Miss Bobbie and Maggie

In the previous year we have tried many times to get me a good horse that I don't react to. We tried twice and finally gave up.

My first encounter with a horse was a small mare named Miss Bobbie. We had gone to the horse stables to sign up for horseback riding. Planning on the next morning to be my first lesson; I walked over to stroke Miss Bobbie.

When I started to sneeze my instructor said, "Are you allergic?"

"I don't think so." I said hopping into our mini van.

As we drove off in the car my eyes began to swell up, my nose began to run, and hives came up all over my arm. When we got home we got the Benadryl out, the nasal sprays, and I jumped in the shower to get all of the dander off of me.

A few days after that experience I finally had recovered.

Months later I went to a farm where I successfully stroked their horse named Maggie. For the first time I didn't react after petting the horse, so we decided to try taking lessons there.

The first lesson was for an hour of grooming, saddling up, and riding. Of course after grooming I had gotten hives all over my arms in the same places where I had gotten the hives from Miss Bobbie.

My throat started closing up, my nose closed up, and my rash kept getting worse. After my reaction was over we decided to not give up and keep trying. We went to the store, buying gloves, a helmet, and boots to keep me from reacting to the horse.

The next weeks of horseback riding were not quite as bad as a reaction as the first time, but I still took nasal sprays, wore gloves, and wore long sleeves in the 100 degree heat to prevent me from reacting. After I started to get the trotting down I started to gallop. Each day I would wake up with my muscles tight and tense until the point where we had to give up.

Through these experiences I have decided that only when I fully recover I will start doing horseback riding lessons again.