There was a moment in my life when everything changed in an instant.

In the days before the accident, I was walking the barn aisle, feeding my animals, taking my horses out, and having fun.

Then everything shifted.

Suddenly… I couldn’t stand on my own.

Losing My Way of Life:

I lost my ability to move freely.

I lost my way of life.

I lost the freedom to care for myself — and the animals who depended on me.

And no one prepares you for what that does to your mental and emotional state.

Yes, there was physical pain — and plenty of it!

But what shattered me the most was the dependency I now had…

• The loss of independence in the most personal ways.
• The inability to do the simplest things without help.

If you live your life around horses, you understand this at a different level.

• When you can’t get to the barn…
• When you can’t lift feed bags…
• When you can’t turn horses out…
• When you can’t show up the way you always have…

You don’t just lose movement.

You lose a part of who you are.

The Decision That Changed Everything:

In the middle of that darkness, I made one decision…

“I was not going to quit on myself and I refused to quit on my horses.”

Because who would take care of them without me?

They became my reason to keep fighting.

What Happened Next:

As the months passed, my body began to change in ways that terrified me…

• Bone and cartilage loss
• Inflammation and swelling
• Metabolic shifts
• Depression
• PTSD
• Anxiety
• Memory loss
• Brain fog and confusion

I looked and felt as if I had aged ten years overnight.

And that’s when something clicked.

My accident was instant.

But the internal breakdown that followed?

That’s the same kind of breakdown many people experience slowly over time.

Not from trauma.

• From years of inflammation building quietly.
• From oxidative stress that goes unnoticed.
• From metabolic shifts we brush off as “just getting older.”
• From pushing through exhaustion because the horses still need to be fed.

Mine happened fast.

For many people, it happens gradually.

But the end result can look painfully similar.

• Needing help to move.
• Needing help to function.
• Needing help to live independently.

Why Prevention Matters to Me:

Chronic illness doesn’t always happen overnight.

But it can lead to the same result – loss of independence.

“And I knew I never wanted to experience that kind of dependency again as long as I lived.”

That’s why I became passionate about prevention.

Not because I’m afraid of disease.

But because I know exactly what it feels like to lose your independence.

And for those of us who love horses, losing independence doesn’t just affect us.

It affects our animals – who rely on us every single day.

So instead of accepting decline, I rebuilt my life from the inside out.

• Reducing inflammation.
• Supporting my cells.
• Stabilizing my metabolism.
• Protecting my brain.
• Filling nutritional gaps consistently.

Not extreme – Not trendy – Just intentional.

And slowly… my body responded.

My Mission Now:

Today, I am almost back to normal physically.

But internally and overall?

I am healthier and feel younger now than I did before the accident.

Even though I’m still finishing the final stages of recovery — physically, mentally, emotionally —

My mission is simple:

“To reach back and help others get through to the other side.”

• To protect their strength and vitality long-term.
• To help prevent chronic illness before it steals their independence.
• To help horsewomen stay strong enough to keep doing what they love into their 90s.

A Personal Invitation:

If you’re reading this, I’d love to give you a free internal health assessment and scan using a brand new health and wellness device.

Us horsewomen need to be healthy, not only for ourselves, but for our family, and especially for our animals.

If you’re local, we’ll do it in person. If you’re not, we can do it remotely.

Using the Prysm iO, we can actually see where your internal health stands right now – especially your antioxidants, immune system, and cellular health.

• No guessing
• No assumptions
• No judgement, just awareness

“What is not measured, can not be improved” – William Kelvin

If you’d like to learn more about this device first, you can visit the link below:

 https://aginggracefullywithteddie.com

If you’re ready to schedule your free assessment and scan, simply message me at m.me/teddieziegler or email me.

“Because prevention is easier than recovery.”

And staying strong and healthy enough to care for the horses you love is definitely worth protecting!

— Teddie

Below is a video of me and Merlin today, enjoying life again together.

This simple task, after 3 years of turmoil and recovery (starting from a wheelchair), meant the world to both of us.

The post Where I’ve Been – The Truth Behind My Silence appeared first on Teddie Ziegler Horsemanship.

If you have been following me on Facebook, you’ll have seen lots of pictures and stories.  If you don’t follow me, please look me up and send me a friend request.  I’d love to interact more with you.

I am still using a full leg brace and a quad cane when I am out with Merlin.  But that is only as a precaution.

This week is my one-year mark from the accident and at home, at PT, and anywhere that it is flat (safe) ground, I can walk almost normally. I still have a slight limp and I use a regular cane, but that is a whole lot better than before.  Yippee!!

As everything is connected…my complications have been with my hip and back even though I didn’t injure them.  So, I still have to use a cane as my hip has not gained enough strength to support me yet.  I can walk without it in the house but I’ve learned doing that only makes me lean over and take shorter strides which then causes injury to my back.

I have to be mindful to teach my body how to walk normally.  Nothing is automatic yet so I still have to tell myself to stand up straight, put my bad leg all the way out, walk through with a normal stride, and not pick up my bad leg until I am on my toes.  And then I have to say it again, and again.

