Do they really teach you how to fall?

[MelissaH]

My instructor said that one of the things I will learn is how to fall off my horse. What position to fall into, how to ball up etc...


Is this something that is regularly taught?

[horseygal90]

Never learnt it myself, but I have read Gal's tips... They gave me a pretty good idea!

[Kalypso]

I think it SHOULD be taught! I wish I knew how to fall, probly could have saved myself a few not so fun injuries! ;) You'll have fun...I had to learn how to fall to play Ice Hockey...i'm guessing the principles would be somewhat the same...maybe...no probably not really but whatever!! hehe :D

[KarinUS]

I have had an emergency dismount lesson! :D

But honestly I really hate falling off and prefer to spend my energy trying to stay on... ;)

[TBs N QHs]

I've never heard of that. I just learned emergency dismount too. Should be intresting :P

[galadriel]

No matter how good you are, you will find yourself falling off once in a while.

If you have reached the point where you can not retrieve your position, and you are GOING to come off, it can help to control your fall. Some of the worst things that you can do involve the human instinct: putting your arms out to break your fall, tensing up...these can get you hurt much worse than if you relax and take the fall.

The Emergency Dismount is useful to to keep you from being hurt too badly, and to help you actively control the fall:
http://lorienstable.com/articles/riding/100-emergency_dismount/

[PromiseMe]

I was never taught that at any of the barns i rode at.
I think its a good thing that your instructor is covering that though. It could come really handy...although most of the time, you really dont get to 'think' about it.

[HappyHacker]

Brilliant idea. I think it is taught at racing yards.
It's often referred to as the 'jockey roll'...teaches you to tuck all your limbs in to prevent fractured wrists, ankles etc... as often when you're flying face first into the mud you stick out your hands and doh! Knackered wrist...
When alot of people take up riding, one of the biggest fears is falling off...so think its a good idea to practise and show people that its not always going to end up with broken bones or death, but normally just a bruised ego and a muddy bum.

[Wally]

No two falls will ever be the same, I fail to see how you can be "taught" to fall off. It all depends upon how you are thrown.

All I can say through bitter experience is KEEP HOLD OF THE REINS!, for two reasons, one, it helps keep your arms busy so you don't try to break your falls instinctively, so breaking an arm, and two, it stops the horse running off!

90% of falls are undignified slithers, unless you are a high speed/impact equine sport rider. X country or showjumping etc.

[galadriel]

Originally posted by Wally
All I can say through bitter experience is KEEP HOLD OF THE REINS!

Wally, I must respectfully disagree.

I've seen riders who kept a hold on the reins accidentally pull the horse so that he went right over them. If the horse is unbalanced at all, if you're on the ground with a hold on the horse's head, you may pull the horse down right on top of you.

I strongly recommend that a less experienced rider drop the reins if s/he is coming off.

[Wally]

Nope, keep that. in your mind, then at least you will not end up breaking an arm.

But then we are not speaking of the undignified, moderate slither. Most novices will not be going any speed to pull a horse over. If I was going Hell for leather I'd let go as I know the momentum of the horse will carry me too far and may get me muddled with legs and stuff.

For the novice at slow speeds hold the reins. Novices at slow speeds put out that hand to break the fall, all it breaks is arms.

[Shizzity]

It seems to me that that Emergancy Dismount only works when your horse is bolting... I have fallen off many times and none of them have been caused by a bolt. Doesnt seem to me that learning it would be a good use of time. You need to have the mindframe that "you wont fall off", and that actually helps you stay on.

I do agree that the relaxing and tucking are good though.

[galadriel]

The Emergency Dismount helps you to control a fall if you have a chance.

The great majority of falls happen at the walk. My last fall certainly did, and I was quite glad to have a chance to control it (I have a bad back, and wouldn't have liked to fall such that it hurt my back more). Most of my falls have not been caused by bolting--I think one was--but most of the falls could certainly have been helped (or were helped) by having some measure of control.

There is a point at which you realize that no matter what you do, you're coming off the horse. If you get to that point, it's better to try to minimize injury than to just bail out.

