Afraid of falling!

[Talou]

I know this is kind of stupid since i know that i will fall sometime. But when i'm riding i get very tense and nervous and this does not help at all.
I have no idea what to do. I'm always *trying* to think positively and tell myself that will not happen. But i dont trust myself! lol
And now since i started jumping i'm very scared about the horse refusing to jump or something and i go flying over the jump horseless.
Any advice would be great,
Talia

P.S. I have been riding for a year now and i haven't fallen.:D

[Shizzity]

Falling isnt so bad. I have only been riding for a year and i have fallen of several times. I even galloped into a tree once..... You should enjoy riding, not be scared of it!! Just concentrate on the positive.

And there is no way you can go flying over the jump without your horse if you are sitting back.

Just have fun!!!!!!!:D :D :D :D :D

(you will eventually get immune to falling, like ME)

[horseygal90]

Don't worry about falling, it won't hurt that much! And if it does... Well, you've done it! It helps just to think of something else, concentrate on the horizon, or just listen to your horse extra closely.

[Talou]

Thanks guys!
I love riding and i will try to be more positive about things and think of something else like u said horsegal.
Thanks!

[KarinUS]

Maybe sing, whistle or talk- anything that keeps you breathing! :D

[stephydoo]

i had a bad fall which made me have a terrible fear of falling. it happened while jumping and that was my biggest fear, a good friend told me that i had to jump again at least just once otherwise i would never do it again, i diod that jump and although it was tiny i was petrified but i did it and nothing bad happened i dont jump now but at least the last jump i did wasnt the bad one.
for a while i had a fear of falling due to the injuries i got from my fall, i knew that i needed to have a little fall so that my mind would be assured that a fall doesnt always lead to injuries, and after a couple of minor flls from my horse i think i was cured, i realised that i could fall and although scarey, i could strand back up nd get back on, i think you need to have a little fall(not wishing it on you!) so that you too can see that it aint that bad.

[galadriel]

Falling happens. Everyone falls once, twice, occasionally, or ride after ride :)

However, there are a lot of things that you can do to make sure that any potential fall is not a bad one. You can keep yourself safe and relax about someday falling off, but make sure that, in case of a fall, you are prepared.

1) ALWAYS wear a helmet. The primary cause of head injury in a fall is not going fast, or doing soemthing dangerous, it is simply the fall from a height. No matter what you're doing, protect your head. Then if you do happen to have some silly oopsy and you take a spill, you'll know that your head will be safe.

2) You can wear a body protector also. The body protector's job is to keep your back straight (keep it from twisting) and pad a fall somewhat. The body protector can minimize chances of injury if you fall--but be sure to purchase one which is comfortable, which won't interfere with your riding.

3) Learn how to fall properly. If you stick out your arm to catch your fall, or tense up as you go down, you're more likely to hurt yourself. In falling, it is best to ball up and relax.

4) Learn how to control a fall. Many times, when you're definitely going to come off, you have a chance to control the "involuntary dismount." The method is the Emergency Dismount, which is illustrated here:
http://lorienstable.com/articles/riding/100-emergency_dismount/

You don't have to try to put aside your fear. Your fear is a legitimate one. However, you can learn to combat the fear, and find ways to minimize the danger. Then you can relax and enjoy the ride :)

[panzita0]

OK, first I wanna let you know I totally understand where you are coming from, I've never been afried of riding, or falling for that matter but jumping and galloping I had a big phobey off I'm still trying to get over jumping I'm doing good though lol. OK, so I used to fall off ALL the time, Like it was scedualled it was once a month no matter what, and if it was late I knew it was gonna be a bad fall LMAO! Well anyways I became a pro at falling, I haven't gotten injured at all in the past 3 years ( keeping with that record) except for twice, once when I landed on a jump, which wasn't my falt the lesson pony was having a real rotten day and didn't wanna jump, he almost through my instructor after he threw me twice LOL Then when my own pony bolted and fell over himself I bot bruiced pretty bad those 2 times but that's all !!!!! The reason is..... most of the time I can save myself by either grabbing the horses neck and making an emergancy dismount, or by simply landing on my feet. I guess I shouldn't say simply since it took my nearly 2 years to master :) Anyways what the whole point of my blabbering is.. that you shouldn't be afried to fall off cause it's kinda fun and you get to post long messages like this going on and on about landing on your feet :) what you can do to get your confidence up about falling off is.. have someone lunge you at a walk, drop your sturrips now swing a leg over and turn your belly so your facing the saddle with your stumach over the saddle, then jump down, it's easy, then get on, do it again on the other side, and do it as many times as you want it's funnnn ok anyways have fun riding, and don't be nervous, sing if you need to cause singing is fun too :)
panz