As of the last doctor’s appointment:

1. I can bend my knee to 130 degrees (just barely) so I am starting to learn how to go down steps now.
2. All my bones are healed well but they found osteopenia in my lower back.
3. I have severe PTSD so leaving the house and trying to do normal activities is extremely difficult.
4. My depression is improving and so is my anxiety.
5. I have insomnia and can’t sleep past 3 hours, which makes life very difficult.
6. And even though I still have leg pain most of the time, the severity has diminished and is tolerable.  Unless of course, I try to do something normal like walking a mile, cleaning the house, or going up steps.

I am so grateful for my horse Merlin!

I get out to see Merlin at least once every two weeks as I have to depend on others to get me there.  I can drive, but being around the horses I need backup just in case.  My balance is still not good and we all know how fast a horse can be if he spooks or decides to go in another direction.  I trust Merlin, but I need to play it safe.

Every time I see him, my whole world feels like it’s all ok and everything is going to be great again.  He lifts my spirits and our connection warms my heart every time.  Horses are such healing creatures and blessings.

I have one more year of recovery to learn how to go up and down steps with two legs instead of just one, to learn to turn and twist, how to move faster than a walk, and how to do normal activities that require me to bend over, squat, lean, etc.  Plus, I need to continue to learn how to walk without a limp or assistance.

One of those things I have to learn how to do again is ride.  But “come hell or high water” as they say, I’m going to get there no matter what the doctors say.  We horsewomen have the spirit and determination most people don’t when it comes to our horses!

Thank you all for your continued support and emails.  They have really made a difference for me and have been an inspiration.

I wanted to share with all of you a video of me walking for the first time without my cane.

Of course, I did it with Merlin and he helped me the whole time. He knew I was still injured and he took such care to go as slow as I was and to stay at a safe distance while still helping me balance. I love this little guy. He’s only 3 but so gentle and smart.

Happy Horses!  And until next time, give your horses all the love in the world as they deserve it.

The post It’s Been A While… appeared first on Teddie Ziegler Horsemanship.

It was a constant argument between my brain and my leg and sometimes my leg just said “no”.

Besides the disconnect between my brain and my body, and what that entailed, there was something far more sinister underneath it all…

The Fear Factor!

I’ve seen this in horses and I’ve worked with lots of horses to get through these fears.  But even though I understood this idea from experiences and research, I never realized how this “Fear Memory” is so instinctual and automatic.

Plus there are two kinds of fear at work here: 

• One is a memory fear that is emotional, like when a horse remembers being beaten or abused by a certain person or instrument.
• The other is a “muscle” memory fear that is physical, like being injured when a cart the horse is pulling rolls over.

But first, let me tell you how this has shown itself in my life after my accident:

1. Emotionally I remember the extreme pain and how quickly I went from fine to not fine. This created the first kind of fear in me, a memory fear.  It has taken a toll on me and has lingering effects.

• I started having panic attacks and nightmares.

• I have PTSD and a severe fear of falling which has stopped me from doing things.

• I have bad depression that stops me from getting out of bed some days.

• Anxiety shows up at random times during the day and causes physical reactions.

• My fear tells my mind that I won’t be able to get much better than where I am now and it cycles back into the above issues.

• And more…

2. The muscle memory fear is the hardest for me to work through. My mind can tell me that it’s ok to do something, but my body doesn’t always listen or do what my mind tells it to.  There have been a few times that my leg just decides, for whatever reason, that it doesn’t want to move and it doesn’t.

For example:

One day I was standing up with my walker and I grabbed my sweatpants to get myself dressed.  I thought, “Hey I can do this standing up as long as I am holding on to my walker”.  That’s what I thought anyway, even though I usually sit down when I get myself dressed.

So I bent over and picked my bad leg up, about 6” is all I can do.  I then threw my pants leg over that foot and pulled them up.  Ok, halfway done.

Then all I had to do was stand on my bad leg and pick up my good leg to finish getting dressed.  No big deal!  Or so I thought.  My good leg said, “No”.  I could not pick up my good leg, not even a slight budge.  I tried several times to talk myself through it, but my leg still refused to move.

This was strange because I was able to pick it up while I was standing straight up or moving forward on the walker.  But while I was bent over, my good leg wouldn’t budge.  My brain kept telling me to lift my leg and that it was safe because I had a hold of my walker for balance.  But my body was not listening to my brain.

When I explained this to my physical therapist the next day she explained the behavior.   She said it was my muscle memory fear.  My body knew that my bad leg couldn’t balance itself while I was bent over.  So it refused to lift my good leg knowing it would fall over if I had.  My brain thought I could do it.  But I’m glad my body refused to do it due to the consequences it would have created.

Fear isn’t always bad. 

The muscle memory fear stopped my body from doing something that it instinctually knew I wasn’t ready to do, even though my mind thought I could.  So this second fear saved me from another fall where I could have done more damage.

Because of this story, my physical therapist asked me to do a new exercise.  I had been practicing stepping up (one step) with my good leg and stepping down with my bad leg.  But now she wanted me to step down with my good leg.  Again, my brain said, “Oh this is easy, you can do this”.

Nope!  It didn’t work.  While trying this new exercise I fell right over!  Luckily my physical therapist was right there to catch me.  This taught us both a lesson.

It showed her that my inner and outer thigh muscles on my bad leg were still very weak, if not working at all, and that my bad leg was not able to balance myself.  I already knew that my lower leg muscles on that leg were not working right yet because of how the bottom of my leg goes out to the left when it should be straight.

