FOR SALE: 6 Yr Old Arabian Gelding - CHEAP!!!

Mon Nov 1, 2004

Lessons learned:
-ALWAYS lunge your horse before riding.
-NEVER trust a horse...EVER

Long-story short, took Quz on a trail ride, got him trotting along the fenceline, he did so good, I thought "let's try a little cantering"...to his credit he went RIGHT into a canter....which instantly turned into a full-blown grab-the-bit GALLOP, to hell with the human on his back! We galloped about 1/4 mile or so, up and down hills, my attempts to turn him into any sort of circle failed miserably...we were heading right for my farrier's pasture/electric fence, he started to slow, and suddenly SHOT to the left...I flew off to the right and landed FLAT on my back.

Excruciating pain in my back, hearing galloping hoof beats receding into the distance...I could scarcely breath, but managed to roll over to my side and dig my cell phone out of my coat pocket (luckily I didn't land on that)...only to discover I hadn't put the barn's phone # in the address book...I figured well, Quzqo will return to the barn, they'll know something happened and come looking for me, worse comes to worse I could call my brother, as I lay there in the grass, staring up at the mockingly blue sky.

LUCKILY this basically happened in my farrier's back yard, his wife and daughter JUST happened to be in the back sunroom, saw a white horse galloping up the hill, noticed it was riderless with a saddle hanging down its side (!), then I guess the daughter saw me laying in the grass...they both came running out...there was no way I could walk anywhere, I couldn't even sit up (I could move my legs and arms though, first thing I checked, you bet!).

The mom brought her van down and they got me into the passenger seat, and with a quick stop back at the barn to get my purse from the car, she drove me into town to the emergency room. It was frighteningly strange, riding from her house to the barn...everything got VERY bright and white and sound became muffled and distant...normally when I pass out, things go grey...I had trouble breathing, and the pain in my back was extraordinary...but we got the seat to recline and things came back to normal...thank God, I was worried for a second there.

They did a bunch of X-rays of my back at the ER, and happily nothing is broken or cracked! Thank GOD! Basically they sent me home with advice on a hot pad & Excedrin/Motrin, gee, thanks guys, but it was worth it to know nothing was broken.

So here I sit, home from work today, in a fair amount of pain but a lot better than even last night, I can at least lift my feet when I walk and no longer almost pass out from the pain. When we were driving away from the barn to the hospital, the Farrier's daughter and another girl were walking along the front of the pasture, leading Mr. Hot Shit "I like to run!" Quzqo ...GRRRRGH.

My brother will be coming by this afternoon to give me a ride to the barn to get my car, which has been there all night...I imagine I can handle driving that short distance, I'll be hopped up on Excedrin enough by then.

Needless to say, when I get feeling better/recovered, Mr. Quzqo and I are
going to have long and meaningful discussion about our relationship. }:-/