Well, that's what I'm going to blame it on at least.
But to catch you up-
I'm sure you all know that the weather has been crazy this last month or so. First a 5.9 magnitude earthquake rattled (no pun intended) (okay, maybe a small one) the East Coast. Then Hurricane Irene came sweeping through. And now, Hurricane Lee is breezing all over the place. We've had significant rainfall here for the past few days, causing flooding and car accidents and other rain-induced issues. And we're still having aftershocks.
Now, you might be wondering why I'm blaming the earthquake. I'm not blaming it for the weather that followed. Or for the possibly impending end of the world. (I still think the Mayans just ran out of paper...) Nope, I'm going to shift the blame on the earthquake (see what I did there?) for something that is probably totally irrelevant. But I'm going to pretend it's not.
The earthquake happened on August 23rd. I know because the opening of school the next day was postponed (something good DID come out of it!) and because it was a Wednesday and I had a horseback riding lesson.
When the earth started quaking, I was home alone and freaking out in all kinds of ways. First I thought it might be our washer being a little overzealous, or a big truck passing down the street. But then I saw that the windows were shaking. And so was the chandelier. And I heard a few thumps and crashes as I clung to the door I was standing by. My mom called me just before the phone lines went out to check on me, and I wandered around the house noticing broken Easter bunnies and photos laying on the ground and crooked paintings on the walls. The big thump I had heard was my television falling off my shelf and severing the cords to the DVD player.
I walked into the kitchen and... my dog was sleeping. Naturally. After a few moments I saw her eyes open, she stood, stretched, and settled back into bed.
My cat was another story. She was a nutcase, hiding under the bed and refusing to come out until I bribed her with her favorite treats. Even then she crawled right back under. Not that I could blame her, I was still shaken up (no pun, really!) too.
So I didn't know if I would still have my riding lesson that night. What if the horses had reacted like my cat? What if there was damage to the barn? But with no call from my instructor canceling, my dad and I headed to the barn just like normal.
The lesson went on as usual. The only difference was I was riding a different saddle than I was used to. And here's why I think that was important.
These are like the stirrups on the saddle I was riding that night.
This is closer to the type of stirrup I'm used to on my favorite saddle.
The first stirrups are deeper, and I couldn't get my feet to stay in them. This might have been totally my fault, but I'm going to pretend it was the saddle's. Or the earthquake's. Plus the stirrup leathers on the new saddle were too long for me, even on the shortest setting. What can I say, I'm not that tall.
Anyhow, the lesson was going decently, besides the fact that my right ankle was seizing up like it tends to when I ride, until we started to lope. That's when it went downhill. Grace, the horse, was moving pretty well, but I just could not stay in the saddle. First my left foot came out of the stirrup. I grabbed at the saddle horn and tried to jab it back in, and I did for a moment, but then it came flying out again, and my right foot followed. As we rounded a corner of the arena next to the metal fence, I slipped out of the saddle and thumped on the ground, the back of my head whacking into the bottom rung of the fence.
And this, kids, is why we wear helmets.
My head was slightly tingly and my backside was rather sore, but my instructor helped me get back on Grace and and walk, jog, and lope once more. For about 3 strides. Then I was done.
By the time I got home, my head was ringing. It was the worst headache I've ever had. I sat in the relative darkness of the family room and covered my eyes with a cool towel, the television on low. I can't stand total silence, but any noise too loud sent shooting pain through my noggin. I also had some homework I had to finish, but the computer was far too bright for me to use at the moment. I finally went to bed and when I woke up, I'm happy to say, my headache was gone. But my shoulders were killing me.
Not that you want to hear about all my pain. Let's just say it took a few days for my head to stop pounding whenever I saw a bright light or a loud sound. And my shoulders to stop aching. And my back. And then I started thinking that I maybe want to buy a new helmet, because I don't know how damaged the inside of mine is. I've only fallen twice, but better safe than sorry. Plus, that last one felt like a doozy. If my head hurt that bad, I wonder what my helmet looks like inside.
This is the kind of helmet I have now. A Tipperary Sportage.
But I would kind of like one from Troxel, either the Sierra ($119.95) or the Spirit. ($44.95- 54.95)
Which one do you like better?
Which one do you like better?
This is the Troxel Sierra. (Above)
And that's the Troxel Spirit. :)
Let me know what you think!
Let me know what you think!