[Wally]

I don't understand the "bail out " mentality. Most, not all , horses have a small amout of self preservation. If you can rider well enough to stay on board I'd stay there, you are safer.

How far can a horse truly bolt? not as far as it feels at the time. Just try to stay calm and stay put until he stops bombing off.

Cliffs, dual carriageway, tiger enclosures excepted!;)

[galadriel]

Originally posted by Wally
I don't understand the "bail out " mentality.

And I don't encourage bailing out.

But there are times when you are GOING to come off. Sometimes you're unseated, you realize that there's no way you can get back to the saddle. At that point it's safer to try to control the fall, than to try to hang on.

If you try to hang on, you're not going to have any control over the fall when it happens; you may land on your head, on your elbow...you may end up injuring yourself much more than if you took control of the fall and ended up on the ground.

The only time I've had any kind of injury from a fall was about my 2nd fall ever. I was riding an unfamiliar horse who tripped THEN bolted. I was halfway off before he started to bolt; when he bolted, I was jounced even further out of the seat. I ended up heading for the ground head first; I tried to break my fall with my arm. I sprained my wrist, but it could have been much worse than that.

And if I had tried to get some control of what I was doing *before* I came off entirely, I might not even have sprained my wrist.

The idea is NOT to bail out over a slight loss of control. The idea is to take control when you ARE falling, and try to minimize any injury.

[horseygal90]

Just a question... What if your horse is bolting in an enclosed arena, going hell for leather, and slips round the corners? I.e going so fast that its 'free wheeling' it, and is in danger of going over? Of course try and stop it, but what if you can't... Hypothetically of course

[KarinUS]

I think just like any skill or knowledge, it's not a bad thing to know how and it gives the choice to use it- or not! :)

I am one of the people that will expend all of her energy staying on but I have not had good expereinces with falling- so I try to avoid it like the pest. Should I ever get to a point where I know I am falling I will know how to come off.

But I sure try my darnest to stay on :).

[Wally]

It all depends upon whay the horse is bolting in an enclosed area.

If the horse is scared then it is up to you, the rider , and folk on the ground to put a stop to the fear and bring him back without further scaring him.

If he's doing it to intimidate and scare YOU, which some horses can do, I wouldn't be telling some one who didn't know how to ride him, I'd expect them to know otherwise I wouldn't let them ride such a horse.

The reason I tell folk to concentrate on the reins is for this very reason, it makes you land in a ball and not with your hands out. If you have enough time to know you are at the point of no return it is important not to put out your hands.

[Shizzity]

None of these dismounting techniques seem like they would help you if you were bucked or reared off the horse. That just happens so fast that it doesnt seem like there is time to do anything. I was just sitting on my horse once, i blinked, he did a huge buck, and i was off. Thankfully i didnt get hurt, but there was no time to think about anything.

Also, is it really true that most falls happen at the walk???

[KarinUS]

We should do a poll! :)

I have fallen off 3 times so far
1st fall: canter
2nd fall: horse bolted- we'll call it canter although it felt like breakneck speed to me
3rd fall: canter

OH has fallen 2 times in his short riding career
1st fall: trot with little crow hops
2nd fall: horse bolted- looked like flat out run

So I have 3 canter, 1 trot, 1 galopp

[Shizzity]

I have:

1 buck, 7 jumping refusals (about), 1 where i was lying over the back of a horse (playing a game) and it spooked, and one cantering where the horse tripped.


Woah...thats a lot! :eek:

--But i fall off less now, since i actually try to stay on when thinks happen...and have the mind frame that i am going to stay on.

[Grace O'Malley]

I've only come all the way off once (knock wood! :rolleyes: ). I was cantering in a group lesson and the horse I was riding tripped and fell. It seemed like I had ages to think about her falling on me, or the horses behind running me over after I reached the point where I knew I was coming off! I don't remember thinking about whether to let go or hold onto the reins (I let go). I thought about rolling toward the fence, to get out of the way, and that's what I did (after landing on my forehead).