[MI Horsey]

I started riding after a loooong break in May and have had a few really close calls since then .Honestly I wish I would just fall and get it over with because it keeps beeing in the back of my mind too (moving more to the front) .Would it be a good idea to have a lesson just on emergency dismounting? And how would I ask my instructor to do this ?And now that I'm all old and fragile (HAHAHA)wont falls hurt more ?I'm not that afaid of falling ,it's more getting kicked or landed on that worries me .I have a good imagination so I come up with all these different scenarios (sp?), makes for an interesting ride lately:rolleyes:

[Talou]

Thank you so much everyone!
U have really helped me realise that maybe its not *that* bad....

MI horsey i guess im like u....i have *almost fallen dozens of times but in the end i caught myself. I wish it could just happen and get it over with. lol
Thank u very much for the link galadriel!
And everyone thanks for the advice,

I really appreciate it!:)

[^_^pEpPeRpOt^_^]

I havent fallen for well over a year (am probly gonne end up falling off now lol) and i'm not scared at all i dont know why seen as i havent fallen off that much but i suppose people feel differently bout things some might be scared and some not. You should just try and not think will i fall off just think to yourself i wont fall off then if it happens it happens and like other people have said dont put your hands out just fall lol. Good luck =)

[herbyhorse]

My only advice if you are afraid of falling off when jumping is to look ahead, above or through your horses ears.

Ive fallen off more times than I care (or could) rememeber, it's part of riding. amoungst the kids at my yard there wasa point when we didn't have a ride without 1 or all of them coming off. Now we score points on style and grace in the upplanned disembarcation. because the less you make of it, the less you will focus on it and the less likely it will happen.

:)

[joosie]

I think feeling nervous about falling off is usually much worse than actually doing it!

[Ruffiane]

Sometimes it's better to fall off than try to stick out a potentially dangerous situation. I've fallen enough now that I know how to do it pretty well and can hop right up without too much injury to self - only pride!

In fact, I've been complimented on the beauty and grace of my falls!

I'm not afraid, but I'm always a little apprehensive, especially on a new horse. I felt better when I read that even Grand Prix and Olympic riders are always, at least, watchful. When they're grooming the horse, they're watching for signs of whether it's a bad day for him, or anything else that could set the horse off. It's the nature of the beast. But reading things like that, and reading here, make me feel less like a fraidy cat and more like it's just a part of the experience.

I think having no fear would be dangerous.l

[Lenvale]

Message deleted

[Talou]

Thanks again for your replies!

I agree with u about the anticipation must be worse! Sometimes i actually think about making myself fall off just to see what will happen! LOL My coach wouldn't be too happy if i did that though.:rolleyes:

Everyone keeps telling me that i'm gonna fall eventually but i keep telling myself that maybe i can make a record of not falling off at all...it could happen! LOL :D ;)

[notpoodle]

i agree, the anticipation is HELL ... ive only fallen of like 3 times in about 15 years and dont remember much about the falls (apart from the time i fell WITH a horse, that is still a very vivid memory, ahem) themselves. i do remember the bit where i thought 'aaah aaaah im gonna fall and theres nothing i can do!' though!

if you dont feel happy jumping and get scared - just dont do it!!! nobody should feel obliged to jump when theyre not 100% sure about it! you can be a great rider and NEVER have jumped in your life :)

at the moment, falling off my pony is the last thing on my mind - ive been using the 'so what' approach, along with (yes, i know, this is naff) the 'i picture myself having a great ride and nothing scary happens' approach and they worked well for me! now i just think 'aha, that was a buck and im still here' or 'madame is going a bit fast today. oh well, the worst that'll happen is that we go VERY fast and she'll get bored with it after a minute or two'.

julia
x

[Talou]

