Fibromyalgia and horses

[Olderrider73]

Hands up guys if you own or share with health issues yourself such as fibromyalgia which I have, and how do you manage looking after a horse? I’ve been sharing my friends horse for the past year but been considering buying my own horse but my friend has told me to think really hard about getting my own as I told her I was struggling to do all days shows at the moment as it was effecting my fibromyalgia. If I did buy my own I’m not wanting to do shows myself, maybe the odd one but I love hacking, I do find horses to be a kind of therapy.. any tips would be great ?

 

[View]

I’m a great believer in doing what makes you happy within your limits.

So if you can afford a horse on full/assisted livery so that you only need to do one end of the day, go for it.

just make sure that if you are on assisted you have a back up plan for bad days.

 

[Supertrooper]

I have it and gave my boy back to WHW last year. I was diagnosed four years after I rehomed him but was so glad that they will take them back and he’s since been rehomed again to a fabulous home

The decision to return him was the hardest thing I’ve ever done but he was on DIY grass livery and the last two winters I struggled so much with the conditions and my pain. I couldn’t find a workable solution for us and I wouldn’t let his care suffer

I know now that I made the right decision, it’s allowed me to financially be able to afford reducing my work hours again as I don’t have to factor him in and I know he’s safe, happy and loved

 

[Supertrooper]

The biggest thing I’d think about for you is how you’ll manage when your symptoms are bad and do you have a support network to help when you have flare ups

I had none so I had to do every single day even when I was sobbing with pain

 

[scats]

I have an auto immune disease and have horses. I first became ill when I was 11 and really do believe that ponies saved my life (I was very lucky to have ponies as a child, too). It’s been a rocky road, however. I would say that around 70% of my life is spent with me feeling pretty unwell, although I am very good at just pressing on as I really don’t know any different.
I think it’s a case of listening to your body. I can mostly push through and know what my limits are, but I am guilty of doing too much and then crashing and burning every so often.
I’m in bed by 9pm most nights, that’s sort of my sacrifice for living the life I do. I don’t have anyone to do the horses for me in general, though in a real emergency, such as a hospital admission, I do have support if need be. A few years ago I was nearly admitted because my kidneys weren’t working properly, but I managed to do some serious bargaining with the doctors and they let me go if I promised strict bed rest... which I did, between mucking out either end of the day..!

I have a bench in my spare stable that I can (and do!) die on from time to time!

 

[Gloi]

I have other health issues and would say that if you can possibly afford it pay for full livery. It removes the stress of having to do things when you aren't fit.

 

[alibali]

You need to keep your horses in such a way that if you can't make it there to do them at the normal time they won't suffer, so either full livery or part with the potential to extend cover at short notice, or have great back up in place from either friends/family or a private groom, or keep them in such a manner (ie at grass with add lib food/shelter/water) that they can manage for an hour or two while you get your sh#t together if your symptoms are not too severe. But you need a clear plan in place before you start, particularly as the added physical effort may cause more symptoms for you (it has for me). Good luck!

 

[windand rain]

Have had fybro for many years and have had horses longer I find they actually help a lot. I cannot and will not give in because they need me. We need to do them every day so are the best reasons to get out and about and not sit. I do have a very good OH who does anything I cannot manage that day but mostly I am lucky to have the time to do things slowly if needed

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

My friend has it and struggles. Pretty much every week something is planned it puts a stop to it. Summer or winter.

 

[Wishfilly]

I think doing a show is very different to just doing the day to day care for a horse. That said, as others have said, it would probably be a good idea to be on a yard that at least offered services/back up/help in the event you couldn't do your horses one day- you'd also need to budget for this.

It's also worth thinking about whether you would truly enjoy having a horse if you were using all your energy on the day to day care, and maybe not so able to do some of the fun things?

But I think if you want to do it, and you can afford any help you may need, then go for it! If you dont try, you'll never know!

 

[Olderrider73]

Have had fybro for many years and have had horses longer I find they actually help a lot. I cannot and will not give in because they need me. We need to do them every day so are the best reasons to get out and about and not sit. I do have a very good OH who does anything I cannot manage that day but mostly I am lucky to have the time to do things slowly if needed

I’ve been diagnosed around 2.5 years but had symptoms for a lot longer.

 

[Sossigpoker]

I've got fibro and also a fractured spine. I kept mine on full livery before covid as I work full time but I will never entirely happy with how my horses were looked after. Since covid I've been working from home so put mine on assisted DIY so I have control of what happens and when but if I'm.not coping the services are available.
To start with mucking out was killing me and if i did a full muck out i couldn't ride the same day but now my fitness is improved that's no longer a problem.
I had a canter lesson in a field yesterday and I'm proper tired today so today will be a quieter day , I might just hack around the block.
It's just down to planning ahead and managing your energy levels- and accepting that if you did a bigger "thing " today, you will probably need a quiet day tomorrow.

 

[Phoenix/Max]

As a person who has not long been diagnosed with Fibro, but suffered in pain for many years. I have always pushed myself to keep going, and yes there are days that I burn out, and feel that I can't carry on. I am very lucky that I do have a support network at the yard as well as outside, but I'm stubborn and don't tend to call on it to often, don't want to put people out. I'm also lucky that I don't ride and it is just the care factor that I do, which I really enjoy and it puts my mind and body in a healthy place, also my horse is on DIY with 24/7 turnout, that makes a huge difference to caring for a horse. You need to take a deep breath, think things through, look at all options. Horses are perfect for those not perfect days.

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

I have Fibromyalgia and a couple of other issues.
I have 2 horses. I manage through the following ways:
* My horses live out 24/7... this means I'm not as tied to times as I would be if they were stabled and I don't have the added strain of mucking out stables (plus I have to keep costs down so no extra hay or bedding required)
* The land I rent is less than a mile from my house
* I rent along side a friend so we take turns to do certain tasks, do them together or cover for the other when needed

The winter can be hard with horses that live out BUT the benefits outweigh the negatives. The horses are happy and chilled but don't have any kind of set routine which seems to suit them and allows for me being worse at times.
Having horses means that I get exercise that I wouldn't normally get...but having my friend on side means I can do alot at my own pace.
It's not easy but I also have depression and I would rather have something that makes me smile and lifts my mood/spirits than be stuck at home feeling far worse mentally. It's a balance and you have to be sure that the animal can fit in with your schedule, or lack of it. If I only had one horse and nobody to help then I'd likely go for full livery if I could afford it.