Needless to say, I was crushed to be told that my injury
would require six to eight weeks of non-weight-bearing with my leg immobilized
in a brace. I learned about the Equicizer from a friend who had used one for
rehabilitation from an injury. I was determined to get back to riding and
running, and it seemed that an Equicizer could play a key role in my
rehabilitation. The Equicizer was the
first workout I did when my surgeon told me my bone was healed and I could
start the rehabilitation phase of my injury. Five months out, I’m back riding
my “real” horses and starting to return to running, so I thought I would share
my experience in the hope that it might help others.
First, the Equicizer is a FANTASTIC workout that can be
adapted to many different levels of healing and rehabilitation. When I started
rehab my knee didn’t bend at all and I hadn’t put any weight on it for six
weeks. I started out riding bareback for 5 minutes twice per day and worked up
to a single 20-minute ride. This was a great core workout that put no stress at
all on my knee while allowing me to work at an intensity that gave me an
aerobic workout as well. As I was able to bear weight on my leg I started doing
some work with my feet in the stirrups and working into a half seat, and
finally riding jockey-style. All of this gave me a sense for whether or not I
could function properly on a live horse, and when I did feel ready the
transition was seamless. I had great stability and core strength, and had
confidence that my knee could handle the stress of a real ride.
Currently I ride for 20 minutes almost every day,
alternating five minutes of no-stirrups and 5 minutes jockey-style (and I sure
do have a new appreciation for how hard those guys work!). I was able to find
an old racing saddle, and that is what I use as it makes it easy to move from
one style of riding to another without having to take the saddle on and off. One
of the great things about the Equicizer is that you can get it going with your
core muscles or your arms, so it is really a full-body workout. Keep in mind
that I had a very serious injury, and that my overall level of activity was
guided by my surgeon initially and then by my physical therapist, so be sure to
work with your team if you are rehabilitating an injury. From my perspective,
any athlete who wants an exceptional core workout should own an Equicizer, even
if they have no desire to ever ride a real horse!
Second, the Equicizer can be used for many different stretching
and bending exercises. I adapted some of my yoga routine that I could no longer
do on the mat to my Equicizer. I am also able to practice bending and twisting
in all of the ways required to return to playing polo.
Third, the Equicizer is truly a work of art. I had hard time deciding what I wanted my Equicizer to look like, and considered one of my favorite racehorses, my first horse that I had until the age of 32, or one of my “imaginary” horses I had as a child. I decided on my imaginary palomino with the face markings of my old horse. Frankie did an amazing job carving and painting the head, he is a very talented artist. I gave my Equicizer the name of Dandelion, as I’ve always thought they are a great metaphor for life: you can pull them out, drive over them with a lawnmower, and put weed-killers on them and they just keep popping back up and doing their thing. Kind of how you have to be when a horse kicks you in the knee, but you still have some things that you want to do in life.
Finally, I can’t say enough good things about Frankie, Kayla and the Wooden Horse Company. If you’ve come to this page thinking that the Equicizer could fill a role in your life, you are probably right, go for it! If you have questions that are different than the ones I had and have tried to answer, just pick up the phone and have a chat with Frankie, they will be happy to talk to you.
by Margaret M. Brosnahan
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