In the past, I've been shaken loose by spooks, but managed to stay on--these were horses that got ahold of themselves and stopped when they remembered they had a rider. I've gotten better at sitting those, but I'd rather not have to. :p

Grace

[alstonpickle]

i've fallen off more times than i can remember! but i think it's probably close too a hundred if not more!

i think it's mainly bucking thats caused me to fall. i ride at a dealers/livery yard and used to ride the horses that had come from the sale most of them were a bit nutty and i had to school them until they were quite enough to be sold or be used on the riding school. luckily ( maybe that should be amazingly) i've never injured myself apart from the odd bruise here and there.

i've only fallen off my own horse once though, i was on a big group ride and someone galloped off in front so he kept rearing and wouldn't go forward i didnt know what to do and eventually he just threw himself backwards. i knew he was going over so i just slid off and landed on my feet! i don't know if that counts as a fall.

[horseygal90]

I have:
1 at stand still - first lesson (the less said about that the better!)
2 in trot - learning to trot
1 in Canter/refusal - jumping.

[alstonpickle]

i've got to say that after a couple of years break from riding i'm much more scared of falling now. i always think of the worst case senario whereas i used to think, if i fall off i'll just get back on.

[Wally]

I've fallen off every way possible, even at halt:D Really at HALT, the horse wasn't even doing anything wrong. I went to kick the horse football SO HARD, and missed and chucked myself onto the floor. Torfar stood over me blinking and nuzzling me.!

What I will say is that everytime I broke anything was when the horse fell over too. Broken collar bone when the horse fell at gallop, broken leg at a X country over a big hedge with plough the other side, broken coccyx showjumping, horse went over on his nosey and I was catapulted over the neck.

Each time I have fallen off through bucking, rearing, shying etc, I have come away TOUCH WOOD WITH EVERY APPENDAGE! with bruises and a red face. Usually a silly grin too.:o :o :o

Fell off in the middle of the road and scraped my face along the road, That was ghastly, I looked like I'd done 10 rounds with Mike Tyson!

[clare123]

I had my first fall a couple of weeks ago. I have been learning in lessons, as an adult, for 2 years - so think it was about time!

I had read galadriels emergancy dismount article before and tried to use that as far as I could when I knew that 'this is it I am headed for the sand arghhh !!!!'.

I managed to lose one stirrup in trot, got a bit unbalanced, Henry went to trot the poles instead of the straight line I was expecting, I lost the other stirrup in the process of trying to get him back on the track, then I could feel my body sliding sidewards so I grabbed his mane to balance myself, then this not working I 'cuddled' his whole neck and slid off to the left hand side rather gracefully.

Henry stopped dead as my feet hit the ground thank god, as I still had hold of his neck! It could honestly have been a planned trick and I just stood there laughing. Had I let myself fall though I would most likely have fallen to the left and hit the fence of the arena so that could have been a lot worse.

So, THANKS galadriel, and yes once you are going to fall anyway, as a novice, not at speed, not on a buck or a rear, on a sane horse, just because you have lost your balance, the emergency dismount really works.

[blumke99]

I think there are some principles that are good to learn. Its taught in martial arts, and I think there is some value in it.

From personal experience, I think there can be dangers with overly resisting the fall. I reached the point of no return from an uncontrolled canter, and refused to go with the motion in desperation to stay on... the result was landing flat on my face! Had a trip to casualty where a plastic surgen reattached my bottom lip and generally tidied up my face!

I know it all hapens very fast, but in hindsight I could probably have recognised I wasn't going to recover my seat and rolled out of it more safely.

