TLC, ahimsa and spinal twists

Another sunny 26 C day today :) Popped out to the farm after work to check on Luba. Lee also said that her temperature on Saturday was high normal and suspects that maybe an electrolyte imbalance was causing the muscle tremors. Though we did not go very far or very fast, it is warm and the horses are still wearing their winter coats. She did get 6 ounces of Perform and Win electrolytes on Saturday, but maybe that wasn't enough. She had also been a fussy eater at Roadapple Ranch over the weekend, so were were likely behind the 8 ball to begin with.


Today, she was bright eyed and bushy tailed and eating like a pig now that she is back at home. This is definitely a weakness that I have to carefully manage when we travel to ride.


Since the snow melted and the mud started, I have been on thrush prevention duty. I pick and brush out her feet, spray with a 50/50 mixture of apple cider vinegar and water and finish with some tea tree oil every time I see her  - which has been every day since Spring Break started on March 12  :)  


I also wet her down and scraped off a bunch of hair, mud and old sweat and fed her supper. I love feeding my horse. I suppose if she lived at home, the novelty would wear off. But there is nothing like sitting in the sun on a hay bale listening to your horse chew as she drops wet bits of feed in your hair.


The scab on the cut that caused the fat ankle a couple weeks back fell off with all the water, but it was still red underneath. So I sprayed on some Dermagel. I also put some vitamin E ointment on a couple of places on her back where she has hair off from some bites from the other horses.  Luba is low on the totem pole.


I also trimmed her bridle path and shaved the mane off of her withers. I find it is easier to saddle up without all the extra mane. It is too short to braid to keep it off her neck anyway.

We all need some TLC and sometimes we have to practise ahimsa - non-violence - towards ourselves. I have had a funny tightness in my lower back on the left that comes and goes for the past 10 days or so. It was bothering me on the weekend, but good old Vitamin I (ibuprofin) kept me going.  

Today, I got in to see Dr. Barbara Rodwin over my lunch hour. My sacrum was out and it was causing other muscles in my back and left hip to be tight. Dr. Barbara worked her usual magic and I left feeling less stiff, though a bit sore from the Active Release Technique.  Ice and another Vitamin I before bed should do the trick! Charlotte and I are going back to see her again tomorrow for our regular monthly tune-up visit.

Here are some gentle yoga moves I used to release tension in my back tonight.

Hugging  knees into the chest and slowly rock back and forth

Spinal twist to the left, keeping both shoulders on the floor.

I always do both sides. Spinal twist to the right. I feel the tightness in my left hip and buttock on this one. 

I also have the cold that Charlotte brought home just in time for Spring Break. More ahimsa is in order - hot tea, lemon and honey before bed.


For more on ahimsa, check this out: Yoga Journal - Yoga Philosophy - Beginning the Journey


om nama sivaya