It showed me that I shouldn’t always trust what my mind thinks I can do and that I should start listening to my body more.

So, how do you get through these kinds of fears?

Well, the first kind of fear – emotional memory – I am getting through by working with a Mental Health Therapist.  We have weekly sessions and she has shown me a few ways to cope and start to process these fears in a healthy way.  This is going to take a while, but I can already see some progress.

There is also a lot of self-talk going on every day in my mind to help me get through each situation that flares up.  And it is every day that something comes up and I have to work through and calm myself down.

It’s crazy to me that I am still having such issues with this kind of fear because it’s been six months since my accident.  But I do understand now that this does take a long time to get over and I have to be more patient with myself.

The second fear – muscle memory – I think will take a lot longer to get through.

Luckily, I have a really good physical therapist who understands this fear and is working with me to get through each occurrence.  She is giving me physical exercises that take my body through the fear very slowly and safely.  Each time we learn what my body can and can’t do right now.

I will say that when it first happened, I was shocked that my body wasn’t listening to or responding to my mind.  It took me a long time to figure out what was going on and why my brain and body were disconnected.

It was my body’s way of protecting me.

These experiences have taught me a few personal lessons as well:

• I am appreciating my body’s innate and natural wisdom.

• I am listening to my body more than my brain right now.

• I am trusting my body’s instincts again.

• I am relaxing into the healing process.

• I am allowing my body to recover the way it needs to and at whatever time it needs.

Things are starting to feel a bit better and I’m a bit stronger than I was one month ago, emotionally, mentally, and physically.  I still have at least another year of healing and recovery, but I’m willing to work at it.

These fear experiences have been vital lessons for me.  They have helped me understand the connection between our bodies and our minds and how everything is truly connected.  When one thing is out of whack, it affects every other part of us – mind/body/spirit.

It’s one thing to know this or to understand this from a researcher’s perspective.  But to experience this disconnect and having to work through recovery is something totally different.  It has been an eye-opener!

I can honestly say that I am grateful for what I have experienced and learned so far during my recovery process.

Thank you all for your emails, your kind support, and for following along with my journey and having patience with me.  Until next time, have a great time with your horse and enjoy each other’s company.  It is truly a blessing!

And the next blog will be about the Fear Factor in Horses.

Happy Horses!

The post The Fear Factor in Humans appeared first on Teddie Ziegler Horsemanship.

This has definitely been the most challenging time in my life, health-wise.  With all the surgeries, hospital stays, doctor visits, emergency visits, and complications that have come with this one accident; I have been overwhelmed, frustrated, depressed, and frightened.

It is astonishing to me how much your health affects everything else around you.  Not only physically, but emotionally and mentally.  The last blog I wrote, I was at a very low spot in my life.  Since then, things have picked up.

I’m using a walker outside of the house now instead of a wheelchair and inside my home I am transitioning to a quad cane for most of the day.  I even got out to visit with Merlin this past weekend and it warmed my heart. He is such a blessing.

Next week I have a few more tests to hopefully resolve most of the complications and one more surgery to remove an obstruction in my small intestines.  I’m hopeful that everything will work out perfectly and I’ll be up and around again the following week and able to eat solid food again.

Now, I’ve talked about the physical and emotional aspects of this accident in previous blogs.  But today I want to touch on the mental aspect that this traumatic event has developed within me.

Being a Psychologist and a Behavioralist, I have read and learned about lots of situations like PTSD, anxiety, depression, and fear.  I have also had patients that I’ve helped through these situations.  But I have never experienced them to this degree in my life.

The depths that I’ve experienced with this trauma have touched me to my core and have shown me a world I never knew existed.  One that no one ever wants to be a part of, and one that is so hard for normal people to understand.

“My brain and my body are not listening to each other”…

The majority of people learn to crawl, walk, run, and jump when they are young.  These movements then become automatic and you don’t have to think about the mechanics of how to walk.

But when something severe and traumatic happens your brain can become disconnected from your body.  They stop talking to each other and the things that were automatic and “second nature” no longer work the same.

I’ve also learned that communication between the brain and the body goes both ways.  So not only is my brain not communicating with my body, but my body has stopped communicating with my brain.

It is the strangest thing in the world and I never would have thought it was possible.  But now I understand a lot more.

When my husband had a severe traumatic brain injury I learned a lot about how to help him and what he was going through.  Now four years later and he is mostly healed there are still a few issues.  They all are because his frontal lobe is permanently damaged.

Before I had my own experience with severe trauma I thought my husband had become extremely lazy and it frustrated me as he used to be such a headstrong, go-getter, who accomplished anything he set his mind on and was not afraid of hard work.

I’ve since realized he isn’t lazy now, but that the disconnect between the brain and the body is causing him not to be able to do things.  Even simple things can be difficult for him.  He will tell me that he is going to vacuum the living room today, but for some reason, it won’t get done for another week or more.

He has the desire to do it today, he has the ability to do it today, and he truly believes that he is going to get it done today.  But that is his mind thinking about the task.  His body isn’t listening to his mind and just can’t get it done today.  Eventually, he will do it but he has to force his body to do the action of vacuuming.

I’ve seen this happen within myself as well.  I have a strong desire to get something done, I have the ability and the resolve to get it done, and I have the time to get it done.  However, for some reason, my body says NOPE.  It’s so frustrating when you want to do something and for some reason, you just can’t seem to get it done because your body just won’t move forward and do it.