[leviskipperette]

ive fallen a grand total of 4 times.

the first time i fell, was off of my friends dead calm qh. we were cantering along (hes so smooth!) and i somehow managed to lose both my stirrups and bounce off the left side, i got dragged a few strides because i refused to let go of the reins. and to add insult to injury (a nasty bruise on my hip and a painful limp), it was at her birthday party, ahh how embarassing!

the second time was off of gaby, the second time i cantered her, she was so bouncy (my fault). i bounced right off the back, dropped the reins, and gaby gave me the extra push to make sure i hit the ground on my butt. i got back up and hobbled over to her, and rode for a few more minutes. i hurt for weeks, it took a lot to canter again, i really lost my confidence.

the third time i fell was off of gaby again. it was a bit muddy in the corners of the ring, and i was careful to avoid them. but one time, we came around the corner at a canter, and i tried to slow her down but i just wasnt getting through, so we both slipped. i was flung about 2 feet from her my foot by the horn of the saddle, i was sprawled out in all directions. i remember looking up and seeing the ground poles right in front of my face. when i looked at her she was already on her feet. we both were fine, just muddy.

the last time i fell was over a year ago. gaby was at the studs for her three night stand, and i thought it would be smart to hop on gaby bareback while the stud was prancing around. well gaby wanted nothing to do with that stud, at the moment, and she assumed that i was him on her back. so she started a little broc session, and i dont remember if i decided to get off or if i flopped off, but either way i was on my butt again.

whew that was a bit long, sorry

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v156/leviskipperette/horses/gaby/trot2smaller.jpg

[Elly Koopman]

When I started to ride again, I had lessons on my dads friends daughters mad cap fried brained pc rally ponies! I was constantly falling off, and if the saying ' fall off 7 times and you're a seasoned jockey' well I was lester piggot 8 times over in the first hour!!!

The second time around I was jumping as the girl thought I was up to it, and again, I had fallen off 7 times in as many minutes!!!

Since then, I have been thrown off a 10.3 pony ( not one of my better moments - hurt too considering I was only really about 18 inches off the floor!!), fell off over a jump when my girth broke, and the other two times have been when my horse has lost her footing on bad ground...

One of my instructors used to put a can of coke on the ground and get us to pick it up off the horse, as we got better, the can got smaller. It was really only to teach us to lean out of the saddle and balance for polocrosse. It doubled up as falling off practice for a lot of people!!!

I think that things like this can help, as it's fun and takes the pressure and angst out of hitting the turf, however, speaking from experience, whan done at speed, the last thing you want to do is laugh!

I was also lucky that I did a lot of judo as a chlid and learnt to do flying breakfalls, and trust me when I say that you only balls it up once...

Best advice, leave the horse it'll sort it self out, if you're still hanging on safely then great, but as pointed out in earlier posts, the horse will do it's best to stay upright, and when you're on the turf, roll into a ball where possible, the horse is likely to stand on you then...

One other thing - whips - if you have your wrist through the loop sometimes provided, this will increase the risk of you breaking your arm/collarbone/shoulder etc...

And keep your arms in - if you can't - RELAX!

[Shizzity]

I would like to re-state my opinion about the emergancy dismount.

After today, i think everyone should be required to learn it.

Bolting+Bareback=Bad

[martini55]

I just have to say, I have fallen off a number times and a number of ways and not one of those times did I have enough time to think about how to fall because I never realised I was off until I hit the ground... or regained conciousness;)

Apart from once when I fell off at walk, well the horse spooked and I was left hanging half off and decided it was easier to give in and go down rather than haul myself back up there as I was hanging onto the reins more than anything and I was more or less gone anyway lol. That time I just kept hold of the reins to stop me from going splat and landed on my backside in the mud. In that case if I hadn't held onto the reins I would have landed on my head as that was the way I was falling.

I think knowing how to bail out is good, just so you have the confidence to know you can do it properly if needs too. Though I think it's rare that you'll be in a position where you need to do that.

There is only once I call recall thinking about whether to bail or not and that was on a completely panic-stricken tank of a cob who bolted at flat out gallop (there was no-way of turning him or anything) and I was thinking should I or shouldn't I. Turns out I never needed to and I'm glad I didn't because it would have been a very nasty outcome if I had bailed on him. I don't know who was more scared- me or him, considering he was only a youngster at the time. But on saying that if your safety is at serious risk you should bail.

[Peace]

Most instructors I know say they've had more students hurt practicing to fall off than have been hurt actually falling off. Personally I try my best to stick like a cockleburr:o , and so far have not fallen off.

