# What is falling off at a gallop like?



## Jacksmama (Jan 27, 2010)

Well, it depends on the situation. I've come off hard at a gait and popped right back up at a gallop or vice versa. I think the key is learning how to fall and land. Once I figured out how to tuck and roll it was much better,lol. Also, bailing and leaving the saddle under control just before you lose it normally leads to less bruising.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

I'm too a'scared to fall off when I'm going that fast. 

I've fallen off at the canter, though. It's rather more painful than being spooked off at a walk or standstill. 

I've also been bucked off at the canter. Not something I'd recommend as it resulted in a bad concussion, a bloody gash behind my ear, and a messed up back.


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## MN Tigerstripes (Feb 20, 2009)

It hurts.  LOL. Sorry, but that's the only thing I could think of. Basically you're moving faster so you have quite a bit more momentum when you come off. 

When I came off at a gallop I was actually thrown. My darling horse was trained to buck on command, well he also would do it occaisionally in "celebration". We were racing my sis, won, and he bucked. I don't remember anything except waking up on the ground, but apparently I flew quite a ways through the air before hitting the ground. I landed on my back and my head snapped back into the ground. My sis thought I had been killed, but I came to shortly afterward and was "fine." *Note, this is not Soda who did this.


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## barrelracer892 (Apr 3, 2010)

Falling off at a gallop = NOT FUN.

Sometimes it'll knock the wind out of you and you can't breathe for a few seconds. 
You just sit there stunned and just think what the heck happened?! It's very easy for you to get hurt falling off at such a fast speed. Don't do it! Haha :]


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## GraciesMom (Jun 17, 2010)

Hopefully, I won't know that answer for a while!


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## whiskeynoo (Mar 17, 2010)

it depends on the way you land, where you land and what kinda ground you land on. 

at the annan chase last year (the chase is basically just a race) they never had the ending well thought out, it's a long wide straight you get to gallop and theres a dead end when you reach the end, well rocky got competitive with the horse that was right on our tail and never wanted to stop...until he decided the bush at the end was scary so he stopped dead and i went over his neck and landed in the bush on my back, next thing i saw was his gray belly as he jumped the bush haha


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## Brithorse1996 (May 25, 2010)

LOL this all sound like experiences i wouldn't not want to be in, well apart from GraciesMom.

The pony i was riding at the time and still ride is 8 years old and one of my instructors (my favourite one) told me that when he came to the school he would buck everyone off and that he sent her to A&E twice with a suspected broken neck.

And she told me this right before we started galloping, great confidence booster


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## Sunny (Mar 26, 2010)

Like it's been stated above, it depends on the circumstances. I've come off at a gallop three times. Once was into a barbed wire fence, once was because my horse bolted and then made a quick turn, and once because I was breezing my horse and she got spooked and hit the brakes. None were pleasant, but the expected ones, like the bolting horse, hurt less because I had time to plan a jump-and-try-to-hit-grass dismount, because I knew my horse was about to do a sliding turn. The suprise falls always seem more painful, but then again, I haven't had many extremely painful falls.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## ridergirl23 (Sep 17, 2009)

I find it not much different then the trot, as long as you fall the same way and tuck a roll. I haven't had any major fall that sent me to the hospital, but I don't really remember the painc(I've never remembered any kind of pain) anytime I fell I only ever got winded. If your in an arena it hurts a heck of a lot less, haha
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Brithorse1996 (May 25, 2010)

yeah but think about it if you fall when you're not excpecting it how many of you are actually prepared to do an emergency roll etc?


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## barrelracer892 (Apr 3, 2010)

Brithorse1996 said:


> yeah but think about it if you fall when you're not excpecting it how many of you are actually prepared to do an emergency roll etc?


 
I can never remember to do one! Haha!


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## Sunny (Mar 26, 2010)

Yeah, i've never done the tuck-and-roll thing. It seems like if you did it wrong you'd break your neck. Lol
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## apachiedragon (Apr 19, 2008)

What's it like? Hmm, like being smacked around with a 2x4. Actually, it's like doing a belly flop off the high dive at the pool. Hurts like a sonofagun, and knocks the breathe out of you. The tuck and roll can help, unless you land on your shoulder funny and dislocate it. That's always a fun trip to the emergency room... Me, I'd rather ride the gallop than fall off of it, lol.


