An avid equestrian and educator, Karen has been a columnist at BioNews — the publisher of this site — since 2019. She was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome in 2009 after years of searching for a diagnosis that explained her symptoms. Karen enjoys working with her students, riding and caring for her two horses (Cherry and Spotty), and connecting with others in the rare disease community through her writing.Back in November when I fell off my horse Spotty, I badly sprained my left medial collateral ligament and my right ankle. I could barely walk. Limping was entertaining because I didn’t have a “good” leg to limp on. Crutches wouldn’t have helped — with no good leg, there…
One common issue that many people with an Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) deal with is that we “look normal.” While I’m grateful that it’s not blatantly obvious to most people that I have EDS, there are times when it can make things awkward. That well-meaning person who says, “One day you’ll…
In the intervening weeks since my competition horse Spotty was diagnosed with a disorder affecting his legs, I realized that if I wanted to continue to improve my riding and be able to compete on occasion, I’d have to look for another horse. Now don’t worry, Spotty isn’t going anywhere;…
While you likely know by now that I have horses, you may not realize that I live on a small, private, horse-breeding farm. The owner is active duty in the military, so I have my own place on the farm that allows me to help whenever needed. For non-horse…
I’m not good at accepting my limitations. While I’ve gotten better about it over the years, I’m stubborn, and if EDS says I shouldn’t do something, my usual response is to find a way around it. I’m active, athletic, and love being outside. Anything that gets in the way…
Back in December I started Pilates. Wow. Seriously, I love it. I never imagined that I’d enjoy working out in the traditional sense, but this is different. In November I took a fall off my horse Spotty (before his injury), badly spraining my right ankle and my left MCL.
It’s been a few weeks since Spotty received his diagnosis. My vet came out to look at my horse and go over ultrasound images taken by my orthopedic specialist at the referral hospital. We came up with a game plan. Although the doctor who diagnosed him advised six to…
Some days simply suck. There’s no way around it. You get bad news, things don’t go your way, you just have a generally bad day. One particular day a few weeks ago would definitely qualify. I took my current competition horse, Spotty, to an equine veterinary specialist for an evaluation…
One way of managing a chronic disorder, particularly one that affects physical mobility and causes constant pain, is figuring out what treatment works for you. What helps me may not benefit you, and vice versa. I believe that sometimes a little trial and error…
Sometimes, we may have so many levels of embedded issues that it can be difficult to know where to start. For my horse Arti and me, massage and acupressure were critical to physical recovery. I don’t remember how I stumbled upon my first massage therapist, but I’m thankful…
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