Let me give you two examples:

Brain to Body –

As you know from past blogs, every bone in my left leg was broken in a freak accident and the bottom of my knee was pulverized.  After two major surgeries, I was laid up for 3 full months without being allowed to put any weight on it.  Then after another month of lightly putting weight on that leg, I was able to go to an outside physical therapist for help.

During my first session, the physical therapist asked me to move my leg in certain directions to evaluate my condition.  When I was sitting down with my legs outstretched, she asked me to pick my leg up.  Nope!  It would not budge.  My brain kept telling my leg to move, even a little, but nothing happened.  I couldn’t believe it.  I could move my toes and my ankle, but my leg didn’t even twitch.

I just chalked it up to my muscles not working yet and being too weak to lift my leg.  Then a few weeks later when I was able to stand on that leg with full weight and I was told that the bones had healed, my therapist asked me to pick up that leg on a step.  Again, my leg said NO.

This time I couldn’t chalk it up to weak muscles as I could pick my leg up during other exercises.  It was the act of putting my leg on to the step that my body refused to do.  For some reason when asked to do this, my leg wouldn’t even budge.

My brain could tell my leg to lift for another exercise, but when I asked it to step up on the small step it refused to move at all.  Nothing.

My therapist asked me if there was something wrong and all I could say was “I’m telling my leg to move but it won’t”.

She said that she had seen this with severe physical trauma.  It’s the Muscle Memory.  The muscles remember the trauma and the motions that caused the trauma and it keeps the body from duplicating the injury.

I can appreciate that my body is protecting itself, but it’s so strange when you ask your body to do something and it just freezes.  It was like having two entities in one body that didn’t like each other.  My body was not only refusing to listen to my brain, but it seemed to not trust my brain.

Here’s another example going the other way.

Body to Brain –

Because my body was in the process of healing, my nerves were still not working.  I was told that in the process of healing, the bones heal first, then the muscles, and lastly the nerves.

My physical therapist told me that this is the body’s natural way to heal so everything heals first before the nerves start back which lessens the amount of pain the body feels.  I love to hear how the body has its own way of protecting itself and healing in an orderly fashion.

The only problem with this process is that the nerves communicate with your brain to tell it where your body parts are in a spatial comparison.  So because of this, it was difficult to walk and move my leg.

I had to concentrate really hard and watch my leg intently when moving.  Basically telling my leg what to do and how to do it every step of the way.  If I couldn’t see my leg to tell my brain where it was or how high to lift it, it didn’t work at all.

There were a few times while trying to walk with a walker, my brain started to think about where I was going or got distracted and my leg stopped moving.  I tripped a few times as my leg would drag or it would trip when my brain got distracted.

 It was a constant argument or discussion between my brain and my leg.

It is so strange to have a leg that looks like a leg but feels like a plastic doll piece that I can’t always move properly.  Besides the disconnect between my brain and my body and what that entailed, there was something far more sinister underneath it all… The Fear Factor!

But I’ll discuss that part in my next blog.

Until next time, have a great weekend, stay safe and Happy Horses!

The post Update Part III – Mental Trauma appeared first on Teddie Ziegler Horsemanship.

If you missed my last blog, here is a link…

https://teddiezieglerhorsemanship.com/update-my-health/

I’ve broken bones before as I’m sure many of you have as well.  The recovery is usually 6-8 weeks on crutches or in a cast.  Then once the bones are healed, you can get back to normal activities with no issues.  I thought this break would be the same. But I was wrong.

This time, the severity of the breaks and the number of bones I broke meant a lot longer recovery time. However, I still thought that once the bones were healed I would be able to go back to normal activities right away.  Wrong again.

At 3 months post op I was told that my bones had finally healed. But that’s when I realized how far from “normal” I was and how long the road to a full recovery would be.

There is a lot more than just the bones healing involved in my recovery.  My muscles had atrophied and some of them were coming back slowly but others not at all.  On top of that, my nerves are all still numb and not working normally.

With all of these issues, I can’t get dressed, take a shower, get into bed, put my shoes on, cook meals, stand or walk for longer than 15 minutes (and I’ve worked up to this), and many other daily living activities without assistance.  It is very frustrating and upsetting.

Then there are the complications!

All of these have contributed to a longer recovery and a lot more emotional issues.

This is probably one of the hardest blogs I’ve ever written, physically and emotionally.  The past few weeks I’ve been battling yet another complication and just trying to sit down and type this has been extremely difficult, mentally and physically.

Just getting out of bed has been difficult.  Depression is taking its toll.

Emotionally, it is very hard to deal with friends saying, “You broke a few bones and they’re now healed so you should be walking around normally by now.  What’s wrong with you?”.

Seriously?! That is just heart-breaking for me to hear and it cuts like a knife.  There’s so much more to this recovery than just broken bones.

I have always been a strong, determined, independent woman.  So being laid up for 4 months has been difficult for me. I feel like a useless burden.  And I’ve been told it will take a full year or longer to recover fully.

The day I heard this; my emotions sunk to new lows!

In the beginning, I could see progress after I got out of the hospital.  It was slow but there was still progress.

