Gitano

This is Gitano, when we just brought him to our quinta.  He is underworked and overfed in this picture, thus his obesely barrel shape.  He's a lot handsomer now.  He's a sweetie.  Breed:Azteca, a combination of Spanish and quarter horse.

Wallowing at Square 2

After a hectic but wonderful Christmas season that included six days with the entire family of kids and grandkids in Querétaro--a beautiful colonial town in central Mexico--, too much food, too little exercise, and oddly enough, not enough rest even though I did nothing whatsoever, it's back to the park where I am dragging myself, kicking and screaming, to do a measly 2K on a 6/4 minute schedule: six running, four at a walk. 

Not to get behind on other things, either, I rode my horse last week so long at a sitting trot that I wound up with a muscle spasm in my back.  That seems to be waning, however, and let me tell you, it aint due to acupuncture, either.  I made the mistake of going to my treatment (I have agreed to finish three months of acupuncture for fibromyalgia in order to keep my husband quiet and in exchange for a new Australian saddle worth a king's ransom) and asking for help with my back.  Okay, the massage felt good, but my usual doctor had warned me not to lie on my stomach.  I had to do just that for a massage and acupuncture session for my back, and it set me back a couple of days at least.  The truth is, I place no credence in acupuncture because no one is able to explain the physiological basis for it--that business about "energy" activated by the needles, or "pulling the pain down and away" sounds like bovine faeces to me, folks.  I can think of at least six different reasons why it would work, too, without all the ancient Chinese mysticism having to be true:

• The ever-popular placebo effect, which is quite legitimate and sometimes can last a long time if you renew it again and again.  If it works for you, then go for it.  It's worth it.
• The therapeutic effect of doing something, anything, for a chronic ailment, especially if what you are doing is a court of last resort, or if you are trying to avoid taking medications and need for it to work.  Even going to see a doctor, the act itself, is therapeutic, so acupuncture is surely no different.
• The imposed relaxation of a session, which leaves you lying quietly, with your eyes gently covered with a warm (or cold) cloth, for over half an hour while some kind of calm music aids your relaxation.
• The wonderful magical effect of the unknown--two thousand years of Chinese mysticism coming together just for you.  Every fraudulent remedy offered on t.v., in fact, for losing weight or getting in shape without moving a finger has some kind of pseudo-scientific double talk behind it, along with cartoon portrayals of what is happening in your body--your body being, of course, the ultimate human mystery.
• The persistent Western notion that the mysterious Orient hold truths we haven't caught on to yet.  Yes, perhaps.  But which ones?  And why are we so quick to discount Western reasoning?  For gosh knows how many centuries, Chinese mothers taught babies to eat solid food by chewing the food themselves first and then feeding it to the babies.  Talk about contagion!  No one seems to be hurrying to adopt that particular ancient method (which the Chinese themselves have left off, too).
• The therapeutic effect of human contact.  Acupuncture includes a kind of soothing touch and charming care that of itself is quite nice. 

But let me go on no further.  The whole point of this is that I am going to persist in order to earn that saddle.  Of course, I could get the saddle anyway, but this way my husband will be relieved that I tried everything, and I will be relieved to have it over with, much as I enjoy the sessions.  I mean, they aren't free, and my stingy bone gets activated because I don't think there is a point to acupuncture for me.  If it works for you, have at it.

Meanwhile I struggle on at the park...