Never Surprise A Horse From Behind
Yesterday I was in Ponoka for Barrel Bash; an added money, non sanctioned, 4D barrel race. In typical Alberta fashion the beautiful weather we had been experiencing throughout the week was quickly replaced by extreme, bone chilling winds. On Saturday the temperature dropped and the wind came in with a vengeance. Due to flying debris many horses spooked and pulled back, breaking free of their ties to the trailers and ran loose and terrified. There was an announcement made to go check your horses because of the sheer volume of loose animals running around the grounds located next to a busy highway. Having received a heads up about the coming winds from a girl who lived west of town I had already blanketed our horses and put away anything that could be grabbed by the wind. After our runs Chelsey and I decided to head home to put the horses away in pens where they were sheltered and retire to the house for the rest of the day. Sunday was no better. I decided to go out and put a fleece cooler on Dakota under his rainsheet to keep him warm and comfortable before our run. I came around the corner of the trailer and touched him on the hip to move him over. Due to the winds the horses were already on edge and robbed of their sense of smell and hearing. I made the foolish mistake of not announcing myself and surprised Dakota with my touch. He jumped and kicked out catching my square on the thigh and knocking me to the ground from the impact. I lay there feeling sorry for myself and mad at my own stupidity while he stood facing me snorting and blowing. Once he realized it was me he had hit he crept over and touched me with his nose as if to say “are you okay?” I picked myself up slowly and reassured him. I loaded him in the trailer to pull his blanket off and put the cooler on underneath. He stood quietly feeling bad for hurting me. I tied him back to the side of the trailer and fed him his grain then gingerly climbed into the living courters to inspect the damage. It was going to bruise alright. I put a powerstrip on immediately and limped back into the arena. My thigh ached with every step and my neck felt stiff and sore from the whiplash.
I continued on with my day, later saddling up and making a run. It was after 9 by the time I returned home that evening and got Dakota put away and the truck unloaded. When I woke this morning I took note of the pain in my body, an aching cramped neck and faintly sore thigh. I crawled out of bed and checked my leg to evaluate the bruising and was pleasantly surprised. When I removed the powerstrip my thigh was completely fine! No discoloration and only slightly tender. I decided it was time to put a strip on my neck and felt some relief immediately. The tightness remained but it began to heat and the aching subsided.
I had been introduced to powerstrips in AZ by a team roper who was staying at the house in Cave Creek where I resided my last weeks. After attempting to rope the hot heels one morning my hand began to cramp as it usually did 15 minutes in. Kelly suggested I put a strip on under my glove saying it helped his old shoulder injuries and allowed him to rope without pain or restriction. I figured I had nothing to lose and slapped one on. I roped for another hour and a half that morning! My hand felt fine, no cramping or soreness and I was able to keep my grip on my rope providing me accuracy and control of my swing! I knew this was a product that I wanted to know more about. When I asked Kelly how it worked he provided me with the product info, noting that it was all natural and FDA approved. I ordered myself some to be delivered to Cave Creek before I left and have made sure to never run out since. If you are like everyone else I know who either suffers from chronic pain or new injuries and issues, this product will replace your pain meds and change the way you perform. I know I wouldn’t be able to rope without them and have even started to use them on my horses when they show inflammation or muscle soreness. For more information click the image to follow this link to the website.