Then I had my first setback… a whole day of intense pain

I thought something was wrong.  The physical therapist told me that I had just overdone it and I needed to take a break now and then.  I did and it helped.

Then I decided to look at my progress weekly instead of daily.  I would have a few good days and then one or two bad days.  But overall, every week there was progress.  This helped me stay positive.

Then my next setback… my second doctor’s appointment

I had been looking forward to my doctor’s appointment at eight weeks post-op because I was excited to hear about my healing.  In my mind, my bones should have been healed by then and I could move on to the next phase of healing.  Nope.  The doctor took X-rays and told me that my bones were not healing.

Those results were upsetting and scared me.  Why were my bones not healing?  What was wrong?  Were they ever going to heal properly?  Was the surgery successful?  Was I going to be able to keep my leg?

Plus the doctor told me that I would have to stay off my leg, non-weight bearing, for another 6 weeks.  That was such a letdown! I was really looking forward to start walking again.

This meant that I had to hop around on my good leg for 6 more weeks.  The more pressure I had to use and overcompensate with the rest of my body, the more painful my good parts became.

Being stuck inside, hopping around on one leg, in pain, and completely dependent on someone else for 12 whole weeks was extremely hard for me.  I was frustrated, upset, depressed, and scared.  Lots of emotions going on.

Finally, at 12 weeks the doctor gave me good news.  My bones were finally healed.  Now I could go full weight bearing, as tolerated, and start moving forward again with my healing process.  This made me happier.

Then the next setback…Blood Clot (DVT)

The next week I got the bad news about having a blood clot.  This set me back as I was told that I had to pause everything for a minimum of 3 months until the blood clot went away.  Here I was so happy to finally be healing and progressing and even excited to get into PT and start doing things on my own.  Nope.

I wasn’t allowed to do anything to increase the circulation in my leg to get the swelling down. I was also told that I couldn’t do anything new in PT that may push the blood clot into my lungs, heart, or brain.  And the idea that the blood clot could move and possibly kill me was also very scary.

I tried to stay positive and I told myself, “I can do this, it’s only for another 3 months”.  But it’s tough.

Then the next setbacks hit…a fractured wrist and a bowel obstruction

Well, the good parts of my body were finally starting to give out.  At 16 weeks post-op, I was now full weight-bearing but still using a walker because I couldn’t balance myself.  Well, on one of my trips to another room, my wrist just snapped.  I thought it was sprained but found out a week later that it was fractured.

Try using a walker with one bad leg (left) and one bad arm (right).  It was very difficult. This just added to my emotional issues.  It felt like one step forward and three steps backward.

Two weeks after this I went back into the doctor’s office for severe abdominal pain.  After a few tests, I found out it was a bowel obstruction.  I have been put on a liquid diet, bed rest, and lots of new medications since. If this doesn’t resolve itself I will have to go back into surgery.  Besides the fact that I am in intense pain every day because of it.

I now am so despondent and depressed about my recovery and all my setbacks that some days I can’t get out of bed and other days I can’t stop crying. So much for being positive.  I’m still trying to find that silver lining, but it is very difficult.

I still can’t do much for myself, I still have very painful days, I can’t bend or straighten my leg fully, I can’t go visit my horse, I feel like my recovery has been drastically hindered, and I feel very frustrated and scared.

This whole process has shown me how the body and mind work, or don’t work, after an injury like this.  It’s tougher than I ever thought; physically, emotionally, and mentally. I have so many ups and downs, sometimes in the same day.

Due to the trauma of the accident, I experience emotions such as clinical depression, intense fear, anger, frustration, loneliness, uncontrollable crying, total apathy, and more.

I hope that seeing the emotional trauma that I’m going through with this injury can help others going through the same thing or friends/family with someone they know.  It’s not as easy as you may think.

And I have to thank all those that have reached out to me to talk on the phone or through email.  It has made a big difference and kept me going down a more positive road to recovery.  It means a lot to me.

Until next time, have a great weekend, stay safe and Happy Horses!

The post Update Part II – Emotional Trauma appeared first on Teddie Ziegler Horsemanship.

If you don’t know about my accident, here is the blog that gives you an overview of what happened… MY OOPS MOMENT

Now in today’s blog, I want to get into more details about my health journey so far.

But I want to warn you that I’m going to get “real” and this is not going to be an article full of sunshine and smiles.  So if you’re looking for a happy story or a fluff piece about horses, stop reading now.  This is going to be an update about my health journey so far.

If you have gone through a severe traumatic physical injury yourself, you’ll understand what I’m going through.  But if not, it’s a whole different world on this side of trauma.  I have a whole different outlook now and a huge appreciation for anyone else going through this kind of trauma.

Before this accident, I would never have comprehended the extent of trauma, fear, and depression that something like this could develop in a person.  It’s so unimaginable what the body and brain go through in the aftermath of severe trauma.

I’ve been through a lot and I’ve learned a lot.  And being a horse person, I can relate some of it to what I’ve seen with horses.  But I’ll save those stories for the discussion of emotional and mental healing.

And even though I nursed my husband through 8 months of recovery from a ruptured quadricep surgery and 3 years of recovery from a Traumatic Brain Injury…I still couldn’t have imagined the actual depth of mental and emotional trauma something like this could cause.

