Looking Back

It’s been an interesting summer. Blue and I have both been suffering with back problems for much of the Spring, and only recently got back up to full health.

My sciatica was caused by – well, who knows. All I know is that it involved me lying on the floor for a month, unable to get up off the ground let alone on a horse. With a combination of physio, exercise and lots – lots! – of drugs, it eventually straightened itself out. As soon as I was able to ride, I found a standard riding position helped by relieving the pressure and keeping my weight in a comfortable place.

Blue’s problem was primarily my fault. She’d been telling me for weeks that there was something wrong – being reluctant to be caught, putting her ears back when being saddled, being sluggish to move off when I mounted. In retrospect, this was very unlike my bright, willing little pony, but I didn’t start to take real notice until she started spinning as a  form of evasion, a brand-new habit for her.

A visit from my saddler confirmed the problem. My saddle is a Farringdon, converted into a Flair before I bought it. Apparently the conversion had been oddly done, and the airbags at the front and back of the panels were different sizes. One of the back bags had slipped, causing the lining to ruck up and put uneven pressure on my mare’s back. The muscles had gone into spasm, and her back was tense and painful on one side. Sally the Saddler took the saddle away to correct the problem, then handed us over to Anne the Physio to embark on a long process of stretches and inhand exercise, which would take the whole of the first part of the summer.