Years ago I had an unfortunate talent for making horses fall down with me, which I developed by progressively freaking out worse each time a horse stumbled with me. Many horses, I've found, will lose their balance when they have a panic-stricken human curled into a fetal position and entangled in their mane.:rolleyes:

I think all these accidents happened at trot, except once at a (totally unplanned ;) ) lope. God only knows why any instructor would've told such an unbalanced student to ask for any gait faster than a walk.:rolleyes:

Suppose you fall off somewhere far from home - for instance, my instructor wants me to go ride on the beach sometime soon. Not that I plan to tumble off of Bootsie, but if I do, and I let go of the reins, is he more likely to stop, or charge off to trample the tourists?:eek:

[KarinUS]

:D Peace, posts like these make me really look forward to our Grand Meet-Up to see what you look like when you tell these stories in person!

[farm-girl]

please yell at me.......... begining of spring 1999........5th time i was riding (it was my friends horse and her mum didn't know how well i rode. she thought id been riding quite a while because my position was so good-blushes-and said i could ride at whatever speed i wanted to because *hes a complete angel!* hlittle did i know!!!.), canter, pony gos faster because *he likes running*, galloping (5th time rirding remember!!:eek: ) so excited about my first gallop, i don't notice the shelter in the field coming up, pony swerves to miss it, thats the end of my right shoulder blade and one joduphur boot as i know them!!:D my fault really. my fifth time riding, and the pony was quite green because my friend doesn't like riding him in the winter. I shouldn't have ridden him.:(

my second fall was AGES later. end of autum 2003.... that was also because i was being stupid. my friend was having a sleepover, and we slept in the spare stall, because her mum didn't want a bunch of noisy kids inside. we started to play dare. the dares were easy at first. stuff like 'jump the cross poles in the menage' (not on horseback, just jumping), 'pretend to be our riding instructor' (she was VERY scary!!!) it was about 7.30, and we were all in our PJ's, barefoot. me and my friend were dared to get opal (a 23 year old, grey, cross breed pony, who was an absolute angel. *In loving memory of Opal. R.I.P*) out, put on her bridle and trot round the menage, then put her back. we started trotting, and my PJ's are really slippery, and i fell of, grabbed my friend to try and stay onshe landed on top of me so i couldnt see what i was doing, and opal trod on my bare foot. OOOOUUUUCCCCHHHH!!!!! i was taken into A&E by my friends mum, and my friend was in MAJOR trouble!!

[SwiftwindSpirit]

Originally posted by galadriel
The great majority of falls happen at the walk.

I wish all my falls had been at the walk! :rolleyes: All of mine have been out of canter, besides my last fall where it was from a huge buck. I find that I always have time to think when I'm about to fall. I try to control my fall as much as possible before I have no say in what goes on! :D So, I lower myself and just try to slip down the shoulder of the horse. I always land on my side or back. I'm waiting for that day where I land on my feet and I can jump back on the horse within a second of falling off!

[imabrit_us]

Gotta say that for me bailing is not a choice. I've fallen off twice in eleven months (not bad considering I ride twice a week). Both times we were cantering. Both times the horse spooked and I was unseated/unbalanced (so it was the lack of balance that caused the problem rather than the canter).

Once my center of gravity is heading ground-ward, there's not alot I can do but commit to the fall . . . but I do think knowing the emergency dismount would have helped me both times. The last time I fell (a week or so ago), I distinctly remember seeing Otis' neck and mane and thinking "I should grab that, but then what?" . . . and then I squeaked "I'm coming off . . . " and that, as they say, was that.

For me a bolting horse isn't cause for bailing . . . and there aren't many things that would make me pro-actively bail at speed. I'd be pretty capable now of staying on a horse that was running away w/ me and I think I could probably manage to stop it. For me, the problem is sudden, balance-destroying leaps sideways on the part of the horse.

Anyone got any ideas on how to sit those?