Let me get a bit deeper into the aftermath of my accident…

Right after my accident I was taken to the closest hospital and was told that the damage to my leg was so severe that the only option they had was to amputate my leg.  I was shocked!  Thank goodness in my pain that I was still alert enough to say “no” and try to find another option.

One of the doctors thankfully contacted another hospital, that had a trauma center and asked what they thought.  Luckily the head trauma surgeon there said he would try to help save my leg.  He gave me a 50/50 chance of keeping my leg.  So I was sent from one E.R. to another E.R.

My first emergency surgery was performed on 10/1.  I woke up from this with steel rods sticking out of my leg from the thigh down to the ankle. These steel rods went right through my bones to hold them in place.  It was so heavy I couldn’t move my leg at all.  I became bedridden and immobile.  But this was only the preliminary surgery to get my leg ready for the real detailed surgery on 10/9 (8 hours).

I have never had major surgery like this in my life.  And even though I have broken many bones during my lifetime, none have ever required surgery.

I had no idea what I had in store for me!

After the second surgery I was happy to see that I had a leg and that the doctors said that with the right recovery plan, I would eventually be back to normal.  So I thought it would be like any other time I had broken a bone…6-8 weeks down until the bone heals and then back to normal activities and daily life.

NOPE!

I was kept in the hospital for another two weeks in a great deal of pain (even on painkillers) and immobile. Then I was released to come home with a lot of medical supplies to help me during the recovery.  I had in-home nursing care and physical therapy visits.

I knew that I would have trouble with daily activities, but I didn’t realize how much.  I couldn’t do anything by myself.  I was in a brace and primarily immobile at home for 8 weeks and then kept non-weight bearing for a total of 12 weeks.

I have always been an active person and very self-sufficient.  Being independent has always been very important to me.  So now that I needed to depend on someone else was very difficult for me.

It has only been one month since I’ve been allowed to put weight on my leg, as tolerated, and started outside physical therapy.  A lot of emotions have come up doing this as well.

But I’ll get into the emotional side of this recovery in my next blog.

The physical damage –

I shattered my Tibia plateau.  It was pulverized and no longer exists.  Which is why they wanted to amputate my leg.  I lost the bottom section of my knee and there wasn’t anything left to fix. Plus I shattered the bottom part of my Femur and 2.08 cm just disappeared into pieces.

However, the surgeon put in rods and screws to replace those sections of my knee.  Now I have bone and metal making up my whole knee.

Then on top of that, I broke the Tibia bone lower from the knee section right in half.  So the top part of the bone was free and no longer attached to anything.  For this, the surgeon put in plates and more screws to put and hold it back in place.

Then on top of that, my fibula was also broken.  But luckily that bone could heal on its own with a brace and over time. It took a total of 12 weeks for the bones to heal.

And now, 4 months post-op…

• My kneecap is still frozen
• My ankle is still frozen
• My quads are atrophied and do not work at all
• The muscles in my lower leg are atrophied and do not work at all
• My foot, ankle, leg, knee, and thighs are still swollen and painful
• My shoulders, arms, wrists, abs, hips, and good leg are very sore because of overuse, compensating for not using my broken leg
• I have a DVT blood clot and am on a blood thinner for the next 2-5 months
• My leg is still a dark red as the circulation is slow
• My leg will only straighten to 5 degrees (should be at 0)
• My leg will only bend to 97 degrees (should be 145)

And because of the current issues…

• I can’t stand or walk by myself
• I can’t pick up my leg when sitting
• I can’t do anything that requires my quads to work
• I can’t stand longer than 30 minutes with a walker
• I can’t sit in a car, or a chair, longer than 45 minutes
• I can’t use a walker to move around longer than 30 minutes at a time
• I can’t get out of a chair without help
• I can’t get into or out of bed without help
• I can’t turn my leg and I have trouble rolling over in bed
• I can’t take a shower without help
• I can’t go up one step without help (can’t do more than one step at all)
• I can’t move around without a walker or wheelchair
• I have difficulty with my balance
• I can’t pick up my leg very far or step over anything
• I can’t walk normally, even with a walker…not even close
• I can’t cook for myself, clean the house, do laundry, or do other household chores
• I can’t get dressed without help
• I can’t do any normal physical activities
• I can’t leave the house, go see my horse, or go to a restaurant without help
• I can’t drive
• I get weak and tired very easily and quickly
• I can’t read or be on the computer very long as my mind gets tired quickly
• I am physically exhausted and sleep 12-14 hours a day, off and on
• I sprained my wrist and wear a brace

These are just some of the main issues I am going through physically right now.  Not to mention the complications due to a DVT blood clot and POTS.  And these are only the physical aspects of my recovery. I’ve been told that my recovery may take another year or longer.

As much pain and trauma as I am currently going through, I have to be grateful for a few things as well.

I am grateful I still have my leg and that I had an amazing surgeon.

I am blessed to have a great Physical Therapist who is very knowledgeable about my specific situation, a good Mental Health Therapist who is experienced with traumatic injuries, and a compassionate husband who had a similar traumatic event a few years ago and who truly understands.

On top of the physical issues, there are also emotional and mental issues that have arisen due to this traumatic event.  I’d like to discuss these, how they have changed my life, and what I’ve learned from them in my next few blogs.

I hope you continue to follow along with my journey.  Have a safe and great weekend and Happy Horses!

The post Update on My Health – Physical Trauma appeared first on Teddie Ziegler Horsemanship.

