Those of us that have our youth have no idea. Those of us that have had lengthy equestrian careers and have watched the Wizard of Oz know the plight of the Tin Man...especially when it rains.
There are times when just getting to the barn is a chore in and of itself. The day's defeats and various triumphs are exhausting enough. When you couple that with pain, it becomes nearly insurmountable. It does, however give the aging equestrian a different perspective, and one that ultimately benefits their equine partner. Those of us that know pain, take great care in the art of the warm up prior to the day's training session with our horses. We know that it takes at a minimum, 10 minutes of walking for the synovial fluid to adequately hydrate the joints- equine or human. And knowing the response to tasks asked without an adequate warm up in our own bodies- we take our time. The warm up becomes an art form in and of itself. It creates a bonding experience with our horses. Likewise, we are more in tune to the physical fatigue level of our horses throughout the work we ask them to undertake. I think when you are uncomfortable yourself, you are more understanding of that slight delay in the transition. You are more likely to know when the horse comes to that point in the work where it is fighting its own body to comply with what is asked of it by the rider. Older Equestrians understand what it means to "come out stiff and work out of it"- because that is how we function and live on a daily basis. It is worse when it rains.
I have been blessed to have had the best physical therapists in the world- those at Nova Care- take care of me over the years. I have been blessed to have had Dr. Angelo Colosimo at University of Cincinnati Sports Medicine put me back together when I have been injured. I have learned that there are certain nutritional things I can change in my daily routine to decrease inflammation. I have learned that stretching is my friend.
I have learned likewise, from Jordi. I have learned that ice cures and prevents injury. Ice message after cross country, and twice that same evening, means that your warmblooded heavy eventer retires from the sport sound, and that icing a stiff neck after a lot of sitting trot will do the same. I know that when Jordi is turned out daily for hours at a time, and spends most of his time outside of a stall, moving at his own volition, he is happier and enjoys his work more. That is because "motion is lotion for arthritis". I have begun walking the mile to work and the mile back not because gas prices are crazy, but because I have learned the art of the warm up, and I have learned it from my horse.
I was fortunate enough to see a video on YouTube of a guy named Arthur who went from barely being able to walk on 2 canes and weighing nearly 300 pounds, to running within a year at half his size because of a program called DDP Yoga. The video chronicled a year of his life as he worked the program and slowly took back his life. His son put it together for him as a gift because he was so proud of his father's accomplishments- and probably because he was so happy to have his father back! DDP Yoga was developed by a 55 year old WWE physical train wreck of a wrestler, Diamond Dave Page. Injuries are apparently synonymous with WWE. The website proclaims "This ain't your mamma's yoga!" - we will see.
At one point in his video journey, Arthur tries to do a plank move and hold it, only to fall and fall hard. While getting back in position, he states breathlessly, "Just because I can't do it today, doesn't mean I can't do it ever". Amen Arthur....Amen......
DOWN CENTERLINE Equestrian Blog
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