Friday, November 20, 2009

Being a Para Rider

Being disabled is not something you do by choice. It usually happens as the result of an accident or yo are born with it. Mine was the result of a car accident. A car rolled out in front of me with no one in it while I was driving. The result was I ended up with a spinal cord injury called a syrinx or Syringomyelia. I lost a lot of use of my left arm. It has little grip and strength. I also have numbness in both hands and feet. I have to be real careful that my feet don't get too cold. I have to look at what I touch or pick up with my hand because I can't feel anything.

It can be very frustrating as I have had to adapt to doing things differently. Pain is there every day. It never goes away completely. Some days are better than others. Most times I try to ignore it. :(

My riding has changed. I use a loop on the left rein. My balance is different, so I work hard at staying centered. I have been working on my core strength. That is a daily thing.

I keep coming upwith new ideas to improve my riding and the training of my horse Zoey.

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