Befitsof Horseback Riding - Part 2

It's probably better that I split this into two posts because of the length of the 5 page paper I summerized.  I found it most interesting that Dr. Meyers spoke specificly about the benefits of riding for people who are disabled.

I also found, in my web browsing, Jacobs' Ladder Therapeutic Riding Center's list of therapeutic benefits of horseback riding.  From their website:

Physical Benefits:

Stretching of tight or spastic muscles Decreased spasticity Increased range of motion of the joints Reduction of abnormal movement patterns Improved respiration and circulation Improved appetite and digestion Sensory integration.

Psychological Benefits:

Improved self-confidence Increased interest in the outside world Increased interest in one's own life Development of patience Emotional control and self-discipline Sense of normality Expansion of the focus of control

Social Benefits:

Friendship Increased experiences Enjoyment

Educational Benefits:

Remedial Reading Remedial Math Sequencing, patterning and motor planning Improved eye-hand coordination Visual spatial perception Differentiation

And, for those not so interested in the mental and physical benefits, but more so in how much a workout you're getting; I found this:  Counting Calories at the Barn

All that aside, I have been truely 'feeling the burn' when I go out and get a horse ready, or even partially ready, on my own.  I have been fortunate enough to have good horse friends to help keep me riding that have been nice enough to get my horse saddled and unsaddled for me... and sometimes helped me on or off my horse.

Benefits of horseback ridng - Part 1

I already had this post going through my head when I wrote "Why horses?".  But, being me, I wanted to find some writings that supported my beliefs.  So, 'why horses' and what are the benefits of working with and riding them?

First site I found was helium.com talking about all the benefits of riding.  One that I have always felt are it's work out of the torso, or "the dorsal and abdominal regions".  Riding horse also definitely engages muscles you 'never knew you had', which is why people are so sore after they're first couple rides.  When I was in to PT this last time I surprised them some with the stength of my addctor leg muscles (which I attribute to years of horse back riding), we also concentrated on my torso because I was literally holding myself up when I tried to ride a little - which still happens when I get fatigued, but that's only been after riding a long ways.  Yes, I use my riding as a gauge on how I am doing physically.  I was surprised to read that "A 140 pound person riding a horse that's walking will burn about 2 calories a minute. The same person on a trotting horse burns 6 calories per minute, and galloping would burn 8 calories a minute. (Incidentally, even grooming a horse helps you lose unwanted fat a 140 pound person burn 6 calories each minute tending their equestrian ride.)"... that would also explain why the majority of horseback riders I know and the ones you see in competion are thin (not meaning model thin - fit thin, I still can't seem to loose my 'baby pooch' belly! lol)  The page also mentioned lower impact exercise and diabetes, but what I found most interesting was the mention that caused "Japanese engineers in 2005 to develop fitness machines that simulate the actions and physical affects of riding a horse."  My PTs I woked with mentioned that they'd heard of such a machine when I was asking about why riding was so good for me last winter. Here's one made in China, Horse Riding Machine.

The PTs, and all the therapuetic riding instructors I've talked to figure that horses are so benefical because of the three way movement, up-down, side to side, and front to back.  I've tried finding scientific research showing the benefits, but it can be hard to find.  Resently, I found Does Horseback Riding Provide Exercise And Physical Conditioning Benefits? in an Equestrian Health article in North Americain Horseman's Association that details research carried out by Micheal C. Meyers, PhD, MS. FACSM who work with Indiana State University and Texas A&M's Equine program.  The factors Dr. Meyers found unique to riding worses is that many riding acitivities, such as to timed events, are an aerovic, though even pleasure riding fits into that category at times.  Then there is the joining of two living creatures.  This "requires that the rider has proper balance , flexibility, coordination, strength, and power skills.  In addition, the rider uses man different parts of his or her body at the same time..."(Pg 1)  Then it goes on to talk about how horseback riders do not get the recovery time of athletes in other sports because ot the care required of the horses.  Over the 14 week testing/training session of college-aged horseback riders who had an average of 40 minutes a day of structured riding instruction during the session, they found "anaerobic power or stmina, abdominal, back and hand strength" showed moderate improvement. (Pg 2) All that said, many participants were surprised to find that other exercises were required to go along with riding in order to truely get fit.  Listed and explained are; stretching exercises, rotater cuff flexibility exercises (to reduce the number of injuries riders acquire to that area), lunge exercises, lifting small handweights, abdominal and inner leg exercises, and aerobic exercises.  At a conference Dr. Meyers presented his findings at, he was asked about there having 'to be some physical benefit to riding', to which Meyers replied, "If you do not ride frequently, or have never riden a horse before, then the resistance experience in riding will improve physical response to a certain level.  For example, disabled riders can benifit greatly from the resistance of riding.  So you can develop a certain level of fitness from riding .  What we are saying is this; the training response from just riding is not high or challenging enough that we can depend upon it to keep us health into the future, to improve us and keep us riding throughout our lives.  It simply does not mee our needs.  Without progressive resistance to improve, at some point, one will plateu or level off i their fitness level and not continue to improve." (Pg 5)

First burn

One of the perks to living in the country is that you can burn your own garbage and not have to have a garbage service expense... except in a drought year. 