I really like jumping, it is alot of fun! i just dont want the horse to refuse to jump then i fall thats it. Today i watched one of my friends jump in a competition,yesterday ,today and tomorrow and it looks like fun! My confidence is going up! Yay! Did i mention that my friend is 11 years old and she jumps high jumps...at least for me...i dont know what height i'll ask and tell u guys tomorrow.:)
So that gave me confidence, if my friend can do it so can i!;)

[Angiebabe]

Don't worry, Im sure we're all afraid of something at sometime, some of us more than others!
I try to always wear my back protector if I'm worried about jumping because then at least if I fall off I shouldn't hurt anything too much - it gives me confidence anyway!
I also have great faith in my instructor that she wouldn't let me jump anything she didn't think I could do. So then when I'm on my own I just jump smaller things I feel confident with.
Best of luck.

[PromiseMe]

Youre doing good...:) 1 year and no fall...tahts fantastic...some people fall on their first lesson!

Dont be scared!

I was jsut like you!

I was always like...omg, what if i fall...i probably wont want to ride anymore. LOL...

and than guess what? I fell off ...

and whats next...i thought... THATS IT? omg! falling isnt that horrible at all. Its so fast that you hardly even think about it. Its not that terrible at all.
haha just a tip...it hurts wayyyy less to fall in sand than grass!

enjoy riding :) who cares about falling? its all part of it riding, and if you do, you'll just get back on and ride again!

[Mary Poppins]

I think that experiencing your first fall is a big step towards becoming a better rider. Once you have fallen and got over it, you will become much more relaxed and not worry about it so much.

However, wearing a good hat and body protector will help prevent injury. I always find that I fall off when I least expect it and always wear my body protector. If you get one that is professionally fitted and comfortable then you don't even realise that you are wearing it. Although saying that, considering how many times people fall off horses it is rare that serious injury occurs. Ski-ing for example is a much higher risk sport in terms of long term serious injuries.

[Dummer&Drummer]

you are doing fantastic, about time you come off though girl i think :) i have ridden to 3 months and have fallen off 4 times, i seem to be going in bouts of two's :)

it is not as bad as you think, the thought of it is worst, honestly :) yeah i know people do fall off bad, but you can't ride with that fear. i fell off yesterday and i am happily sat at work today. did not feel the last 2 fall offs, i was nearly off by the time i landed on the ground anyway, and the 2 fall offs a couple of months ago were a bit more heifty and landed on my hip, the same hip twice in 5 days :rolleyes: and it still was not as bad as i thought

the best bit about falling off is going home and having a nice bath and chilling on the sofa with a well deserved large tub of toffee ice cream - well deserved and guiltless :)

if we fall off we are always made to do, for example, the jumps we have just fallen off of again

[^_^pEpPeRpOt^_^]

I have taken quite a liking to falling, i dont mean that i want to fall but that it doesnt bother me what-so-ever now, i fell off 6 times today (in an hour jumping lesson) and after the first couple i just didnt care anymore i ache like hell now but i had fun lol.I was MADE to do the jumps again till i got it which ennded up with me falling off twice in a row but eventually i got it (even thouhg i still fell off 3/4 more time) I think the more the fall the more you get used to it and dont become as scared especially if you get right back on and maybe even do what it was that made you fall off again (eg sitting trot with no stirrups) Hope you get less scared of falling try not to think of it and dont ever say that you havent fallen off i did and look what happened to me lol.

[Talou]

OMG! Everyone is so sweet on this board!
I didnt know i would get this many replies! Thanks everyone!
:)
Actually,im getting much better at not thinking about it....thanks to all of u!;)
My coach let me ride his daughter's horse ( she used to jump her now she jumps higher so she has another horse...its the same 11 year old girl i was talking about before) i was so surprised that he was letting me ride her that i thought he had forgotten who was riding! LOL!
But that lesson was great!;) :cool:

[MI Horsey]

ok, so i did fall and broke my arm doing so .now i am terrified of even getting back on .worse than that actually , i was terrified watching my daughter ride .i still have a long recovery time ahead as the arm is considered a shoulder break yadayada.. anyways now i'm really scared to death !!!!!!! i know most falls don't end this badly but now it's the what if that gets me .:(