Falling off horses

If you ride a horse, you will fall off. This may lead me to buy shorter horses, as the ground is truly getting harder.

Lily had a whole riding lesson devoted to falling off. Or "emergency dismounts" as they were called. It looked like the riding teacher pushing her off to me.

I've never had an emergency dismount lesson. I tried an emergency dismount once and it was a disaster. I was in a bareback jumping class and had just completed the eight jumps. Everything was fine, until it wasn't. The horse I was riding at that time was crazy, and he decided to take off. He was fine while jumping. I don't know what happened in his little crazy head, but he got faster and faster. And he was truly fast -- he was supposed to be a polo pony, but was too crazy so they sold him to a 15-year-old.  Anyway, I had this bad feeling that he was going to jump out of the ring, so I decided to bail out. I put my arms around his neck and tried to sling myself off, but I didn't let go, so I ended up under his neck, right in front of his pounding hooves. I realized I had no choice here, so I let go, expecting death. He rolled me and spectators said that he stepped on my head. I do not believe this, as I would have noticed. To this day I am surprised that nothing bad happened. They quit having the bareback jumping class at that show after that. Sorry that I ruined it for everybody, guys.

The potentially worst fall I ever had was when my wonderfully reliable hunter mare slipped and fell in wet footing after a jump. First her front end went down, which pitched me onto the ground. I believe in rolling when you fall, so I rolled away -- and a good thing, too. After her front end went down, she flipped and her hindquarters landed where I had been. I would have been crushed if I hadn't rolled. She got up. I got up. She was shaking. I was shaking. But we were both all right. So, being a teenager, I got on and kept jumping.

What's your worst fall? Has it changed anything about how you ride or how you think about riding?

What are you thinking about in that moment when you are in the air? For me, it's a letting go. "I might die here. I'm in your hands, God. It's really all okay, but please don't let me be paralyzed."

Comments

[Kathy C]

I shouldn't laugh, but can't help it. =) My falls tend to be because of my bad seat. I only started riding a few short years ago. Both times have been when the horse spooked and I stayed in the same spot.

Thoughts? Oh Sh*& Here I go again.

[Anne]

I think laughter is always in order. Yes, I've done that "horse spooked and I stayed where I was" fall a good many times. Your thoughts are exactly my thoughts in that situation. "Here I go again!" For some reason those spook falls tend to rip pants. Don't know why.

[Jen]

I think my worst falls were when my new large pony hunter was trying to teach me about not jumping ahead LOL I always went right over his shoulder. I definitely do not get ahead of my horse anymore.;)

[Anne]

We've all been "launched." Some of us learn to not get ahead -- some of us are still doing it!

For a while there I had hot horses (rushers) so I didn't have to worry about getting ahead. I was trying to keep up. Then when I got a regular, nice horse, I had to relearn. Or at least I hope I've relearned!

Thanks for stopping by!

[Shelly]

My worst fall wasn't the worst for injuries but it was definetly the scariest. I was at college and did not have my horse there so the ranch horse club was going riding and one girl said she had an extra horse and asked if I wanted to go. So I got on and away we went. It had been raining quite heavily all week and we were riding in a Provincial Park (I'm from Canada) and we were about to go down this steep hill. There were already three people at the bottom and I was next. The horse didnt' want to go and neither did I but because everyone else was there and waiting I pushed him forward to go down and sure enough he lost his footing and went down. I tried to bail off to the side but my foot was caught in the stirrup. The horse (Dan) jumped up and took off at a dead run to the bottom of the hill dragging me with him. All I can say is that I am so thankful for the one guy that was down there. He remained calm, stopped Dan while the other people were panicked. Luckily I wasn't injured, just really sore and scared. It has somewhat impacted the way I ride. I always listen to what they are trying to tell me. My dad had always told me that a horse knows his footing better than you ever will so trust him.