My husband (whose credit I give to the pics he took this morning for me too) has been loading up either his car or the truck and running it to the dump all summer.  When it would rain it was mostly at night and not enough to not make us worry about the hay the burn barrel used to sit by, or the tree it sits under now.

Today, though it never rained, there was a heavy enough fog to make things look like it had rained - all day!  So we cleaned out a bunch of garbage and burned small amounts until about 9:30, and again after we got home from running errands.

Can you tell I sent my husband out with the camera and asked for some pictures of the fog and the fire? lol  I really should have looked at the earlier and taken the camera to town with us!  Live and learn I suppose. lol

miracle drug? the 'walking, talking and thinking' pill

A few montha ago my ms Dr. had me start on a new drug - '4AP'.  The full name is 4-Aminopyridine and it is a compounded drug.  What is compounding?  From the website of where I get my 4AP, National Pharmacy Specialties,
               Compounding combines an ageless art with the latest medical knowledge and state-of-the-art technology, allowing specially trained professionals to prepare customized medications to meet each patient’s specific needs. Compounding is fundamental to the profession of pharmacy and was a standard means of providing prescription medications before drugs began to be produced in mass quantities by pharmaceutical manufacturers. The demand for professional compounding has increased as healthcare professionals and patients realize that the limited number of strengths and dosage forms that are commercially available do not meet the needs of many patients, and that these patients often have a better response to a customized dosage form that is "just what the doctor ordered".

4AP also comes in a FDA approved commercial form, Ampyra, though it's price tag reflects it's commercial status.

4AP is a potassium channel blocker that is prescrbed to improve walking and other motor activities.  I, personally, have not noticed a huge improvement in my walking, but have noticed better stamina and minute improvements with my walkinging - noticely helping to keep my my toes from dragging in a manner common to ms called 'foot drop'.  What's surprising is that the first thing anyone noticed with me after I started taking it was an improvement in my speach and cognition (thinking).

Refusing a chair

When I first was getting diagnosed with MS in 2006, just after starting my first job after college, I was perhaps too open with what I was going through.  I'll probably never forget the reaction of one of my co-workers when I announced the diagnosis, 'Oh, I'm sorry you'll be in a wheel chair.'  My grandmother had MS, SHE wasn't in a wheel chair except when we toured Washington, D.C. - WHAT?!  No way am I going to need a 'chair'!!

And then, I decided to have my sweet baby boy in 2010 and everything fell apart with my hips and I went from using my cane outside the house and not at all inside to needed a walker everywhere.  I got a powerchair because I couldn't move anything with the walker (laundry, dishes, etc.) and had a baby on the way and would need it for him.

So, I learned how to drive in my new wheels without completely killing all of the walls, woodwork and furnature - and they all still bare the scars og my learning curve.  Then Cody was born, and I quickly learned I should keep a rag not only on my shoulder, but my chair too.

And he started to try and help me 'drive'

And I depended almost completely on the chair, not leaving the house too often and using a walker, Cody's stroller or somebody's (usually my husband's) arm and my cane to get around.  I was fortunate enough to have some great in-home physical and occupational therapists (PT and OT) come out to the house right after Cody was born too, to get me so that I could start living life more normally again and leave the house.  They typically worked with home bound elderly patients and coming out to work with me and the new baby seemed to bring them a lot of joy.

Last winter, as I wrote about some in my 'Muscle loss and gain' post, I drove the half hour into town and went to regular PT along with some aquatherapy and got a little stronger.  Just going in to town three days a week was therapeutic and strength building in itself!

I make it a point to not include any of my assistive devices in any photos, because I don't want the 'stuff' to be a part of me... and I guess having the assistive devices in photos permantly attaches them to me - in my mind.  But, the thought process that led to this post, I can use the devices to assist me while I need them, but I don't need to integrate them into myself like I have the last couple of years.  Problem is, yes, I'm free walking in the house and even a small amount outside more, but trying to walk one place and have the chair to help (assist) me to move whatever back gets complicated, i.e. to take a full basket of laundry down to the laundry room I need my chair, but I can walk back to the bed room carrying the empty basket, but I need the chair again to get the next full load down to the laundry room again.  So I end up in the chair and not using my legs like I should.

I firmly believe that the more you use an assistive device, the more you relie on it.  I know I am able bodied, but have, in my opinion, used my chair too much and have started to go to that first.  I don't want to be there.  I want to be able to go catch a horse, saddle him (or her) and ride out for a ride like I used to do (several hours) and still be able to dismount and untack my horse.  I *should have* gotten my walker to go out to take pictures of the new water hydrant...

...and the cats and horses.

But, I was already in my chair to take scraps to the cats and went out my front door, rather than the garage where I keep my walker.  Perhaps, I should do like someone (my mother?) suggested and just start using my wheeled walker inside too and mostly abandon my chair. 

