Witnessed a horrible fall....now my assertive and confident attitude is shaky

T

trailriding1

Canter. ask again..again!
May 12, 2003
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New Jersey, USA
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During one of my last lessons, while in a canter, another rider's horse tripped up and went down- one leg, two leg- head first and somersaulted over. The scene was horrifying...bear with me as i try to help you "see" what i saw. The horse landed on the rider against the wall w/in the ring. The rider was trapped under the horse from her shoulders down, on her belly. The horse was on his side w/ his head facing in the opposite direction in which they were traveling. The rider's hands were wedged under the horse and the reins were wrapped around them. Even more incredible was the fact that the horse's legs were facing out from the wall, but his neck was twisted facing the wall because the poor girl could not loosen her grip on the reins because they were trapped. It was incredibly, incredibly horrifying for them both. The rider continued to cry out for help and the horse lay there eerily still in the first moments after the fall. He was in such shock. They lay there for too many moments to count. All instructors responded quietly and calmly being careful not to panic the horse. At this point, many other riders, me included began to cry quietly as we looked on. When the rein became free, the boy heaved himself off of the rider. Pitifully, he just stood there. MIRACULOUSLY, the rider was able to sit up and talk, although she was as white as a ghost. The ambulance came and all xrays and tests indicated NOT 1 broken bone!! This young lady, who i consider to be the bravest rider i have ever seen (back riding in 2 weeks) suffered a dislocated shoulder. The horse was given meds and rest for a few days. He is back in class, as i have ridden him this past weekend.

Sorry so long...my point....I am suffering from continously constantly playing this whole incident over and over again in my head. I have a stomach ache and cannot relax anymore. I feel like I am losing all of the strides I have made in the past three years. I love, love, love to ride- up until now. Any suggestions, and thanks for listening.....
 
What an awful accident! Thank goodness horse and rider were not more injured.

If you are finding yourself terribly anxious, just take it slow at whatever level you are comfortable riding right now. Don't force yourself to go beyond your comfort zone and don't berate yourself for wanting to slow down a little. I think that we as riders ought to treat our own fears with the same patience we we would have in approaching a scared horse. As you probably know from dealing with them, progress comes quickly when we have patience, but seems to take forever when we get pressured and hasty. It's the same with our own fears. Be patient and gentle with yourself.

Take care.
 
That sounds like a very scary experience, but you shouldn't let it put you off. Horseriding is one of those sports where accidents are going to happen, and riders just have to accept that. As kedwards said, don't push your boundaries, and only do what you feel comfortable with. Your confidence WILL return :)
 
Ahh, right, nasty, but try to put it out of your head! Weird things like that happen, and as you say no broken bones or anything really nasty, so try to come to terms with it, speak to others about it, what they feel, those who witnessed it, get thier feedback. But don't let others blow it up into something which was HORRIFIC.

The last time I had a horse fall over with me at a fast canter, we both skidded up the grass on our sides, we both got up, I had a quick look at Rossi to see all was well then I got back on in the desperate hope nobody had seen it happen!! how dumb is that, there you are with genuine concerns and all I was worried about was whether I had been seen :eek: :eek: :eek:

As others say, go to your limit and no further, it will take time for you, if it is the first nasty fall you have been witness to, to file it away as "one of those things"

By the way we use spring clip rein ends for just such an emergency. No buckle/hookstud to fiddle with if a rein gets caught, just a quick hook release. So much safer with kids involved.
 
Yes well. What a shaker. You wil probably never quite forget it but time will put it in perspective. I had a horrible experience to do with a car crash when I was a kid. I Always double check junctions even if I do have the right of way and it looks clear but it does not stop me driving. As Wally said it is one of those things. Everybody was OK though, that is the important thing. Good luck
 
I can understand how you feel. I'm doing a lot of interstate driving right now, and several trips ago I passed by a horrific car crash; I didn't see the crash happen, but I was the first person to call 911--it had only just happened. I missed seeing the accident happen by about 15 seconds or so.

