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A Wild Ride
A Wild Ride
Sometimes life is hard. Most of the time, life is wonderful for me, but not today and not yesterday afternoon.
It was a beautiful weekend weather-wise. Mary and I had spent a good portion of Saturday working out in the yard and then helping our friends Chris (Oombutu) and Laura (Largemarge) move into their new house.
That was actually fun, except for the fact that it made me feel old. (A reoccurring theme with me, I know.) Most of the folks helping with the move were men in their mid-twenties to mid-thirties. They were all good friends of mine, and yet I felt a competition with them. They did nothing to encourage that feeling, but I had the need to keep up with them, all the same. (Big, stupid male pride.)
They kept doing little things to make it easier for me, like leaving the lighter boxes for me to take, or saying things like, "Let me get that one, Jim!" when somebody thought the object I was carrying was too heavy.
When we moved the treadmill out of Oombutu’s basement and carried it to the truck, I was on the heavy end of the machine. I saw that Oombutu noticed this, and I was very grateful that he didn’t say a word about it. However, when we got to his new house and were unloading the treadmill, he made sure that he was on the heavy end, and I got to carry the lighter end.
By the end of the day, I was tired, and my back was sore, but I had worked hard, and it felt good to be tired like that.
On the way back home, I mentioned to Mary that I hated getting older, and that I wished I could still keep up with the younger people. She was surprised by this, and then she said, "You did keep up!"
Yes, I did. But it was harder for me.
I guess I don’t mind actually getting older. What I mind is people making allowances for me because of my age.
Mary said that they did that because they love me.
I know that, and I truly appreciate that. It’s hard to explain. I guess I just don’t want them to have tofeel that way about me.
Sunday, was another GORGEOUS day with deep blue skies, low humidity, and temperatures in the high seventies. Mary and I decided that it would be a PERFECT day to go for a horseback ride.
So, we rounded up the critters. (To be honest with you, all we have to do is walk out into the pasture, and our horses come up to greet us.) We brushed them, picked their hooves and put the tack on them. Everything was fine and wonderful right up until I climbed up on Mariah’s back. When in the saddle, I looked everything over and noticed that one of the leather saddle straps was tucked under the saddle, and that could cause some discomfort to the horse on a long trail ride.
So I reached underneath the saddle as I sat there and pulled the offending strap out. This action, coupled with the strange feeling of the strap moving under the saddle and over the horse’s back, spooked Mariah, and she went into a bucking frenzy.
My feet weren’t even in the stirrups yet, and I was being bounced all over the saddle with a tremendous amount of jolting force. I grabbed the reins with one hand, trying to pull her head around to calm her down, and I grabbed the horn of the saddle with the other hand. Throughout all of this, I just kept shouting, "WHOA!"
After the longest ten seconds of my life, I realized I was no longer in the saddle. I was airborne, so I released the horn and the reins. (I didn’t want to get my hands tangled in the saddle or the reins. That is what happened to Christopher Reeves, and, because his hands got tangled, he couldn’t put his hands up to cushion the impact of his fall. So he landed on his head, and snapped his neck.)
I crashed to the ground with a sickening, crunching thud. I hit on my left shoulder, and I felt my head snap around and slap the ground on impact. All of the air rushed out of my body with a sharp "Whoosh!"
I immediately got up to my hands and knees, dizzy, unable to breathe. I was unable to utter a sound except for painful groans.
At some point, I became aware that Mary Ellen was next to me on her horse. I couldn’t see her face because my glasses had been thrown from my head, but I could hear her shouting at me, asking me if I was all right. I opened my mouth to speak, and blood rushed out. All I could do was nod my head.
"Should I call 9-1-1?"
I shook my head no.
Finally, I was able to gasp out, "I think I’m okay. Just got the wind knocked out of me!"
I could move my feet and my hands. I wasn’t paralyzed.
About five minutes later, I was able to climb to my feet. Mary dismounted, gathered up my confused and frightened palomino, and headed back to the barn.
It took me about fifteen minutes to overcome my dizziness and to breathe regularly again. I was still spitting blood, but that was just because I had bitten off a chunk of my tongue on impact.
I had a fair amount of pain in my neck, my lower back, and, of course, my mouth, but it wasn’t anything incapacitating. Once Mary realized that I was essentially all right, she climbed up on Mariah’s back. She was going to ride the horse to show the creature that her actions were unacceptable. It was then that I told Mary that the horse had done nothing wrong. The accident was my fault. I should have dismounted and removed the strap rather than attempting to do so while sitting in the saddle.
"Besides," I said, " I didn’t even have my feet in the stirrups. If I was thinking, that would have been the FIRST thing I would have done, as a safety precaution."
Mary rode the horse anyway for about fifteen minutes, and Mariah was a dream. She’s just a sweet horse with a wonderful disposition.
Today, I sit here at this computer with a VERY sore neck, back and tongue. But they will all heal.
When I think of what could have happened, it makes me shudder. I could have fallen off and been stomped to death by the frightened horse. I could have split my head open on a cinder block that was less than two feet away from where I actually landed. I could have broken my neck and been paralyzed.
So, even though I am experiencing a fair amount of pain today, I am a very lucky person!
posted on Aug 18, 2008 6:34 AM ()
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How wonderful! And, of course you were right there helping as you always do! Jim, you are as fit as anyone I know. You do more than anyone half your age! I'm really sorry that you had the accident with the lovely horse. That WAS scary! But, after a day or two of soreness, you'll be just fine!!! Mary will make sure of that. I don't doubt that she was truly surprised when you told her of your wish to be able to keep up. You DO keep up. You are a wonder! 
I'm glad you're alright.This experience could have been tragic!!!When I fell off the back of a 4-wheeler and broke my back,I thought I would never walk again.After months of therapy I'm okay but my back still hurts.The doctor said I was lucky to be alive.I sure didn't feel that way at the time.I hope you feel better soon.Any news on Peter Rabbit and Harley Scott? 
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