New rider...........frightened of falling..

[podling89]

Hi everyone,

This looks like a really good website and I hope you can help me. Ive started horseriding lessons (Im on my 3rd this week) at the age of 44 years....

Its something I've always wanted to do and am really enjoying it except for one thing..Im terrified of falling off. The reason is I had a horrendous cycle accident 2 years ago ending up with plates, pins, etc after breaking apart my upper jaw and forehead, nose etc. Amazingly enough I hardly look any different - I had an unexpected facelift!! Needless to say I was lucky to survive that...really. I have never been able to get back on a bike again properly but am fascinated (and always have been) by horses and am really enjoying learning to ride..

BUT..theres this nagging in the back of my head that dont push your luck Keith. I survived the bicycle crash so what on earth am I doing on some large, intelligent (but spooky prey animal) horse that can if it wants please itself what it does (well thats how I think at the back of my mind). How can I stop this bad thought ruining my time - or maybe I should count myself lucky to still be here after my crash and make furniture or something less dangerous?

How, if you do fall off, can you minimise hurting youself? Does this thought, in my mind, somehow transfer to the horse and upset him/her as well??

Any guidance / thoughts / etc would be verrry gratefully received as I want to get through this and carry on riding!! My daughter who is 8 years old and we are learning together has no fear at all! and mastered the rising trot instantly (good old dad bouncing around like asack of tatties at the minute!!).

Thanks for reading this. Cheers. Keith.

[katieB]

Hi Keith, welcome to the board :) Good to hear you have taken up riding, it really is a great sport. I think and I know this has been the case for me, if you fall off there isnt really much you can do, its more to do with luck than anything else! There is something called the Emergency dismount, one of the members has a page which tells you about it but I cant find it at the moment. For me personally its not an option - my brain doesnt work quick enough to think about doing it mid fall but for a lot of people it has helped numerous times and for others its piece of mind. I have been riding for 15 years and to be honest ive never had a fall that hasnt made me want to get back on and ive been lucky to never hurt myself, of course the next day there are a few aches and pains but thats inevitable. To be honest falling off doesnt hurt as much as you expect it to, im a real wimp with pain but I dont think ive ever cried from falling off. Of course there are people who have bad falls, as there is with any sport or activity but I think the enjoyment takes over when it comes to getting up and getting back on. I can see why you are nervous about falling though, if you have already had one bad accident you want to avoid another, right? I think as your confidence grows your fear will lessen, it just takes a bit of time to get there sometimes. Just remember to have fun and you wont have time to think about falling :)

[bexj]

HI Keith

Welcome to the board! We ain't gonna pretend that riding isn't dangerous, but there are steps you can take to minimise the risks. Firstly make sure you always always always ride with an approved standard hat, get it properly fitted by a tack shop and always wear the chin strap. Also you might consider investing in a body protector, and although opinion is sometimes divided as to their effectiveness, you might consider it to be a wise investment.

Secondly, don't let yourself get pushed into doing things you are not comfortable with doing. If you are at a good riding school, then you are less likely to be pushed beyond your physical and mental limits, but I know that riding amongst a bunch of 8 year old seemingly fearless girls can be intimidating to say the least!

If you do happen to feel yourself sliding out the side door (and it will be sliding in your first lessons rather than being catapulted!!), then try to curl up as you fall, so you can roll away from the horses feet as you land, and try to cover your face and other delicate bits:D

I, like many riders on here, have fallen hundreds of times, and (touch wood) never been more than winded. Bad accidents do happen, but they are fairly infrequent, and as long as you stick to your own limits then the risks will be less.

And last of all, if you relax and enjoy it, you're less likely to be bounced out of the saddle, so smile!!!

Ps - where in Cumbria - I hail originally from near Kendal:D

[podling89]

Hi,

People seem very friendly here! and many thanks for your replies and help on my worries. I've been out riding again twice since I posted my 'help' message (yesterday and this afternoon the latest) and cant help myself although Im stiff as a board - I absolutely love it and the (this seems a bit weird to me?) seemingly special atmosphere around horses. I'm trying to rationalise it now and I've accepted that sometime I am definitely going to fall off but its all about keeping it in perspective I guess......I guess I was just a bit unlucky with the bike thing..

Im beginning to feel the horses movement underneath me with respect to its legs and my instructor had me practicing rising trot again today..Ill get there..with a smile on my face. He's talking about me riding bareback lunging just to feel it more??

He says that I'm hooked..by the look on my face, when I arrive, and again when I depart from the school. I should have done this years ago.....

KatieB and BexJ..many thanks for your kind help and taking the time to read my message..

BexJ, I live in Alston Cumbria, where it rains all the time. There are some nice old drivers roads up here though. Where did you head off to then from Kendal?? Also, your horse Molly looks gorgeous..

Cheers. Keith.

:) :) :)

[amylou_84]

hi

glad the lessons went well :) im sure with time you will begin to relax into the riding. its good you are actually going ahead with lessons at all. my sister fell off her horse when she was only 6 and broke her arm. she hates horses now and vows never to ride one again.
i kind of get where you are coming from. except for me its jumping. i have that nagging feeling that i might fall off the next time i jump, or maybe the next time after that. my instructor knows this, so knows when to push me. i tend to cheat in lessons, by bypassing the jump and just cantering around it. it takes a few threats from Fiona to get me over the jump. but after i do it a few times im ok and my confidence goes up. i think the right instructor is a big help. Fiona knows im the sort of person that needs pushed and encouraged alot.
you may need a different approach to your riding. iv never seen you ride so i wont know.
i would echo bexj and say buy a body protector. you may think - im only trotting so why would i need one - but it makes you feel a lot more confident knowing you have some protection.
good luck :D

amy :D

[Wobblydeb]

Hi Keith,

I know how you feel - I was scared silly until I fell off the first time. But I didn't hurt myself at all (although I did wonder who was screaming as I was sailing through the air - not realising it was me!) and afterwards it didn't worry me at all.

Then a while later I came off again, except that this time I broke my collar bone. Nothing too serious, except that it turned me into a total coward.

So now it's become about risk management for me - I will not ride insane horses, I always wear my hat, and I have a body protector. And you know what? I feel okay as long as I stick to that and don't let anybody push me into something that is too far beyond my comfort zone :) (And I have to deal with the incredulous "What, you don't want to gallop across the fields and jump hedges?" look when it happens....)

[AliC]

Here's the emergency dismount information:

http://www.galadriel.shaftnet.org/physics_of_the_horse/emergency_dismount.html