Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Pain In The A**

This past long weekend was actually horse-filled, which was….FABULOUS!  I was able to ride Saturday, Sunday, Monday and lesson last night.

Saturday and Sunday were nice long trail rides.  The weather couldn't have been better; slight breeze, temps around 12C. Geez, it seems like yesterday the fields were covered with snow and ice.   I rode with DH's Mom both days.  Now, remember how Gem doesn't like mud?  I was a little apprehensive that our ride was going to include a lot of mud.  However, the week of windy weather had dried up a lot of the usual spots and it wasn't the deep sucking mud that it usually is this time of year.  Nice.  As we were maneuvering our way around the bushes and soggy terrain on Saturday, we came up to the little pond.  Last summer was so dry that the pond completely dried up.  DH's Mom deviated off the path and started to walk towards the pond.

Me:    Where are you going??!!
DH's Mom:   To the pond.
Me:  WHY?! 
DH's Mom:  Come on....it's just a pond.
Me:  There's MUD around there.
DH's Mom:  If he doesn't want to come over, he won't.  Let him try.

Gem had walked through the pond once before when I first got him.  What the heck.  I loosened the reins and encouraged him forward.  Well, didn't Gem walk through the mushy ground and right into the water!  He stood in the middle of the pond and started pawing at the water, splashing DH and DH's Mom.  He put his nose in the water and when he raised it, he did the Flehmen thingy.  Hilarious.  He thoroughly enjoyed it!  We visited the pond again on Sunday.  :-)

I rode in the arena with STA on Monday and I had lesson last night.  I usually ride two times a week, three if I am lucky - Tuesday (lesson), Friday (maybe) and Sunday (trails).  My rides are spread out during the week.  Riding 4 days in a row takes a toll on this old body.  After the first two days of putting my saddle on Gem, the third day was difficult for me.  My injured shoulder rebelled against the motion of lifting the saddle and I needed assistance.  I have bruises that I can't account for.  My legs were stiff.  My injured shoulder affects how I carry my 100 lbs saddle (OK, I may be exaggerating a bit on the weight of my saddle) and I twisted my ring finger trying to put my saddle back on my rack; it hurts like crazy when I hold my reins (or type!).

And to top it off, the rough trails made my lower back zig and zag, which gave my sciatic nerve just the excuse it needed to cause me pain.  Not sure if any of you suffer with sciatica, but mine tends to shoot down my left butt cheek.  When my sciatica flares up, I tend to walk with a limp, accompanied with a lot of ouches and grimaces.  Very attractive - not!  Getting on Gem last night for lesson was a bit of a challenge and posting trot was a no go.  I did lope a little, but the sharp pains radiating down into my butt prevented me for duplicating my loping-over-the-poles routine....which actually made me mad because everyone else was having confidence issues with this exercise and I knew I could do it!!  Damn you, Sciatic Nerve!!! (shaking fist)  You ruined an opportunity for me to show off!!

So today, I am basically sitting on one butt cheek at my desk.  Even my lovely Mirra chair, designed for back support, can't help reduce the discomfort I am feeling right now.   Is the pain worth it?  Absolutely.   It's not all bad though.   As Fernando says, "It's better to look good than to feel good."   I got my hair cut and it looks fab....really!....everyone says so!   ;-)

Life Lesson:  More often than not, "gifts" come with a price.

21 comments:

  1. Yay for Gem in the pond! That is awesome!
    And butt pain is no joke, my tailbone still hurts from my fall of of Shy.

    No pics of the fabulous haircut?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ouch! Tailbone....that's gotta hurt. Hmmm...I may just have to post a pic of my haircut... :-)

      Delete
  2. Sounds like a great weekend with some nice riding. Go Gem into the pond. Glad he had such a good time splashing around. I tend to think horses love water. We had a horse who actually used to break the ice on puddles just to splash in them. And the same horse(Lifeguard) used to go swimming with my daughter aboard in the Long Island Sound all the time, even swimming up to canoes and splashing the people in them with his head and hooves.

    Hope that sciatica clears up soon. I know what a pain that can be. I'm lucky enough to alternate between the left and right side at any given time. Depending on how I hurt it. I had a good exercise that a P.T. gave to me once when I dislocated a disc in my back that had the pain going right down my leg. Try this: Lay flat on your back on the floor, legs bent and push your lower back into the floor for a count of ten then relax. Do it a few times and see if it helps, it usually does. It's not a cure but it makes the pain feel a little less traumatic. Feel better and next time they're all loping over poles you'll be able to show off how good you and Gem are.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What an appropriate name Lifeguard had! I would have like to see the faces of those people in a canoe as Lifeguard bore down on them!! :-) What interesting horses you have had, GHM.