It was terrible. It was the worst thing I'd ever seen in my life. I couldn't get the images out of my head...I was sick all weekend and no medicine helped; I couldn't sleep. Two days later I even went to see a doctor because I was just too sick.

It's been a couple of months now, and the images are still horrible and thinking about it makes me sick to my stomach. I've driven through that city about 4 more times and I get very tense every time I go by the overpass where I saw it. But--I can drive on the interstate without shaking, I can sleep again, and just because I rmemeber it doesn't mean I can't get the image out of my head anymore.

Essentially, what I'm saying is "this too shall pass." Let the immediacy of it pass--and it may take weeks and weeks, as frightening as it was--and I'm sure you will feel better. In the meantime, take it easy on yourself and remember that you have a LEGITIMATE reason to feel the way that you do.
 
Dam that is scary!!!!

Wally thoses spring clip rein ends sound intresting, do they really work? I rember once when i first got my horse, he was freaking out rearing and spinning and my buckled reins undo!!! So I had to lean down and grab them and got hit in the head, just about knocked me out.
 
Mossy is right you know, time does put it all into perspective. We had a very nasty accident at the RDA a couple of years ago, and like you lot, the rest of us sat there terrified, some in tears.The only reason I wasn't, was because my nursing qualifications took over, and I could see things that needed doing.There are strict guidelines for dismounting at the RDA, so if I had just got off and done it, I would have had no-one to hold my horse,and I could have ended up causing another accident or making this one worse. The lesson ended there, as staff were required to help, and we went home shaken.But in time,it all came together again.And I think what did it for us,certainly for me personally, was the manner in which it was handled. It gave a kind of confidence.It sounds as if all your lot knew what they were doing.Take comfort in that, and just take the time you need to recover.Your instructors sound sensible enough to allow for the fact that you've all had your confidence knocked, and to let you cope with it in your own ways, and proceed at your own individual paces.
That was a particularly nasty accident, and nobody's fault. One of the hazzards of riding. You'll start to enjoy yourself again soon. Until then....be kind to yourself.Beating yourself up about it won't change anything.
 
All the above are very sensible replies. Just remember how the staff reacted when this happened. Everyone just got on with what needed doing quietly and calmly, making sure nothing further happened which could have been even worse. Horse riding is a risk sport and we all do it and accept that.

If you need to go back a few steps in your riding, then fine. Just take your time and you'll feel more confident and will start progressing again. It was an awful sight for you all but you need to put it in perspective.
 
Your words of comfort and advice are very generous indeed. Thank you all for your replies.

I am trying to take a few practical lessons from the experience. Our instructor, who is terrific i might add, talked about the fall the following week. While this particular incident was harrowingly unavoidable, she did discuss how a rider can assist a stumbling horse- keeping shorter reins to keep their heads up, leg-leg-leg to keep them moving forward, and having them maintain an active walk and trot. While i don't want to be overzealous w/my legs, i have recently become MUCH more aware of the horse's movements beneath me. When a horse feels as if he is just going through the motions, i communicate w/him. When a rider starts out, they pay so much attention to the basic essentials-am i posting too high, am i on the right diagonal, stay on the rail, am i centered over him correctly etc. I now pay more attention to the tempo and energy of the trot and the walk. I do hope i am making all of these adjustments in a natural way as opposed to over-communicating w/them, if that makes any sense. Ironically, I was advanced to the next level but i discussed w/my instructor that i would prefer to stay put for the summer. She agreed- i derive such pleasure from riding horses and the last thing i want to do is dread going to the stables because of hidden fears and anxiety. I will also be riding in two classes for the summer YOO HOO- . I am really pleased w/the individuals at the stables as they cater to adults as well as their younger riders.

This board has been invaluabe to me in so many ways- both in the past and especially now. It is a free library of advice. Thank you again all for the encouraging words.....happy trails!!
 
That must have been quite a shock, but do not let this one experience put you back!! No one else was hurt, the horse is fine, and all was well in the end. Keep your head up, and keep trying!! If you're still uncertain, why don't you take a week or so off from riding, or just hang around the horses grooming and such, but don't do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. As long as you do not feel ready, you do not have to, and you can wait. No one can force you. It might help to talk to a therapist or a councelor about this.
 