One positive, all the horses are very 'chair boke' and Cherokee and his 'brother from a different mother', Patrick, followed me around the pasture when I went in to see what needs to be done this spring.  (wish I had the funds for a wagon and team harness and to get the two of them broke together - they're inseperable in the pasture!)

It was really nice to see that Cherokee, my painted pony I've been putting the most miles on, worked with me loose in the pasture, from my chair, just like he had a lead on and went with me everywhere and would come when he stopped and stood somewhere until I realized he wasn't with me and called him.  Gotta love my goofy little painted pony!

UPDATE: 12/5/12
     I went without my chair for nearly a week leading up to and over Thanksgiving.  I was able to do it, but the stress of not having my chair was, surprisingly, not just physically straining but also mentally, as I couldn't 'just go get' anything - including my son, who's now 2 and into everything.  I've gotten used to having to rely on people more often, though it's still not easy, but then you go for the holidays and add into the loss of independance the loss of your own time schedule, because, and rightly so, you have to wait for people to come assist you.  I think the next post on this will be 'accepting the chair', or something like that, as I sort things out a little better in my head.  Really, what's so bad about conserving energy to do what needs to be done or specific exercises, rather than walking across the room with no aids?



 

Starting....

Ever start a project, activity or, get on a horse and stay to yourself, "What WAS I thinking?!"  Well, horses; there's only been a couple in my life where I got on and litterally prayed that things would turn out okay.  Activities; there's been a few... portaging a canoe in the Boundry Waters in MN I distincly remember thinking to myself I was stupid, several roller coasters of course had their moments of 'NO, no, no, no, NO!', taking off at a dead run on a fast horse... who was faster than you thought it was, and there was the time I hopped in a family friend's fuel injected sprint car you could start with a push of a button and my ever fun family started rolling it with me in it.  Projects; on a regular basis.  Things ALWAYS seem simpler in your head!

My latest project: painting my bedroom set that consists of a dresser, mirror and 2 night stands my parents baught for me before I started high school at an auction, a full bed my mom found in the attic of a place she lived LONG before me, but looks amazingly like it goes with my other furnature, and a book case that doesn't 'belong'.  I painted the book case to learn the ins and outs of painting furnature (did I mention that this is my first time?).  Not a problem, so I started on the dresser.

Here's what things looked like before, I think it was tan with gold trim before we got it in it's white color.

SO, because of it's beat up nature, and the fact Mom painted the bed brown when she had it, I decided to repaint them all... with a blue/green piping the bed used to be - tra le de la da! (insert the 'WHAT am I thinking?!')

Looks good, right?  Now, this is after my dear (poor? lol) husband interviened to get the paint on more evenly because my first TWO coats weren't looking so hot.

Then... this morning I started the piping...

 

Doesn't look horrid from a distance, but then you look closer and wonder what someone with poor dexarity was thinking! 

Taking pictues helps, gives me some hope.  But still going to wait until my PH (poor husband) gets home before doing more so there's less to undo if we scrap the idea.

The horse; pet or livestock?

I've been sitting on this title for a long time, intending to go get a bunch of research to post with this - but I think it's time for me to just write it... as my opinion.

With all of the banter over the horse processing plants that were closed in 2007, and that many horsemen (myself included) are working to get opened back up, if only through signing petitions, sending letters and trying to educate people about what's happened with horses still being slaughtered - but being shipped to Canada and Mexico for it.  I've still have slaughter waiting for a topic, but we'll stick to pet or livestock right now.

So, a web search of what they are officially classified as brings up all sorts of things, including the slaughter controversy, and is part of why I've had this title to write on for a long time but haven't moved forward on it.  I *believe* the USDA still has them classified as livestock, but definitely not a food animal like cattle, but then California recently, to my understanding, took that title off and have their horses 'unclassified' - it's all a jumble, with a lot of emotion tied into it.

Personally, I cannot NOT classify horses as livestock - they're large and live outside, not to mention that they use large animal veterinarians (NOT the 'pet vets' you find in the middle of the city) and you can't keep them in the city limits of them vast majority of towns.  I've never heard of anyone 'potty' training them like you do a cat to use a litter box (well, you don't really *train* a cat, but they prefer a box) or a dog to go outside and even the miniature horses aren't small enough to fit in a cage or terainium like birds, hamsters, and lizzards, etc.  BUT, I also believe that livestock can be pets.  With the way my own horses are treated, I'd say they are pets... or, more accurately, companion animals.  I've also seen 4H kids with their show livestock, be it sheep, chickens or a 1000 pound steer, treating them like pets - caring for an animal, and maybe spoiling them a little, isn't what determines how they are categorized.  Bottom line, in my mind, is that livestock have a job either feeding us or working for us.  In which case, many dogs would be considered livestock as well with all the hearding, gaurd and service dogs out there.  My daughter also shows rabbits in 4H and has to do a quality assurance training every year because rabbits and chickens are considered livestock with 4H, to my knowledge - due to the fact that many people breed and sell them for meat, like cattle.