For the last seven years or so, Charlotta has been taking weekly therapeutic horse-back riding lessons at a wonderful facility called the Pacific Riding for Developing Abilities (PRDA). These lessons have not only helped her develop her core strength, balance and stretching, they have also fostered in her a great love of horses and a personal connection to the horse she is riding. For the last year she's been riding a big grey horse named Joey which, somehow, Charlotta has taken to calling Mr Joey. (picture a Brooklyn accent: "Dat's Mista Joey ta you"!)
Anyhow, at her lesson last week, I was asking the head riding instructor if we could skip the next term (April to June) because of Charlotta's surgery and then resume her lessons again in September. She asked if Charlotta would be getting a rod in her back as part of the surgery. I said "yes." It was then that she broke the bad news to me that once Charlotta had a rod in her back she was no longer allowed to ride horses. She said that if Charlotta were to fall from a horse, the rod could damage her spinal cord. So, unfortunately it looks like this will be the end of her riding career.
It was quite upsetting to hear this news because these riding lessons have been part of her life for so long, and they were so beneficial in many ways. I'm sure we'll find other activities for her post-surgery, but it will be sad to say goodbye to Mr Joey and all his buddies.
Charlotta on the right, Summer 2010. (Ashley, on the left, also got to ride in this summer camp for siblings.)
Charlotta at the beginning of her riding career in 2005.
Maybe Charlotta will one day be the one leading the horse for other children?
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