True on the horses. We must also bear in mind that their eyesight is approximately the same as ours and supposedly just as many are nearsighted as are humans. In fact, humans and horses are the only animals that can get uveitis. It never hurts though to train them to be mounted from both sides. An older horse may not adjust to it as easily though.
As for my getting old before my time, yes I am! This is my 17th year teaching and I started right before I turned 22. But, what I thought was all wear and tear damage was actually RA. Ok, because of that I am also getting osteoarthritis early in my knees (they haven't had cartiledge for years now). Despite all this, unless my joints are swollen like bowling balls, I get a lot done. I built my own pole barn and last summer I put new siding on my house. I'm still eventing with the horses though not nearly as much as I used to. Though I will admit it is because of the RA that I was finally willing to spend the money to get a tractor. The loader prevents me from having to do heavy lifting now. No more snow shoveling. It can dig post holes. The migraines have nothing to do with age, they are heriditary. I've been getting them since I was 10. For whatever reason, low barametric pressure is a common migraine trigger. So when the kids ask if there will be school the next day, I always seem to know that answer.
