"Horse Junkies United" Used my Article!!

I sent the following blogpost to "Horse Junkies United" and they posted it today. You can read it here, or even better follow that link and read it there. It is a great website with lots of fun articles, and a great way to follow events in our sport.

Here is the piece they used:


Last night as I was tossing and turning, and my mind raced from topic to topic, and it occurred to me, I'm pretty sure I told the Doctor during that days appointment that "I had not been lame at all."
Now let me explain. I am suffering (read: irritated beyond reason) from tennis elbow, or severe tendinitis, in my right elbow and have been for a few weeks now. There is a knot on the tendon, and it hurts. Radiating pain into forehand, ahem, fore arm and fingers. So while laying in bed last night, and chuckling at myself, my imagination ran wild:

"Doc, could you please take a look at my Human? She isn't lame, and hasn't been, but seems to be favoring her right fore."

"Okay, when did you first notice this?"

"It was right after I got her back in the saddle. I've been off nursing my own injury, bowed tendon, since early September, and we just started riding again right before Christmas. I gots to tell ya, that Human is hard to train, so I was just checking her balance in the saddle, by doing a quick few sidesteps to the right. You know, just making sure she was awake up there, and she did quite well, but I heard some cursing and choice words. Seems she thinks the hens spooked me, but I tell ya it was just a balance check, and then she complained about her elbow."

"Well, there is a knot right here at the "elbow." Which seems to make her pull back when I touch it. No heat, but I can tell she is also tender all the way up the fore here. Let me show you here on this graph what we are looking at."

See the tendon running on the top outside of the elbow? That's where the injury has occurred."

"How did it happen do you think?"

"Well, more likely it was from over use. I don't see any signs on trauma, no bruising, or lacerations, so..."

"Do you think she may have been kicked? Or is it from just being out of shape? Probably should have started her back slower huh?"

"I think it was more likely caused by non-equine activities. You know how they are away from the stables, you just can't keep 'em safe all the time. I have seen this sort of thing before, Humans just can not be relied upon to use good judgment and they sit in front of those screens causing these types on injuries by incessantly making that clicking sound on those weird little boards."

"Oh crap, I really thought this was going to be our year. Whats the prognosis? Am I going to have to look for another Human for the season, or is it even worse than that? Do I have to put her down?"

"Not as bad as all that, Pippi, but its gonna take some work. Please keep a steady supply of Ibuprofen in her bloodstream, give it to her with her feed, and then cold hose after activity. Don't over do it, and take lots of breaks, encourage her to stretch and flex fingers and maybe have her use her left lead more than her right. In a month or so you should see marked improvement. Call me if you have any questions."

"Allright Doc, I tell you, if its not one thing its another. Makes me really wonder you know? Maybe the amount of time I spend on her....... well, but I love her. She probably won't amount to much, but she's my forever human, so I'll take care of her and hope for the best. Tell me, she is 42 now, how many good years do you think I'll get our of her?" 

"Hard to tell Pip. With good feed and care, you could see a lot of good years, but it all depends on what they do away from the stables. And you can't control that."

"Well, ain't that the truth?"

"Humans, gotta love 'em."