Horrible :( Unfortunately, something like this just happened a few weeks ago locally. The rider didnt make it.

As we all sat around talking about it, and even as I read what you wrote, all I can tell myself is this reminder:

If you ride horses, you have to expect to get hurt in some way, shape, or form one day.


The likelyhood of some sort of injury is all too likely. I myself, have continued riding with this realization in the back of my head, and whenever I get that feeling you described in the end of your post, I ask myself is the possibility and risk enough to end my horse career?
 
Wally I laghed at your first post i had the exact same thing happen to me. I cantered two fast around a corner on a wet day and me and the horse went skidding along the ground i landed on my hand and knees and the horse one his back. I got right back on after checking him and keept jumping parinoid that someone had seen me fall off.

In fact i alway try to play down my falls by jumping to my feet and trying my hardest not to limp or cry. I once did a full flip of my horse when he shyed and landed on my feet and a passing joger burst into laughter. I'ts imbaracing but i got back on.

I was also at a camp once where a girl fell of and brock her coller bone. I was pertified the next day so we just went on a quiet hack to calm every ones nerves.

The only time i dident get back on was when he bucked me off a few weeks ago. I am not used to horses that i ride doing "Naughty" Things and it was rather a shock to my raising ego.

I have never fallen off because of something the horse did only stupid things like shys and stop at a jump. I am battling with my fear and my leg sakes when i go to get on but once your up there you just have to think Where is this fear going to get you.

The horse is not dangerous and even if it is being afraid is not going to help. You will just blur you aids and have a very confused horse on your hands. who may resort to doing something silly.

The hard part is getting on again and you sound like you already did that part. Good luck with your ridding.
 
On the plus side, at least you've witnessed an horrendous fall that resulted in no lasting damage. I too had a really bad fall when my horse slipped on ice and half a ton of horse landed on my leg. I got away with severe bruising and a couple of cracked bones in my foot. Managed to get back on, ride back to the yard (I had to, I couldn't walk) and drive home. Back riding again within the week (refused the plaster for the foot!). I've actually felt less anxious about falling off ever since.

Please don't let this put you off riding. Learning to feel more what the horse is doing underneath you is really good.

Best wishes

SallyM
 
That sounds sooo terrible!
I got upset even reading it . That must have been horrible for u. That shouldn't put you off riding though!!
That is one of the things that u will only witness one in a life time. Think how many riders fall like that a year (not many) just cause it happened to one person it CERTAINLY doesn't mean it will ever ever ever happen to u. If i was to happen to u the other person didn't even really get hurt.
Sorry if i have gone on and on. But i hope it has helped u.
 
I think something to keep in mind with accidents, is that they are part of life. Even when you take every precaution, things can still happen. In the end, you do what you can to minimize your dangers (wear helmet, use safe tack or equipment, walk away from an unnecessarily dangerous situation, ride a suitable horse, etc).

Galadriel mentioned dealing with an accident on the interstate... Accidents are not easy to deal with. You do need to acknowledge that they occured and that you were affected. That may involve talking the situation over with a friend and discussing how and why it affected you the way it did. It may also involve doing a situation disection (what went wrong, why it went wrong, how can we prevent a repeat accident). You may need to stop and re-evaluate whether you want to continue with the activity, keeping in mind that every activity, even taking a shower, is dangerous [do you ever think just how many head injuries happen from slipping getting out of the shower?]. Be prepared for some fear but be prepared to tell your fear that you control it and that it will not control you.

Anyway, i hope this helps.
 
Although these accidents happen, they are very rare, very rare.

Reciational boating is more dangerous than horse riding.

Just take it slow for a while, your confidence will come back.

She only got a dislocated shoulder, so it wasn't that bad as it sounds (even though I did panic about the horse while reading it) and she is back riding, so follow suit.

Hang in there, if you can witness that, and still come back riding, you are fine!!!!
Sometimes it is worse for the people who watch it.
I think you sound incredialty brave for riding again.
 
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