When I was sitting in the back of the ambulance, going from the hospital to rehab, I realized that the last time I was in an ambulance, was also horse related. When I was just barely pregnant with my son, about 23 years ago, I rode a horse owned by a trainer friend of mine. The horse had been treated for EPM. I didn’t know much about the disease and certainly didn’t know that one of the things that EPM horses did was fall suddenly. That’s exactly what this horse did. He was trotting along the long side of the ring and then he dropped like a stone. To add insult to injury, he kicked me on the way up.
Since my accident countless people have told me about times when their horses fell while being ridden. Some were hurt badly. Some walked away without a scratch. Everyone agreed that it happened in a blink of an eye.
That time I was lucky. I was fine, except for some bruises. My son was fine. I walked away.
This time, I won’t be walking for awhile. I’m learning how to stand on one foot, pivot on my heel and transfer to a second surface that, in the physical world only a few inches away. In my world, it becomes a chasm. I’m learning to trust the PT helpers and nurses. No one has dropped me yet. I’m learning what I can do without aggravating my ankle. I’m learning that it will take a long time before I’m going to be doing anything that remotely resembles “normal.”
One of my friends checked on Zelda yesterday and said she was fine but being very, very careful on the ice. She’s a smart girl. Because it’s been very icy out there.