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## corinowalk (Apr 26, 2010)

I fell off of Nico at a gallop and at a walk...niether were pleasant but unbelievably, the walk caused more damage. With the gallop, I had an exit strategy...he was running and had started to buck...when i pulled him back and sat deeper, he went faster and stuck his head down...As soon as he responded by speeding up, i started planning on how to bail. I rolled off him and kept rolling. He stopped a few paces away. The walk was riding bareback...he was warm and sweaty...i jumped on anyways. I got on in the center of the ring, he walked to the rail and turned...I hit the ground on my bum, rolled into the fence with my arm and somehow bruised my stomach. I look like ive been through a cement mixer right now! Poor guy was so confused...he just looked down at me like 'werent you JUST up there???'


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## Skipsfirstspike (Mar 22, 2010)

The first time I ever fell off a horse it was doing a fast canter. I was a teenager who spent all my spare time and money at the local trail riding barn. It was a cold January day, and there were no other customers there, so the manager figured she would just give me a horse and I could go on my own for an hour. Now, I could sit a horse at all gaits, but never rode alone before, so I really had no idea how to really control a horse -- it always just followed the leader, right?
So off I go, very loose rein, thinking the horse is just going to go where I point it.. nope! Then she decided to stop. I nudged, then squeezed, nothing. So I gave a little kick. Yowza! She said "Ya wanna go? Let's go!!" This is when I realized that my reins were too loose. Picture the beginner trying to stop the runaway horse by having to pull the reins back behind her shoulder, lol. We were running away from the barn, so the horse very quickly corrected that, and turned fairly sharply. But I was riding it out! Yay me!
That's when I learned my second lesson, always check your own girth!
Horse is running, all of a sudden I am riding on her side. In my head it happened in slow motion. I actually saw the clump of frozen dirt that my face was going to hit!
Did it hurt? Of course! Was it really a big deal? Nah. I walked back to the barn, wiped off the blood, and asked to go out again. They gave me a fresh horse, (the first one was playing hard to get, lol) and off I went, a better more aware rider already.


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## lilkitty90 (Nov 11, 2009)

i've only fallen off a horse twice. my first time was at a gallop. it was my first 6 months or so riding. and my friends dead broke horse was being pokey so i decided to give him a light kick to nudge him on and he decided alright lets go and bucked me straight over his head in a briar patch!! 

my second time was weird i was riding bareback and we were loping and i was transitioning down into a trot then a walk. and my horses decided to do some kind of stomping stop type thing where she slows down really rough and i just kind of slid right off.

other times i've fallen but not off a horse. i was going to mount my girl bareback and since i'm a weakling and can't vault up there i was going to use a bucket. and the bucket decided to tip over as i was standing on it. i fell right beside her and she put her nose down and just nudged me like "whatcha doin down there??"


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## Mickey4793 (Sep 24, 2009)

Ever had a situation where your life flashed before your eyes? It feels like that.
My horse took off at a bucking gallop in a field once, the last thing I remember was staring at the ground approaching, and thinking "I'm going head first, and I'm going to die." then eating chicken pot pie four hours later and wondering why my head hurt so badly.

It's scary, and painful.


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## apachiedragon (Apr 19, 2008)

@ Mickey4793 I had one of those, but mine was from a standstill. Was riding a green gelding bareback in a little paddock before a storm. He'd been riding good all week, so I figured, "I'll jump on him bareback before the storm hits, walk around for 5 min, then quit." There was a ditch in the middle with standing water in it. Now, I'm not talking ravine, I'm talking little dimple in the earth with maybe an inch of water. Was going to slowly walk him over it to get across. He stuck his nose down to sniff it, and since I was just hanging out, really, I let him have his head while I just sat there looking around so he could check it out. Big mistake. For some reason known only to him, he decided, "I've sniffed enough, let's jump over the ditch like it's a four foot oxer" And with me casually holding the buckle of the reins in one hand and not holding on at all. I must have been really centered, because I did manage to land on his back, only I was about a foot behind where I should have been, so I landed square on his butt. He thought a mountain lion or something had him for sure and erupted into the biggest rodeo buck I've ever felt, and since I was on his butt, he launched me about 10 ft in the air. To add to my stupidity that day, I was wearing a tank and cutoffs. Thank goodness I had on the helmet. I remember flying through the air, watching the ground coming, and thinking "This is really going to hurt" But I hit the ground rolling, went over a few times, and was fine. Tiny scrape on one shoulder. That is called LUCK! lol


