On Christmas morning a cop on horseback is sitting at a traffic light, and next to him is a kid on his shiny new bike. The cop says to the kid, "Nice bike you got there. Did Santa bring that to you?"
The kid replies, "Yeah."
The cop says, "Well, next year tell Santa to put a tail-light on that bike."
The cop then proceeds to issue the kid a $20.00 bicycle safety violation ticket.
The kid takes the ticket and before he rides off says, "By the way, that's a nice horse you got there. Did Santa bring that to you?"
Humoring the kid, the cop says, "Yeah, he sure did."
The kid continued, "Well, next year tell Santa to put the dick underneath the horse, instead of on top."
I’d like to thank Callie from Midwest Horse blog for the lovely gifts she sent me. Callie ran a contest to see who could identify the man in the ‘backless’ chaps. Color me surprised and a little red – faced for guessing right. It was her farrier of all people. Truthfully, I would never have gotten it right had it not been for the excellent clues she offered. In any case, the prize is a wonderful assortment of things any horse person would love and the horses are enjoying their peppermint treats as well.
If you get the chance to visit Callie you’ll find her blog interesting and fun, just like she is. Her mares Misty and Kola are just too adorable for words as are all her other critters. Thanks again Callie I just love my basket of goodies.
Last week I was outside doing a chore around the barn when I noticed Blue was harassing Sweetie. She was able to get away from him as he snaked his neck towards her with his ears flat back and chased her around the paddock. Sweetie doesn’t get around too well because of her age and arthritic legs, but she was holding her own. Nevertheless, my feeling was that she needed to be rescued from Blue the Bully.
When I opened the paddock gate, she trotted over and exited quickly. Sweetie needs no lead rope because she is so intelligent that she knew the routine after being with us for only a week after we brought her home. Once she exits the paddock, she walks into the barn and her own stall every time. We’ve had her for a little over a year now and she is doing much better than when we rescued her. Back to this amusing little story....
Sweetie made her escape, stopped outside the fence and looked meaningfully at Blue. Then she proceeded to march to the barn swinging her haunches and swishing her tail. She stopped at the barn doors for a second and glanced over her shoulder at Blue one more time. Sweetie was on a mission pure and simple. Once in the barn she sashayed directly into Blue’s stall, and let the water-works fly. When she was done she walked over to the window and looked out at Blue again, I swear she had a smirk on her muzzle. Then she walked into her stall and told me, “I’m done for the day; you can get my hay now!”
You have to love a horse like this.
Until next time
Quote for Today
Be wary of the horse with a sense of humor.
- Pam Brown
I’ve just gotten around to reading my latest Equus magazine and found a very interesting article by Dr. James Warson. Dr. Warson is a retired neurosurgeon who is the leading authority on equine-related spinal injuries and author of The Rider’s Pain Free Back. His article this month in Equus addresses rider’s knee problems. I’m sure a lot of you receive this magazine but if you don’t I thought I might relate what Dr.Warson had to say;
Your knees are designed to move in one direction only, front to back. It is not meant to move side to side or rotate. When we ride, we compress this straight structure against the apex of a round surface, the horse’s barrel. This creates a side-to-side stress on the joint it was not meant to endure. Over the years, this pressure causes the medial collateral ligament to tighten and the lateral ligament to weaken and stretch. Disruption of either ligament shifts the tibia in the opposite direction, so lateral-ligament weakness results in deviation of the tibia inward (medially) to produce a bowed leg. Once the knee starts to bow, the stresses on the joint accelerate. When standing and walking the body presses down on the knee unevenly, with more weight borne on the medial surface of the tibia. The resulting compression of the medial meniscus causes inflammation in the joint and degradation of the cartilage that can eventually lead to osteoarthritis. Add hook like arthritic bone spurs, and the result is likely a future knee replacement.