      I am going to try that exercise tonight. Thanks!!!

      Delete
  3. LOL! Love that..."what a great and miserable weekend!" Limping doesn't work, but you are correct - swearing makes me feel much better. :-) I highly recommend a flirty haircut to make yourself feel marvelous!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wolfie,
    Lifeguard was one in a million as horses go. He got his name because he was a paint horse with a pink nose. His nose would sunburn and blister so years ago before there was sunscreen we used white zinc cream (the kind lifeguards wore on the beach) so that's how he got his name. The people in the canoe laughed and said something like, this looks like an Ivory soap commercial or something like that. I don't remember it was so long ago. We got him as a 6-7 yr. old and had him until he was 24. Best horse in the world and huge for a quarter horse at 16-2 hands. I don't remember if I ever did a post on him but he was amazing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What a wonderful story! It appears that you have a soft spot for big horses, GHM. Me, too. :-) You should write a book about your horses. They all have such great personalities and have touched your life so. I would love to sip a few vodka sodas with you and hear about your horse adventures!

      Delete
  5. You guys are so lucky to have great trails to ride on! Glad to hear the lessons are going well too, I so know what you are going though with the back pain, take care of your self!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I am lucky re trails! It's not a huge property (60-70 acres??), but the terrain is varied which keeps it interesting.

      Delete
  6. It sounds like a lot of.... fun?? torture?? How wonderful that Gem went right into the water.
    I'm so sorry about all of the aches. I know what you mean, though. Those saddles seem to gain weight with use - don't you think?
    Uch...sciatica. I have a desiccated disc and when it gets inflamed I have terrible pains shooting down my right leg. It is more than a pain in the tush! I hope your recovery is swift!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL! You are right! My saddle has gotten heavier! :-) Ohhh, disc problems. My mother has deteriorating discs, so I can sympathize. Take care of yourself.

      Delete
  7. Ooo, glad I enjoy reading about your riding or I'd be an extremely unattractive shade of green by now! *lol* Seriously though, I'm so pleased you're having so many fab opportunities to have a fun time with gorgeous Gem. His water experience sounds so cute :D

    I feel for you with your pain having suffered for years, thanks to my pregnancies (the things they don't tell you!) but am much better now courtesy of my brilliant osteopath. Hope you feel loads better soon so you can have enjoy more riding and showing-off time ;o)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Next time I am going to bring my camera and ask DH's Mom to take a video! My butt is still sore and I went for (painful) physio on my shoulder last night - cripes I am falling apart - but neither of these are going to stop me from riding this weekend! :-)

      Delete
  8. What a lovely weekend that must have been. Oh yes, the pain is worth it. I've been there too! and still continued riding - with the assistance of a large hay bale to climb into the saddle from. My excuse was that I'm told the back problem stems from weakness in the muscles surrounding the spine, so what's the best cure for that? Exercise (in the form of riding of course!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was! I have had back issues going back 30 years. At that time, they just used to give you meds and say stay flat on your back...in retrospect probably not the best thing to do! What I find helps now is walking. It seems to help get things back where they are supposed to be. :-)

      Delete
  9. Girl...

    http://quartersforme.blogspot.com/2011/10/oh-my-aching-back.html

    ReplyDelete
  10. Gem is a gem! If you're going to be sore, long trail rides is the best way to get like that.

    Yoga helps my hip and shoulder problems (hey - we have twin issues!). Is there a class anywhere near you?

    You should post a sassy haircut picture, and your Dad's words of wisdom are so right. :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. CFS, I have to admit that I am too embarrassed to try yoga in public!! I have a DVD but have been hesitant to open it. I am not sure why I am so nervous about yoga. Perhaps I will get bent in a shape I can't get out of!!! LOL!

    I think I will post a picture of my hair! I stopped colouring it about 8 months ago, so the silver is really showing through now. I have been told that it looks cool. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Go GEM! Bodhi also went through a time of hating water and mud and now has no issues. Sometimes it's best to let issues rest a bit and they can just go away on their own!

    I hear yah about the saddle woes.... since I have been taking western lessons I now have to use those heavy saddles... I groan putting it on Bodhi! I could only imagine getting it all the way up on Gem! Woosh. I'd be done for the day before I start riding ;)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Aren't Western saddles crazy heavy?! I started riding Gem English and then switched. The difference in saddle weight nearly killed me initially and then I sort of got used to it. I think the people who have been helping me recently have a new-found respect for what I go through to tack up. :-)

    ReplyDelete