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## Sunny (Mar 26, 2010)

That "This is going to hurt" feeling is scary. Haha. I had that when my Arab mare and I were galloping along a dirt road. She had been doing SO well, and was getting into a full blown racehorse run. I could hear her hooves pounding, her deep, quick breathing...it was amazing. Well, we were galloping back toward the exit that took you back on the trails to the barn. She actually galloped past it, so I figured, "Hey, she's doing good, not being barn sour, so why not turn and gallop back to the exit again? She'll be good." WRONG. We turned, and headed back toward the exit, a full blow run. I could see the exit, so I decided I should start to pull her up before we got too close. Well, I then discovered that I was upon a bolting horse who was about to turn into very tightly wooded trails, with huge hills and ditches and tight turns. I knew that if she took me with her, I'd get a leg taken off by a tree. So, as the exit came nearer, she made an extremely sharp turn into the trails, and I bailed. Ouch. XD
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

It hurts.......quite a bit. At least at a walk or trot, usually you just hit the ground and you're done. However, at a lope or a run, you hit the ground and then bounce a time or 2. LOL. At least I do anyway.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

smrobs said:


> However, at a lope or a run, you hit the ground and then bounce a time or 2.


Not once you reach a certain age. I don't bounce anymore, I SPLAT. Very not-good, especially for us older riders. Our bodies just can't take the abuses they used to, without breaking and shredding things now. :-x


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

LOL. So true SR. Though I still bounce, it's not quite as high as I did at 15.


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## Brithorse1996 (May 25, 2010)

Yeah im 14 so i probably would bounce, but wouldn't that hurt more lol =P


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

No dear, bouncing is much better.

I used to bounce and I don't anymore, so I know which one hurts the worst!


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

I don't remember my fall at a gallop. It ended with me going to the ER with a good concussion and a broken arm. Thank God I was young ( 8 years old - kids bounce!) and wearing my helmet - it was wrecked.


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## Brithorse1996 (May 25, 2010)

what happened????


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

I can only remember part of what happened, the rest has been filled in by stories from the people that were there. The instructor that was teaching me at the time told me she would tell me about it once - only once ever - then she wanted to forget it again, and she wouldn't repeat the story after that.
My pony was a bit of a brat, and wouldn't canter. I went to pick up a crop and that's about all I remember. Apparently the pony took off (we were riding in a quarter section, I think, with a few "average" sized riding rings within it, unfenced) and galloped a good ways. I stayed with her fine until she jumped a ditch funny and I popped off and bounced about ten yards. I was out cold, and by the time I woke up, my instructor had been able to catch the pony and everyone was gathered around me.
Apparently the pony was scared to death of whips - but nobody had told me or my instructor. 
First and only time I hope to ever fall off at a gallop lol


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## Brithorse1996 (May 25, 2010)

so what was your nest lesson after that like were you scared?


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

I took a couple months off because of my broken arm and concussion, but I was back riding fairly quickly after the cast came off. I was scared, yes, and I stuck to the "old nag" beginner's horse for a while to build up my confidence, but as the rest of my riding career shows you, it certainly didn't affect me long-term!


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## Rowzy (Mar 1, 2010)

The only time my horse has sucessfully bucked me off is at a gallop. It hurt and knocked the air out of me but it could have been worse, I was only slightly bruised haha. But I did have to get a new helmet - my helmet cracked when I landed. There was electric wire fencing on either side of us and I landed very close to it. And from my experiances simply "falling" off hurts a lot less then the horse bucking your off.


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## Brithorse1996 (May 25, 2010)

Ouch I hope i never have to experience that but i've got this feeling im going to fall off in my next lesson


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Don't think of it like that. I have learned from experience that the more you focus on negative thoughts, the more likely they are to happen. For example, you are terrified that this certain horse is going to buck when you get on. You work yourself up so much over it that you are tense and scared and the horse can sense it. That makes him more tense and scared and more likely to buck. Just relax and focus on what you are doing right and what you are enjoying. Think to yourself "I will never fall off" and that will make it much less likely.


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## Brithorse1996 (May 25, 2010)

yeah but the thing is my instructor told me the wonderful story of how the pony i always ride sent her to A&E (ER) twice with a suspected broken neck because he used to be naughty 
Im not scared of him but its not exactly a confidence bosster if you get what i mean =P


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

LOL, I understand exactly where you are coming from but try to not let it get to you. Just keep that chin up.