Here is a list of 21 positive Tips to bring you happiness in the New Year! 

1. Stay Positive…

You can listen to the cynics and doubters and believe that success is impossible or you can trust that with faith and an optimistic attitude, all things are possible.

2. Take a daily “Thank You Walk”…

You can’t be stressed and thankful at the same time. Feel blessed and you won’t be stressed.

3. Be Healthier…

Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and less foods manufactured in plants.

4. Talk to yourself instead of listening to yourself…

Instead of listening to your complaints, fears, and doubts, talk to yourself with words of truth and encouragement.

5. Post a sign that says, “No Energy Vampires Allowed”…

Gandhi said, “I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet,” and neither should you!

6. Be a Positive Team Member…

Being positive doesn’t just make you better, it makes everyone around you better.

7. Don’t chase success…

Decide to make a difference and success will find you.

8. Get more sleep…

You can’t replace sleep with a double latte.

9. Don’t waste your precious energy on negativity…

Stop spending time with gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts, or things you cannot control.

10. Look for opportunities to Love, Serve, and Care…

You don’t have to be great to serve but you have to serve to be great.

11. Live your purpose…

Remember why you do what you do. We don’t get burned out because of what we do. We get burned out because we forget why we do it.

12. Remember, there’s no such thing as an overnight success…

Love the process and you’ll love what the process produces.

13. Trust…

Trust that everything happens for a reason and expect good things to come out of challenging experiences.

14. Implement the No Complaining Rule…

If you are complaining, you’re not leading.

15. Read more books…

I happen to know of a few good ones I can tell you.

16. Don’t seek happiness…

Instead live with love, passion, and purpose and happiness will find you.

17. Focus on “get to” vs “have to”…

Each day focus on what you get to do, not what you have to do. Life is a gift, not an obligation.

18. Don’t be afraid to “fail”…

The next time you “fail” remember that it’s not meant to define you. It’s meant to refine you.

19. Smile and laugh more…

They are natural anti-depressants.

20. Make time for relationships…

We are better together and the more we connect with great friends the more enjoyable life becomes.

21. Enjoy the ride…

You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy it.

How will you make 2024 more positive?

I have decided to finish a few things that I started in 2023.

You could also call them my 2024 Resolutions.

1. Making people’s dreams come true by continuing to develop and expand my business.
2. Finish writing and publish my third book in my “Helping Horses” series.
3. Continue healing to the best of my ability through the tragedies of 2023.

I hope you and your horse have an amazing 2024. Until next time, Happy Horses!

The post 21 Positive Tips for 2024 appeared first on Teddie Ziegler Horsemanship.

Below is a quick little video I made with a few tips on how to stop your horse from nipping.

Here are some more tips to help you discourage your horse from nipping or biting:

• Consistency is Key:
  • Be consistent in your reactions to nipping. Horses remember better through repetition and consistency.

• Pay Attention:
  • Pay attention to your horse and notice when he is getting mouthy or changes his attitude.

• React Quickly:
  • React right away when your horse starts to get too mouthy or starts to nip so you can correct it quickly. Don’t wait until your horse bites you.

• Use a Verbal Command:
  • Accompany your correction with a verbal command that is firm but not punishing or harsh. Your horse has learned to listen to your requests, so ask normally.

• Redirect Attention:
  • If your horse is nipping out of boredom or playfulness, redirect his attention to something else. Try a toy or a treat ball.

• Positive Reinforcement:
  • After you ask your horse to stop nipping and he responds, reinforce the good behavior with positive reinforcement. Offer praise, scratches, or treats.

• Establish Boundaries:
  • Horses all understand personal boundaries, so just make sure he knows where yours are. It is a sign of respect.

• Body Language:
  • Pay attention to your body language. Your horse reads it intently.  Make sure you are avoiding behaviors that may encourage nipping, like how you are feeding treats.

• Emotions:
  • Do not reprimand in anger, use a whip or a rope to hit your horse, or scream at your horse. Avoid creating aggression or fear.  Those emotions will be seen as an attack and this may cause your horse to bite you.

• Work on Ground Manners:
  • Groundwork can help improve overall manners. Practice leading, lunging, and other ground exercises to establish your role as an integral herd member and leader.

• Check for Pain or Discomfort:
  • Sometimes, nipping can be a sign of pain or discomfort. Check for any physical issues, such as dental problems or ill-fitting tack, that might be causing your horse distress.

• Professional Help:
  • If the nipping persists or worsens despite your efforts, consider seeking help from a professional horse trainer or behaviorist.

Remember, each horse is an individual, and what works for one may not work for another.

It’s essential to be patient and observant as you work to correct the behavior.

This is a relationship that is developing between you and your horse so be kind and considerate as the two of you work it out together.

Until next week, have a great weekend, and Happy Horses!

The post How to Stop Nipping Behaviors appeared first on Teddie Ziegler Horsemanship.

By paying close attention to certain factors and adjusting, you can ensure your horse has a positive overall experience even on a bad day.

Building a strong bond with your horse and trying to understand where your horse is coming from can also help you recognize and address their individual needs and preferences.  Thereby knowing what makes them happy and making it easier for you to help them out when needed.

When your horse is having a bad day, it’s important to approach the situation with care and consideration.  Otherwise, all sorts of chaos can happen.