I actually didn’t realize these facts and always thought my bad knees were due to jumping courses and dismounting from a 17’2 hand horse for years. Now that I know better and do not intend to get another knee replacement, I’ll follow the recommendations Dr. Warson makes below:
Control inflammation. In addition to providing some pain relief, over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs(NSAIDs) can help reduce inflammation in the knee and slow the progress of any arthritic changes. Consult your doctor before starting anti-inflammatory medication.
Support joint health.Supplements that contain glucosamine, chondroitin and /or MSM are worth trying, although results are variable. (I take these supplements and they seem to help me).
Watch your weight. Carrying extra pounds adds to the pressure placed on your knees when you stand and walk. (My doctor actually told me that you relieve 3 pounds of pressure on your knees when you lose just one pound).
Wear knee braces.These can minimize the sideways pressure on your knees as you ride and provide some relief from discomfort. Braces with solid or semisolid sides are useful when more support and stability are required. Your doctor or orthopedic specialist can help you in making the best selection for your situation. (I haven’t found a knee brace I actually like yet but I do know that the pull on elastic ones absolutely don’t work).
Use wedge stirrup pads. Because they position the foot so that the outside is slightly higher than the inside, wedge stirrup pads will tension the medial collateral ligament, which takes pressure off the medial meniscus and relieves stretching forces on the lateral collateral ligament. ( I’m going to try this and I’ll let you know how it feels. In the meantime, I still like the Herm Springer flex stirrups I am using).
I hope this post was helpful to everyone with older or arthritic knees. Even if you’re younger it’s a good idea to take care of your knees now before it’s too late. I wish I had known about this earlier on so I could have taken better care of my knees. Do I sound like your mother, sorry about that. I actually am reminded of my grandmother, who had terrible arthritis, warning me “you’re going to get arthritis walking around barefoot in the cold weather” Ah, well the invincibility of youthful ignorance. Sorry Grandma, I should have listened!
Until next time
Quote for Today
In my opinion, a horse is the animal to have. 1100 pounds of raw muscle, power, grace, and sweat between your legs - it's something you just can't get from a pet hamster. - Anonymous
It’s the day after Thanksgiving the rain has stopped and I decided to take a walk around the farm to counteract some of yesterday’s feast. Grabbing my camera on the way out in case a picture worth taking caught my eye I stepped out into the gray day.Moments later seeing a good shot I walked down a slope and this is what I got…
Yes, we have had a lot of rain lately and the mud was deeper than I thought. After losing my sneakers to this mud pit, I had a choice of walking back to the barn barefoot or slipping them back on. I dug them out and I burrowed my feet into the slimy depths and sloshed all the way back to the barn. On the way back I was lucky enough to have a bunch of leaves stick to them, the latest fashion statement in barn wear I'm sure. Back at the barn I rinsed them off in the wash stall and barefooted it to the house. So much for a nice walk, the day after.
(Thanksgiving Day) Over the river and through the wood To Grandmother's house we go. The horse knows the way To carry the sleigh Through white and drifted snow. Over the river and through the wood Oh, how the wind does blow! It stings the toes And bites the nose, As over the ground we go. Over the river and through the wood To have a first-rate play. Hear the bells ring, Ting-a-ling-ling! Hurrah forThanksgiving Day! Over the river and through the wood, Trot fast, my dapple gray! Spring over the ground Like a hunting hound, For this is Thanksgiving Day. Over the river and through the wood, And straight through the barnyard gate. We seem to go Extremely slow~ It is so hard to wait! Over the river and through the wood~ Now Grandmother's cap I spy! Hurrah for fun! Is the pudding done? Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!
Welcome to Grey Horse Matters, this blog will address issues facing the aging rider and equine enthusiast. Nowadays, most of the information we receive from trainers and publications is geared toward the younger rider; we recognize that not all of us fall into this category. We hope to create a forum for the mature rider which will include such topics as : health and exercise for the older rider; selecting the right trainer; helpful products and equipment; book reviews; inspirational stories; and just about anything else that might be of interest.
Most of all, we will try to address the challenges of aging with our horses with sympathy, support, and humor.
