"Much ado about..."

Last week I wrote about trying hippotherapy which is a form of physical, therapy in which a therapist uses the characteristic movements of a horse to provide carefully graded motor and sensory input.

I was very nervous about trying this for several reasons.  They were:

It was so new and different and I’m not really comfortable riding a horse

I had to sign about six waivers in the event of an accident

My husband and several family members thought I was crazy to try it because of the risk of a horse bucking me off and getting hurt.  The reality is if I break something and wheelchair bound again, it is game over for me it could mean a nursing home because I can’t and won’t put Bob through another round of full-time care.  The night before I texted my friend, Gigi about my reluctance. We drove out to the stables and arena the next morning and it couldn’t have been a nicer day and the therapists were great.  We practiced what it might be like to mount a horse

(They simulate it by putting a blanket over a barrel that is the exact width of the horse). I just backed up, sat down and they pulled my left leg over so I wouldn’t hit the horse in the head.  Then we immediately applied this on the real thing.  Sven a Norwegian-Welsh breed horse or as Bob called him “plug” because he was so slow.  We walked around their arena for 30 minutes with two people on each side of me.  I have to admit I did get a sense of what actual weight-shifting is supposed to feel like.  The therapist recommends this therapy 1-2 times a week for 3 -4 months.  Bob and I are assessing whether we will pursue due to the cost.   The moral of the story was I made much ado about nothing.  I’m also reminded of one of my favorite phrases:  “don’t pay interest on a loan you haven’t taken out.”