis and trying to isolate the muscles that can move my pelvis alternately forward and back. I also tried to mimic the seat movement for the canter.
I still feel this in my gut muscles. I am trying to get myself so I can use my seat on horseback with more subtlety.
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The morning after “riding” the ASC for 5 minutes I woke up with all my core muscles burning with pain. I layered on my F.I.R. stuff which helped my pain alot.
Today Shannon came over. On my first “ride” on my HH I made it to almost 20 minutes before I thought to look at my watch. After resting for 15-20 minutes I mounted again and rode for another 10 minutes. So I made it to 30 minutes again!
I was not taking it easy for the first session. “Walking”, “cantering”, 2-point, posting, and I did bigger circles than last time with my butt. I’m not quite to the edge of the platform but it is getting closer. I did one circle in each direction and I feel it in my tummy muscles.
My second session was mostly balancing, walking and 2-point. At one point in 2-point Shannon told me that the bubble balance was showing me putting more weight into my left stirrup. I thanked her and remarked that if I had been on a horse that the horse would have noticed but a riding teacher would not have SEEN it. She agreed.
I am so tired right now, but this week I have spent a full hour in the saddle between my 30 minute lesson and my 30 minutes on my HH two weeks in a row.
Progress!
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Great News! Congratulations!
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I woke up really tired for two days after my last session on the HH. At least I had earned it.
Yesterday I had my riding lesson. Debbie had to go off so her daughter Sam was my teacher. I like my lessons with Sam fine, she is willing to help me and understands what I am aiming for when I try to have a good ride. I had to do most of the grooming which got my body nicely warmed up for my ride. Sam handled the hooves, putting his leg gear on, and tacking him up plus putting all his F.I.R. Fenwick and BOT stuff on.
I did not try the sitting trot since I hurt so long after the last time I sat a few strides.
I actually did a posting trot all the way around the ring! Of course I got really tired from that. I am feeling really tired right now even though I rested all afternoon yesterday.
MJ seems to have forgiven some of my earlier mistakes. Contact was fine with the bridoon, and it was even better on the curb.
I even dared to try the super slow walk again. Yesterday he gave no signs of being fretful, his head stayed down, he shortened his steps and slowed down when I asked him to with my lower legs, he stayed slow when I headed toward the gate even though I felt a stronger push from his hind legs, and Sam said he did not fuss with the bits at all. Whew, my mistake from two weeks ago did not cause long term harm to our harmony.
He was reluctant to extend his stride at the walk when I kept contact with the bridoon. I then attached the bridoon rein to my grab strap, making sure it was not tight at all, and then I took contact with the curb bit. His head went down, his nose went forward, his mouth, tongue, poll and neck stayed relaxed, and he even consented to extend his walking stride a little bit. MJ and I have a deal, I give an aid, if for some reason (usually some physical pain and stiffness) MJ does not feel comfortable giving me all I want he will give me a taste of what I want so I know he felt the aid and found it acceptable, and he was willing to TRY and obey me but his body just was not working well enough to give me all I wanted. Luckily for me MJ is capable of subtle responses so I can gauge how he feels physically when to someone else it might seem that MJ was ignoring them.
After my lesson I asked Sam how I did. She told me I rode MJ well and he looked happier than normal, the normal being the usual group lessons with a beginner on his back. He accepted contact fine with no evasions, he reached for contact peacefully, and he did not stiffen his neck/poll when I gave a rein aid.
And I am SO TIRED today, that trot around the ring was a bit much for me. But several weeks ago I was UNABLE to do the posting trot all the way around the ring so I am showing some progress with my fitness.
Even if I do feel exhausted the next day or two.
I want to thank all you COTH readers for reading this rather boring recounting of my equine exercises, and for all of your encouraging responses. When I was thinking about starting this thread I was afraid it would be TOO BORING for words, but then I remember desperately searching for something I could do when my MS exhaustion started affecting my life. Maybe someone else with similar problems can use this thread to realize that they could still ride a horse and have some fun even though it would be at a lower level than before.
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