N

[Outrider]

Karin, you're a Texan and have only fallen from a horse 3X? :) I'v'e been riding for around 30 years or so and have fogotten how many times I've come off of a horse. I can't say that I've "fallen" per se, just bucked off mostly and a few times a horse has spooked out from under me! Maybe that might be called a fall. Its hard for a cowboy to admit to "falling" off a horse! :) Its happened so often over the years, that its now instinct for me to tuck and roll. Thank the Good Lord, I've never been seriously hurt from any buck off.

I think the E.D. is a good thing to learn. I'm not an advocate of bailing from a run away UNLESS we were heading for a deadly experience such as a busy highway, cliff or something like that. You stop a bolter by turning them in an ever tighter circle. If you can keep your head in that situation you should stay on well enough.

I do recall one really humorous experience I have to share that I guess you could call a fall. I used to do medieval recreation as some of you might recall. We were doing a choreographed demo for a large group of folks in a football stadium. The story was, two brigands were manhandling a maiden and I, the noble knight in armor and pointed lance in hand was to ride towards them at a gallop, lance lowered, and chase them away to save the girl. They were suppose to run away. One of the guys instead thought it would be more realistic to try and fight me from the ground, so as I charged at a gallop, he ran towards me waving his sword! A few feet from him, my horse came to a complete and sudden stop! As my lance was already pointed down, I went over the horse's head and my lance, still under my arm, stuck in the ground and I flipped over it! In a complete suit of real chain mail armor! Well, I was able to recover my wits and fight off the bad guys from the ground with this broken in half lance and save the day. It actually looked like we had rehersed it that way I was told. After we were away from the crowds though, I wanted to REALLY beat this guy with the lance! :)

OutRider

[Daisy555]

:) i just had my first lesson ever today and they did not teach me how to fall,but they tought me how to dismount:D

[galadriel]

You know, I'm still perplexed about the source of the idea that the ED is for bailing out when your horse is bolting or you've lost control. As long as you're still in the saddle and not in immediate danger (like uncontrolled bolt into heavy traffic), there's no reason to leave the horse's back.

I'm baffled here.

[Sam and Blake]

We weren't actually given a lesson or taught on how to but given advice about it and that is to obviously try and land on your feet and bend your knees but the best way ti fall is to roll.The most you can get from this is a few bruises.

[Calsanjo]

Can't say I've ever been taught how to fall. The majority of my falls have certainly not been at walk, I'd be extremely embarrassed if they were! It's usually because I've put a horse wrong at a fence, or the horse has decided to ignore me at a fence and gone wrong anyway... ie taking strides out and leaping for Mars, ducking out at the last second, or putting an extra stride in THEN leaping for Mars, catapulting me into space and disappearing from underneath me before I got chance to come back down again! Fortunately I don't come off very often but when I do I must say I don't have much time to think about it - too busy concentrating on staying on usually.

In the same way that practising the EC helps you to fall, practising staying on helps you to stay on! :D

[Silver1]

I've had 3 falls, one on a trail where I landed on my back (my mind was not on whether I should hold the reins or not. It was "What am I doing down here?") The other two I knew I was going to come off and the fence was handy, so I grabbed hold of it and used it as a tactical dismount. I can do that at a flying gallop with no stirrups :D

[MI Horsey]

Hi, I'm the dummy that tried to break her fall and broke her arm :o I fell of about a dozen times as a teenager ,this was my first fall since starting up again last year .I am deffinatly going to ask my instructor about a falling off lesson so this doesn't happen again :rolleyes: .When I was about 12 I had a lesson that focoused just on how to fall but yeah well , that's quiet a long time ago ,think another one is due!!! But until then I will be riding a valium on legs in a western saddle so I atleast get back on a horse .(a rocking horse in the arena would make me happy about now :o )

[Peace]

MI Horsey - I'm not sure an emergency dismount will work in a western saddle. That high cantle is awfully hard to clear once you've kicked free of your stirrups. :) But then, they're engineered to be hard to fall out of. ;)

[MI Horsey]

Peace: I so agree that western saddles are harder to fall off from. My main goal for now is just to get back on and stay on , :D then... when I feel a little more confident again I'll switch back to huntseat and see if i could possibly manage to fall correctly :rolleyes: .But untill then a nice big western saddle with a horn to grab and stirrups as big as my feet will be just great .(seatbelt would be nice too )

[Ashby]

I've had a couple glorious falls (With my limited riding and ability i value each fall because they come so often :D )

Before i knew anything about riding i didn't know how to stop my friends welsh cross gelding and the fence was shut, he noticed at the last second and i was catapolted head first into the metal gate. All i remember i was on my back looking at the clouds and the gum trees and laughing.