[photogchic]

Amazingly--with all the horses off the track that ran away with me and the time my horse spooked so bad, I thought she would flip over backwards, I still haven't been thrown from a horse. Now ponies....they are a different story. Maybe thrown 100 times. I lost track. I had four growing up and it was their daily challenge to get me off their back. Whether it was running under low hanging branches or actually kneeling down and rolling...they wanted me off. But it was good training for staying on horses. I know my day is coming:-)

[photogchic]

Amazingly--with all the horses off the track that ran away with me and the time my horse spooked so bad, I thought she would flip over backwards, I still haven't been thrown from a horse. Now ponies....they are a different story. Maybe thrown 100 times. I lost track. I had four growing up and it was their daily challenge to get me off their back. Whether it was running under low hanging branches or actually kneeling down and rolling...they wanted me off. But it was good training for staying on horses. I know my day is coming:-)

[photogchic]

Amazingly--with all the horses off the track that ran away with me and the time my horse spooked so bad, I thought she would flip over backwards, I still haven't been thrown from a horse. Now ponies....they are a different story. Maybe thrown 100 times. I lost track. I had four growing up and it was their daily challenge to get me off their back. Whether it was running under low hanging branches or actually kneeling down and rolling...they wanted me off. But it was good training for staying on horses. I know my day is coming:-)

[Beckz]

Ah I had a fall off a young horse and broke all the metacarpels in my hand, had to hve surgery and everything. It certain;ly changed the way I ride, I'm much less likely to push a young horse to hard and I have gt alot better at reading them.

[Anne]

Shelly, that is every horseperson's nightmare. Everything about that is scary -- the strange horse, the fall, getting dragged and only getting rescued because one guy happened to be in the right place at the right time. You are one lucky person.

That's a good reminder to always trust your horse's sense of the footing.

[Anne]

Photogchic, I don't know anyone over the age of 12 who hasn't fallen off, though perhaps you got your quota with the ponies.

Maybe we all have to have a certain number of falls, and you got yours early.

[Anne]

Beckz,
Breaking so many bones and surgery would certainly change the way I ride (and who I ride!). I'm about to get an aged QH trail horse as it is :)

You're young -- do you have any lingering signs that your hand was broken, such as knowing when there's a change in the weather?

[Brianna]

Thankfully, the worst fall that I think I have taken was off of my trusty little Quarter Horse. i was riding him back when he was four, and he had some HORRIBLE balance. I was cantering him down the middle of the arena and asked him to turn one way, and he decided to go the other. I fell off, hitting my head, then nose on the edge of a metal barrel and my foot got caught in the stirrup, so I got drug a few feet before I completely fell to the ground. Now, whenever I go around a turn, I always expect the unexpected.

Last December, a girl who boarded at the same barn as I did was out trail riding, and the same thing happened except that she hit a tree. Not the horse, the horse was fine (after running full speed back to the barn, completely covered in sweat). But the girl hit the tree with her face and torso, with her horse galloping through the trails(and the horse was faster than a few race horses in training around here). The girl pretty much died instantly(atleast it was doing what she loved). So expect the unexpected, even the most trust-worthy horses can make some simple mistakes.

[Anne]

Brianna,
Thanks for your comment! I’m so glad you lived to tell about it. We so often forget that horses aren’t perfectly balanced machines.

The story about the other girl is so shocking. I’m sorry for her, her family and the barn. Such a small thing, then life is over.

When I’m 92, I’ll be happy to go that way. But not one minute before.

[Haley]

My worst fall was when I was riding a horse for sale. It was my first time riding him, and not knowing that the lady didn't have a proper arena, I did not bring my xcountry vest. Since she did not have a proper arena, I jumped in a little field behind her house. The jumpe was only like 2'0 (if that!), but for some reason Canto, the horse, decided it was the scariest thing he had seen in his life, and instead of trotting calmly up to it like i asked him to, he took off in a mad wild canter, jumped about 10 meters ahead of the jump and if you could pause time, you could've probably paused it, ran over, and raised the jump up to 4 feet. And he still would've cleared it by at least a couple inches. Caught totally offguard by this, when he landed on the other side, I was thrown over his neck, landed on my stomach, and hit my head against the ground. Did I mention I forgot my helmet? Yay me. THANKS GOSH I was alright. Not entirely, but it could have been worse. I didn't break anything, my head was fine, I just had a lovely shiner for a couple of weeks and I seperated my rib cage. But seperating it is better than breaking five ribs, right?