brio

brio \BREE-oh\, noun:

Enthusiastic vigor; vivacity; liveliness; spirit.


This is dictionary.com's word of the day today, and it was timely for us, as it feels we have finally come back to this after a week of ... non-brio.

Kyra the Corgi had a reaction to a flea treatment, Salina was sore and finally blew her annual abscess (I'm proud that we managed this w/o the insane intervention we resorted to last year), Moomintroll is having a bout of seizures, and of course my back has been out of commission.

We're mostly on the other side of all this stuff, and last night I had assistance with tacking up, someone to hold Keil Bay's head while I mounted (probably not necessary but it felt good), and a fellow horse and rider to keep me company.

The Big Bay is not a big fan of night riding, but with the exception of a threat to spook at the dark end of the arena, he marched me around, massaging my spine with his lovely walk, and I had not the slightest bit of pain or discomfort.

After our ride, there was the tiniest bit of chill to the air if you stood still and paid close attention, a foreshadowing of autumn and a tonic to anyone getting weary of the heat and humidity. (me)

Here's to a bit of brio for all of us.

cleared to ride

As of today!

The doctor said I should still hold off chores, and that I should not groom/tack up. "Pretend you're the Queen of England for a few days. You can ride, but someone else has to get the horse ready for you."

Ha! This is likely the only time in my life I will have a groom.

I think we're just about back to normal here on the Hill.

Happy August!

two treatments in (out of a projected 12)

As of yesterday, the inflammation from the fall is nearly gone, my level of pain has decreased significantly, and it no longer hurts to get up and down. The prognosis is that I will be pain-free by week's end.

I'm still not doing chores, bending over, lifting, etc., and am continuing to alternate walking/sitting/standing/lying down to avoid back strain.

Doctor said yesterday I should be able to resume some normal activity next Monday, including riding, preferably at the walk, but definitely no sitting trot or canter until things are further along.

There are times now when I don't feel anything in my back - what pleasure that is! And every day I feel improvement.

quick little update

I've discovered that I have a rotated pelvic joint which is putting pressure on a disc and is likely the structural misalignment responsible for my psoas muscle being tight on and off on a regular basis for the past two years.

I fell down the stairs last night, in a completely separate and sort of intriguing moment, which I'm referring to as a "wake-up fall," and in a stroke of good fortune my ND had just referred me the day before yesterday to a wonderful Swiss MD/chiropractor who is now offering treatment, which I started today.

The most fascinating aspect of this is that my pelvic rotation exactly mirrors Keil Bay's most common chiropractic issue. It amazes me that he and I not only share the same homeopathic constitutional remedy, the same slight stiffness to the left, but we also have the same pelvic rotation!

Slightly less fascinating, but interesting nonetheless, is that my struggles with my riding position over the past two years are a direct result of this issue. When the doctor put the diagrams on the screen today, I immediately realized why it has been so hard to straighten my lower back and to get my legs in the correct position without shifting my upper body forward.

The good news is that my x-rays reveal a very healthy spine from top to bottom. The prognosis is full recovery with no loss of normal motion. And the doctor has reminded me, gently, that I need to get some extra weight off.

I am not able to ride or do barn chores for around 10 days, and I am walking around like a very old woman right now. But hopefully things will be back to a very good place in about a month.

I didn't know all this when I decided to take a break from the blog, but as is often the case, I guess I sort of did "know."

I'll try to post a few little updates but for now, I'm taking care of my back and looking forward to being back in the saddle, better than ever, come fall.

taking a break until September

I may post a few photos here and there, but have decided to close up shop for awhile to focus on daily life.

Enjoy the season - see you in September!