The other was when the mare stopped at the gallon drum and i landed on it (my side)

and the other i find so pathetic was 'he' woulden't canter forwards, instead he went sideways and well... i didn't know anything about heels down or riding boots then so i fell off.

Cantering down an uneaven patch of ground with lots of trees, i had lost the sturrip and figured 'what the hell, i'm the worst rider out of all three of us by years so i'll just jump off' So i did that from a fast canter (almost gallop) and somehow landed on my feet and my friends thought it looked pretty good.

the last one... my friends horse she was riding started rearing (she can't control him) and i wasn't looking where i was cantering (checking leading leg) and well, i look up and i see big thoroughbred stomach on my face. The mare swerved and i went flying through the air and landed on my feet.

I haven't learnt how to fall off but my intructor told me never to jump off if i left like i was going to fall. I thought that was stupid and naturally when i'm mucking around i'd still prefer to jump and test my changes of landing than wait and see what happens on a run away horse. (Thankfully i can ride a bit better and stop a horse now! and actually know how to!)

[ponylover88]

...

[Kerry Claire]

LMAO - after reading a few of your posts and different tips I just thought I'd add my bit - when I fall of I never think to grab the neck or saddle, I never keep hold of my reins, I don't think I tense up, I don't roll up - I just ... fall!

Does anyone else find that?

I can't remember any of my falls properly, just remember the cause and landing in each case. I think my mind just blanks out because I never try to do anything or even put my arms out to break my fall etc - I think I mentally just ... freeze!

I can't remember anything that I've seen or thought whilst in the air!

[Eli_Jay]

I've been riding on and off since i was 6 and i have fallen off 3 times - which is reasonable considering that is now 9yrs worth of riding!! my last fall was off my previous mare when we encountered a snake at a brisk trot and she bucked when she saw it - before i did - and i landed on my FACE. i snapped my brim off my helmet and got concussion and bruised ribs(don't know how i managed that-lol). But, being the silly girl i am, i got straight back on and had half an hours lesson on her... i only stopped because my vision started to get a bit blurred and i had a thumping headache. I had one of the worst headaches of my life that night, and i wasn't allowed to go to sleep:( that is one way NOT to fall. i did get out of school athletics the next day though - hehe

[ponylover88]

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[Eli_Jay]

ouch :( two days in a row! you must have been really sore the day after! lol

[stevielee]

wish i would of learned how to fall of safely . Well you now what they say your not a real rider untill youve fell off 7 times(well thtas what they say round here) I must of fell off over 30 times i might sound like a crap rider but i blame it on the loopy horses my instructer puts me on. Say if theyve been out of work from being lame ect and there fresh il be the one to ride them first and get thrown into the ait 10ft by an over exited pony. I also have fell off countless times into the cross country fences (they dont move :eek: )
Saying all this i havnt fell of recently its mainly around this time i fall off though when they have been stabeled all winter and when we start hacking out . Any way cya all later xxxxxx

[horseyrose]

Interesting topic, I've never been taught to fall (apart from through bitter experience!!) but can see the sense in it. Some falls are too quick to really be able to think about it but at other times there is a definite moment where you've reached the point of no return and can make a decision :D I've been riding for 13/14 years so have had countless falls, I've been bucked off, reared off, catapulted off when the horse puts in a nasty stop, had 'disagreements' after a jump when the horse goes one way and I go the other, been fallen on a few times and just fallen off for no particular reason!
I've never hurt myself though, and whenever I've been fallen on I've had enough sense to roll away. The only time I really got injured was when I stupidly tried to hold on to the saddle to save myself and nearly wrenched my arm out of it's socket!

[ponylover88]

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