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## Brithorse1996 (May 25, 2010)

Yup whenever i get scared i think of the amazing time i had last weekend galloping him and not falling off


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

There you go.


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## payette (Jun 3, 2010)

Falling off at the gallop feels exactly like one would imagine falling off at the gallop would feel. . .LOL!  I can't help but tuck and roll-apperently it is ingrained muscle memory at this point, but it still is really unpleasant! If it has to happen, hope for a short horse and a soft landing!


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## ChristineNJ (Jan 23, 2010)

apachiedragon said:


> @ Mickey4793 maybe an inch of water. Was going to slowly walk him over it to get across. He stuck his nose down to sniff it, and since I was just hanging out, really, I let him have his head while I just sat there looking around so he could check it out. Big mistake. For some reason known only to him, he decided, "I've sniffed enough, let's jump over the ditch like it's a four foot oxer" And with me casually holding the buckle of the reins in one hand and not holding on at all. I must have been really centered, because I did manage to land on his back, only I was about a foot behind where I should have been, so I landed square on his butt. He thought a mountain lion or something had him for sure and erupted into the biggest rodeo buck I've ever felt, and since I was on his butt, he launched me about 10 ft in the air.
> 
> That is such a good story!! I laughed so loud about the horse thinking he had a mountain lion on his back that I scared my cat who jumped off the back of my chair where she had been sleeping! LOL LOL
> 
> ...


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## ChristineNJ (Jan 23, 2010)

By the way, that was a really really good question!!!!!


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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

I've fallen off/over lots at the gallop - Hazards of riding mounted Games! Mostly I don't actually fall off, but I miss my vault and can't run fast enough to keep up so I face plant, lol...

But the two I can remember at a gallop were the worst injuries i've had (Still not really bad). One was getting a tennis ball out of a bucket of water - Wildey thought I had it so headed for home but I didn't, and I went underneath him and then dropped off. I was lucky he didn't stand on my head but he did stand on my foot - My foot swelled in my boot. I have a permanent bruise and had a few broken bones.

The other was on a pony I had called Spot - Very neurotic and NOT well trained, he twisted under me one way then the other, so I was hanging on the side, and took off. Dad jumped in front to try to stop him and he slowed for second and I dropped off - Fractured my cocyx. But he continued on and flew through a barely open gate which would have scraped me off so i'm glad I bailed when I did!


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## lilkitty90 (Nov 11, 2009)

hmm i'll post about my friends experience. she definitely wont mind as it can be a lesson learned from it.

my friend, my mom, and i were loping around a ben when my horse took off and then my moms took off after mine. my friend not wanting to go real fast kept her horse back. when she did i'm not sure if something spooked him or if he was just being naughty. but he gave about 6 bucks and she rode it out, and got him calmed down. and she was going to get off of him. and when she went to get off and took her leg out of the stirrup and over his back he gave 2 more bucks which sent her flying about 5-6 feet into the air and 2 foot back away from him. i jumped off my girl and chased him down and caught him while mom checked her. after it was all said and done with she has indeed broke her T12 vertebrae in her back and is unfortuantly out for riding for 4-6 months due to having to wear the dreaded "turtle shell" but it didn't break her spirit as she si going to be back in the saddle in no time!!


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## Brithorse1996 (May 25, 2010)

Oh dear god

anyone else got a story that could beat that lol


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Nearly everyone who is involved with horses for any length of time will have a story that is similar where they fell or got bucked off and got hurt. Unfortunately, that is just a part of being involved in the sport. But think of it along the lines of probability. I have been riding for 26 years, I have been riding and training young horses for 12. Of the hundreds of horses I have ridden in my life, I have been hurt bad enough to need actual medical treatment (not an asprin and a hot pack) maybe 4 times. Have I had bumps and bruises and cuts and scrapes? Heck yes, more than I could ever count. But that type of stuff happens to everyone regardless if they are around horses or not.


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## themoshi27 (Jun 24, 2010)

I haven't fallen of...yet..and i don't want to know!!!! lol


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## Brithorse1996 (May 25, 2010)

umm..thanks smrobs lol


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Not to scare you but in the words of Donnie Gay, "When you are riding a 1200 pound animal, it's not a matter of _if_ you get hurt, it's _when_ and _how bad_." Of course, he was talking about riding bulls but the same thing applies to horses.


