Nearly 6 months ago I took a spill at a horse show that had me out of riding for 5 months. Last month I had my second surgery to remove screws and a few weeks later I was back in normal civilian shoes (sequel to A Few Screws Loose).
I’ve been walking on my own two feet for several weeks now. I am commuting back into work. As much as I love working from home it was a welcome change. Returning to work gives me a sense of normalcy. Besides that I also have better rapport with my team in person, the cafe on site is delicious, easy, and 50% off, and my company also provides a 24/7 gym onsite (It’s a good one too).
I can’t walk quite normal just yet. I am still gimpy. I have a standing desk at work and often do stretches and try to support weight on the ball of my foot. Each week I can support more and more weight. Every day I’m at work I also make my way down to the gym for my lunch break. I use the recumbent bike, I weight lift, do some yoga and I have even been able to get on the spin bikes. The spin bike was an exceptional morale booster because it’s my favorite thing to do at the gym. The first day was hard and painful but I reminded myself the pain was simply me getting stronger…not indicative of something wrong. Being able to differentiate the two allows me to push myself and explore the limits, the pain is mental. (I did actually ask my doctor if I had restrictions and he told me IN WRITING “no” so don’t you worry).
Getting to the gym on my workdays consistently is super important to me…it keeps me focused and motivated.
In addition to the gym at work I joined a local gym. I haven’t been YET as I’m working on finishing some Christmas projects. The gym has classes as well as hydromassage that I intend to take full advantage of.
I’ve also been RIDING!
The first ride I tried to take a trot and it hurt a lot.
Riding 3-4 days each week lately I’ve noticed improvement every ride. Stanley doesn’t seem to have missed a day. We still struggle with him accepting the contact but that was our mission even before my fall.
I’ve been riding with a Herm Sprenger Ultra KK bit. Stanley prefers ultra light to no contact. He responds lovely to my body aids but if I pick up contact in the reins to establish (really ANY…I don’t ask a lot) communication his head shoots up.
I tried a Myler level 1….with Tiger it made a huge difference. He accepted the bit more readily and favored it to the lozenge. Stanley, on the other hand, exploded. Nerves, tension, a little rear. His reaction to contact was amplified from the Ultra KK, so back we go to the lozenge until we discuss it with our trainer. Bitting is NOT my forte.
In all, things are getting back to normal. I’m getting stronger daily. I’m working out. I’m riding. I’m also building and checking things off our to-do list. The horses at home are living their best life. I’ve let the barnyard area get backed up but each week I take out more than they add, so in theory I’m on a good trajectory. It’s not pristine but it’s progress.
We recently finished upgrading our chickens expansion. We recently bought a 10×20 pipe frame structure. We had a friend come make a stone base for it during the fall, and Zac and I put up the structure. I just hope it lasts during the winter. We also bought greenhouse plastic to help shelter them from the cold and snow…I just hope it survives the snow.
In the spring I’ll be adding planters along the length of the run to grow herbs and pest repelling flowers.
The girls seem to be happy so far. We made sure to leave enough open spots for ventilation. Soon we will be adding a nice large sand bath for them as well, but the girls have a larger area to spread their wings once and for all.
The Green Horseman 
Leave a comment