Here is a list of 10 things that you can do to help your horses when they are having a bad day… 

1. Patience and Understanding:

• Be patient and observant. Allow your horse some space and time to calm down if he needs to.  Be safe and keep your horse safe.
• Approach your horse calmly and quietly, speaking in soothing tones to be reassuring.

2. Grooming:

• Grooming can be a relaxing and bonding activity between you and your horse. Brushing your horse can help release endorphins and improve their mood. This is an easy way to help change your horse’s bad day.
• Pay attention to areas your horse enjoys being groomed and avoid sensitive or sore areas. These sore areas might be why your horse is having a bad day too.

3. Groundwork and Exercises:

• Engage in light groundwork exercises or activities that your horse enjoys. This can help redirect their focus and release pent-up energy, if there is any.
• Keep exercises simple and positive to avoid adding stress.

4. Change of Environment:

• If possible, take your horse for a short walk or let them graze in a different area. A change of scenery can sometimes help improve their mood. Do you know where your horse’s favorite patch of grass is or where they feel happy?

5. Provide Comfort and Security:

• Ensure that your horse has access to a comfortable and secure environment. A quiet and safe space can help them feel more at ease and help them have a better day.
• Check for any environmental factors that might be causing distress, such as loud noises or unfamiliar objects.

6. Offer Treats or Favorite Foods:

• Offering treats or their favorite foods can be a way to create positive associations and improve your horse’s mood. This only helps if your horse is not food-aggressive. Ensure that any treats given are appropriate for their diet.
• Treats can also be scratches and positive feedback.

7. Social Interaction:

• Spending time with other horses or providing positive social interactions with humans can help alleviate stress and improve your horse’s mood.
• Putting them in with another horse they enjoy playing with or taking your horse to the arena to play with them can also improve their mood.

8. Veterinary Check-Up:

• If the bad day seems to be related to health issues, consider consulting a veterinarian to rule out any underlying problems.
• Pain and illness can always put a damper on your horse’s mood.

9. Evaluate Training and Exercise Routines:

• Assess your training and exercise routines. Sometimes, a modification in the routine can benefit your horse. You may be overtraining which can cause stress or injury.
• Ensure that the level of training is appropriate for your horse’s physical and mental well-being.

10. Rest:

• If the bad day is potentially related to fatigue or overexertion, allow your horse sufficient time to rest and recover.

Remember, every horse is unique, and what works for one may not work for another. Building a strong bond and understanding your horse’s individual preferences and sensitivities will help you tailor your approach to suit your horse’s needs on days when they may be feeling off.

Until then, have a great weekend, and Happy Horses!

The post How to Help You Horse Have a Better Day… appeared first on Teddie Ziegler Horsemanship.

My nurse told me that until my body accepts the new plates and screws in my body, I will have bad days that seem out of the blue (bad days for no apparent reason).

If you know me, I love to do research and look for the “whys”.  So this was no exception.

In doing my research I found out a lot about how the body can have a few good days in a row and then all of a sudden it feels like you got hit by a Mac Truck!  It still amazes me how the body works, wants to heal, and overcompensates when there is an injury.

And that got me thinking…what about my horse?

He just moved to a new facility and I can’t get out there as often due to my injury.  My horse knows I’m hurt and when I go out he runs to the gate to greet me.  He seems like he’s having fun and he seems happy.

But when I’m not there, how is he?  Does he have good days or bad days?

Well, I think we all have good days and bad days, ups and downs, and so do our horses.

Various factors can influence a horse’s mood, behavior, and overall well-being.

Here are some factors that can contribute to a horse having good or bad days:

• Health:

A horse’s physical condition plays a significant role in its overall mood and demeanor. If a horse is in good health, it’s more likely to have a positive attitude and energy levels. Conversely, illness, pain, or discomfort can contribute to a bad day for a horse.

• Environment:

The surroundings and living conditions of a horse can affect its mood. Horses are generally more content in a clean, well-maintained environment with proper shelter and access to food and water.

• Social Interaction:

Horses are social animals, and their interactions with other horses, animals, or humans can influence their mood. Positive social interactions, such as grooming or play, can contribute to a good day, while negative interactions or isolation may lead to a bad day.

• Training and Exercise:

Proper training and regular exercise are essential for a horse’s physical and mental well-being. A well-exercised and mentally stimulated horse is more likely to be content and less prone to behavioral issues.

• Nutrition:

A balanced and appropriate diet is crucial for a horse’s health. Nutritional imbalances or deficiencies can impact a horse’s mood and energy levels.

• Routine and Consistency:

Horses thrive on routine and consistency. Sudden changes in their daily routine or environment can cause stress and potentially lead to a bad day.

• Weather Conditions:

Extreme weather conditions, such as extreme heat, cold, or heavy rain, can affect a horse’s comfort and well-being.

All of these items make a difference in our horse’s mental, emotional, and physical well-being.

My first priority is always to keep my horses healthy, happy, and in good condition.  I want them to have more good days than bad and if I can help with that, I’m all over it.  But I do understand that if they have a bad day, it’s ok.  And I will do everything I can to help them get through it.

That will be next week’s discussion.

Until then, have a great weekend, and Happy Horses!

The post Good Days vs. Bad Days… appeared first on Teddie Ziegler Horsemanship.