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## themoshi27 (Jun 24, 2010)

But I have been bucked but I didn't fall off but i did like fall on the horn it HURT


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## Sunny (Mar 26, 2010)

Great posts, Smrobs. Like you said, i've fallen more times than I could count, but very few have required serious medical attention.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Brithorse1996 (May 25, 2010)

uh are u a riding instructor by any chance or something =P


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## Brithorse1996 (May 25, 2010)

I ride english so thankfully i don't have to worry about the horn


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Brithorse1996 said:


> uh are u a riding instructor by any chance or something =P


Was this directed at me? If so, no I'm not LOL. I have just had a lot of experience with types of horses that not a lot of people do. I was significantly dumber and braver in my youth and I had the mentality of just getting on to see what they would do. Now that I am a little older and don't bounce quite so well, I try to talk them out of bucking before I ever get on (though sometimes it doesn't work LOL). Ride a few dozen horses and then look back at your horse career and you will see that the good times greatly outweigh the bad.


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## Brithorse1996 (May 25, 2010)

yeah that was more confidence boosting thanks =P


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## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

I find that my impeccable fear of falling has saved my butt on multiple occasions. If I'm slipping, the first thing I do is gab anything I can...mane, saddle horn, cantle, whatever, and completely have a meltdown. LOL. If I wasn't so scared to fall, I probably would have come down. But freezing in the "Cling" position helps. Haha 

And to answer the question.....It hurts? ^^


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## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

Brithorse1996 said:


> I ride english so thankfully i don't have to worry about the horn


 
_Worry _about the horn? Chica, that horn will save you more times than not. Yes, there i the danger of it getting you in the stomache or something like that, bu at least you have it to hold on to. If you're english....all you got is some mane and your leg muscles. Trust me... I've been both ways and _much _prefer the large obtrusion sticking out of the saddle than smooth slippery leather


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## Brithorse1996 (May 25, 2010)

that is true but since i do jumping aswell and have heard some nasty stories about riding with a western saddle and having the horse fall on you and the horn knock the wind out of you. Plus my riding school has no western saddles so i have never experienced one and i doubt i would find it that comfortable


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## Brithorse1996 (May 25, 2010)

And i need to build my leg muscles anyway lol


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## apachiedragon (Apr 19, 2008)

Lol, Brit and Sorrel. I got hurt worse by the horn when I DON'T fall off. I ride English most of the time, but in the winter I love to trail ride when it snows. (Because our snows are never more than a few inches deep, and usually not more than a dusting) The worst I got hurt by the saddle was when I got into a tangled mess of brush out in the woods, and the snow was getting deeper than usual, and it was getting dark. I could have backtracked, but it would have taken me another half hour out of the way, and I knew there was a shorter way, only the way to it was under a fallen tree. It looked like we had plenty of clearance if I laid down on the horses neck. (Remember, I'm more used to the low profile of the English pommel.) So as we went under, I got myself wedged between the tree and the horn and got us both stuck. OUCH! With a capital O-U-C-H. Had a bruise that lasted a month. That's one time I WISH I had fallen off instead, lol.


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## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

I will agree there are definite hazards to the horn lol. My stud Jester had an issue with his left stifle this year and we fell during the flying lead change. He tried to roll away from me but the horn got my leg. Then the crowhopping....Up and down, horn in the stomach. Then the firsttime jumping was western and when I web to go forward into the jump....Yeah you can see how that worked.

Buuut.... I still take it because I have held onto that thing so many times to sav myself lol
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Brithorse1996 (May 25, 2010)

well technically you still could hold on to the front of a english saddle. Your fingers may just get squished abit


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## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

True, but its not as easy a grip. You dont have the leverage. If you're english the best this to hold on to would be the mane.


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## Brithorse1996 (May 25, 2010)

Well im getting plenty of tips out of this thread should I ever fall off a galloping horse lol


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## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

I fell off galloping (and I mean full speed ahead racing galloping) bareback a few days ago. The horse took a sudden turn towards the barn and I fell off once we reached the concrete driveway. I slid to the side, did a few back rolls on the pavement, then got up perfectly okay. I got right back on and kept on riding.  My only injury was a tiny rope burn to my pinky finger.

I'm not saying that all galloping falls will be that painless though! I'm tough as rocks and nothing ever hurts me, and I probably fell at a lucky angle.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Brighteyes said:


> I'm tough as rocks and nothing ever hurts me.


