Dubious milestone

I have now crossed one more thing off my list of horse-related (and life, actually) experiences--I broke my arm yesterday, mostly because I forgot just how fast Lena Rey can move sideways.

Steve and I had run some errands in Santa Rosa, had lunch, and he dropped me off at the barn to tend horses and ride Lena. The truck was still there from the other day when Katie went out (though she had left the keys on and completely--and I mean two-sets-of-jumper-cables-needed completely--drained the battery) so Steve didn't have to hang around and I could spend all the time I wanted with the horses.

It didn't quite work out that way.

I really wanted to use the English saddle on Lena and work on her long trot, canter circles, and my seat. We were going along really well, and I was even getting some nice side-pass work out of her at the trot. She seems very responsive to the close contact of the English saddle, too.

Lena is very strong and athletic, and can move sideways and spin in a dime. Since I hadn't ridden her in awhile it might have been better to put the Western saddle on her, since I am still working on my seat and balance in the English, but you know what they say about hindsight.

She did a couple of spins I managed to ride through and a sideways I didn't. I slid off her right side, tucked, landed on my right hip (okay, right butt cheek), rolled to my left and must have smacked the ground hard with my forearm.

Lena bounced off to the other end of the arena to eat the grass I had previously denied her. At first, cradling my sore arm against my stomach, I was determined to get back on--which I told her in no uncertain terms. We even made it back to the mounting block before I felt something shift in my forearm--one of the odder sensations I've ever had, thank you very much. Then came the shockiness and nausea and I decided I would have to teach her a lesson another time. She did have the grace to act solicitous at that point, nuzzling me as the cold sweat broke out on my forehead.

My friend Lisa was just getting back in her truck to go home, but helped me untack Lena, take my fancy riding boots off, and hung out until Steve got there to take me to Kaiser. I was not very talkative, since lunch was trying to revisit, but I was sure glad someone was there with me.

Kaiser had me in, x-rayed, and splinted in about 2-1/2 hours, which for a non-life-threatening injury seems pretty good. The staff was great, too.

The x-rays show a pretty clean fracture of the ulna (yes, I'll be getting copies). The orthopedic doctor will be calling after they decide whether to put in a plate (surgery) or just a more substantial cast.

Oh, and I'm supposed to stay off the horses for six weeks. Katie (who is still mad at me for falling off) seems skeptical that I will manage that.

I admit to being vaguely amused by all of this, though I'm sure my amusement will fade as the novelty of my first "real" broken bone wears off. It occurred to me that Bar and I match, though I hope he heals much faster than I do.

And, yes, I typed this whole post with one hand tied. Or splinted anyway.

No pictures, either, until I can engineer a shower of some kind.