[LadyPilot]

This site has expanded so much since I first joined and there seem to be quite a few injured horse riders still involved with horses.
I was thrown from a bolting horse that I had been working in an outdoor arena. She 'cat leaped' a 4 foot perimeter fence and I lost my stirrups. She landed in a wooded area where she proceeded to throw me against an oak tree breaking my neck.

Very long story short.... I now have a 12.3hh (now retired from driving) who I look after without help. I do everything for him except empty the muck barrow which a horsey neighbour does for me twice a week.
When I used to drive him I could harness him myself but couldn't put too.

So how do you manage your horse/pony? any tips to swop/share?

[Doodle]

Hi Lady Pilot! Sorry to hear your reason for being here but good to hear you still look after your horse/pony!

I was schooling a friends pony and it reared, unbalanced over backwards I fell off and he shortly followed and landed on me!

I keep my horse at a yard on full livery, I have had my ponies/horses at the same place for the last 15 years, however I still do alot like full grooming and tacking him up, leading him, rugs on and off, and only get help when I ask for it! I would catch him and turn him out if the field wasnt down a stoney track and so far away! I did recently contemplate moving him to a DIY yard but decided against it, as I wouldnt have help if I was to fall off again or fall out my chair! May think again in the future, as I used to work on a yard before my accident, I would love to be able to DIY! But its suprising all things we can still do when we find out ways!

My boy is 15.3hh TBxID.

This post has been edited by Doodle-86: 15 August 2009 - 07:05 PM

[LadyPilot]

Wow Im impressed, how do you manage to put a rug on, especially a heavy winter one. My pony (chunky 12.3hh welsh sec C) has a weatherbeta combo heavy and that's a job to fling over his back. If it's wet I don't even try as it's far to heavy.
I can put a saddle on him but again it's the weight and trying to balance in the chair.

Do you do any Natural Horsemanship from the ground?

Out of interest how do you get on and off your horse?

[Doodle]

The rug thing I find quite easy but that might be the difference in our spinal injury levels. I fold the rug in half, fling it over his withers, I have full upper body strength so this helps alot, then fasten it at the front then pull the rest of the rug back and do up the rest. I dont know of that makes sense! The saddle thing for is difficult because that is heavy when your holding it let alone trying to get it above my head, I usually get help with that because if he was to move while im putting it on, then Id wouldnt be very happy if i dropped the saddle and broke it!

No i havent done any natural horsemanship, Murphy seems to have just adjusted to me.

I have a hydraulic seat on the side of my ifor williams trailer, which we designed with a blacksmith and he welded it on. The seat pumps up to the height of murphy and then I transfer across on to a platform which I bought from a local industrial supplier, its light weight, foldable scaffolding which fits in the back on my dads landrover. Anyway once on there Murphy is then brought along side this and I put my right leg over his saddle and transfer across and the other leg follows! To get off I basically bring my right leg over the front of the saddle, slide on to my stomach and with someone guiding me slide down to my chair!

Have you tried riding post SCI?

[twisted_ophelia]

I also keep my horse at a barn where I pay board and most of his care is done by the stablehands ie. mucking, feeding, daily paddock turnouts, etc. I ride independently (owner of the barn's husband actually built me a special ramp/mounting block so I can mount without issue) but grooming and tacking up is difficult without help because my horse is about 16.2hh. He's kind of between 16.1hh and 16.2hh so there's just no way I could reach up onto his back or get his bridle done up (unless I teach him to drop his head for the bridle but I doubt that'll ever happen). I do the majority of the grooming myself, do his feet by myself. I taught him to lift his foot for me when I say "up" and only get help when I truly require it. As for going and getting him out of the paddock (or putting him back outside when we're done if it's not time to come in), I generally do not go alone because he is a spooky Thoroughbred and it's just not that safe. He generally follows me around but still, he has a tendency to spook at really stupid things (like a lawn chair) and when he spooks, he forgets that there is a human in a chair there and WILL step on me. It's happened. In general, he's a good horse and very smart. He picks things up super quickly and I actually have done some natural horsemanship stuff with him. Just body language stuff on the ground, not in the saddle. And I have followed some of the principles of Chris Irwin as well. It actually does work well.

For blankets (rugs), they're way too heavy. Even his rain sheet weighs a ton. I have tried throwing them over him a few times and he didn't freak out but it takes so much energy and time that I just get someone to lift it over his back and I do the rest of the buckling.

This post has been edited by twisted_ophelia: 16 August 2009 - 05:14 PM