Not *yet.* 

Yes, you've been lucky. It also helps that you're young and supple. Once you get out of your 20s, things start breaking and tearing when you leave the saddle at high velocity. :wink:


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## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

Lol, SR I'm still a teenager and that happens to me now. God forbid the injuries I'm gonna gty when I'm older.
_Posted via Mobile Device_[/size


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Sorrel, you're a horse person. Like all of us other crazies, even the worst injuries won't keep you out of the saddle forever.

My doctor says he wishes I'd quit riding, because I'm tearing the crap out of my joints. When I told him riding keeps me young, he said, "Really? Tell that to your bones, joints and ligaments." 

Silly man! I'd be even more crippled than I am, if I gave in to the pain and sat around popping pain killers.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Oh, I know the feeling SR. I have been bucked off, fallen off, been fallen on, stepped on, kicked, etc, etc so many times and have so many old injuries. I am still young yet and when I get home at night and all I can think of is an aleve and a hot bath, I don't feel so young. LOL, I bet some of that comes from the mentality "Eh, no bones are sticking out and there is no arterial blood spray. I'll be fine, just walk it off."


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

smrobs said:


> "Eh, no bones are sticking out and there is no arterial blood spray. I'll be fine, just walk it off."


Exactly!

No compound fractures or apparent internal bleeding, so I'm good to go!

Yeah, I know my left knee crunches when I walk and my left ankle occasionally gives way, but I'm not walking when I'm riding, right? :wink:

Oh, and I can't mount from the ground anymore because I tore all the ligaments in my back after a bad riding wreck when I was 30, but that's why they make mounting blocks.

My right arm sometimes goes numb from the pinched nerves in my back and neck but I can still hold the reins, so that's not really an issue.

See? I'm not too gimped up to ride!


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## Brithorse1996 (May 25, 2010)

I've had so many falls (not from horses) and whacks on bones that im glad my parents forced me to drink milk each morning.
And speed racer my elbows get blocked sometimes and my ankles and knees crack and i know i'm gonna have some serious arthritus problems when im older, but just like so im gonna keep on riding till i crumble =P

p.s i love your avatar


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## AQHA (Mar 15, 2010)

not all that fun


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## UnrealJumper (Nov 24, 2009)

It hurts like the dickens... if you do it the wrong way.


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

I've also been lucky. I fell off at more of hand gallop than a full out sprint a few years ago.. Luckily I was in the woods where the ground was very soft and padded with pine needles. I managed to miss a few good sized rocks and did a little tuck and roll. I had a few bruises on the initial landing spot the next day, but nothing severe. If anything it helped my confidence level that you can come off at that speed and not get hurt. I'm in my 40's, so not much bounce left here. It can be done without a whole lot of hurt.


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## EbonyLover4Ever (Jun 28, 2010)

I've fallen off once. At the canter. I didn't get a bruise and the horse I was riding stopped right away and looked at my like "What are you doing down there?" I haven't galloped yet so I wouldn't know. A girl at my barn has a tendency to land on her feet. Everytime she falls off or gets bucked off, she lands on her feet! I even got to see one! Cowboy bucked and off she went, landing on her feet. She is a very experienced rider and Cowboy bucked really, really high!


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## sullylvr (Aug 13, 2009)

It all depends! For emample last week I fell off at the gallop, hopped back on and kept jumping, last year I fell off and went to the doctors for a cracked elbow. One of those was a successfully emergency dismount haha can you guess? But it all depends usually it's a big *thump* and the wind is koncked out of you
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Brithorse1996 (May 25, 2010)

ouch im glad i still bounce (well i think i do anyway)


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## Lenuccia (Oct 3, 2009)

Oh, falling off in gallop is not anything I would recommend. 
The (so far) only time I've tried it I had to go to the hospital (broken rib, broken wrist), so I'd rather not repeat the experience, thank you :-D
You should practice some falling technique, it might be helpful.


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## SavvyHill (Jun 29, 2010)

I fell off once doing a barrel pattern, but it was because we were coming after the last barrel and my horse just started bucking, and it was unexpected, and oddly enough I landed on my feet first and then my butt. And then there was one time he and I were cantering around our arena and a horse in the pasture started doing laps around the arena (our pasture surrounded our arena), and Rocket stopped and started bucking, and I held on for a little while, but it was like someone had turned him into a bronco! I finally came off, did a flip, and landing in the squatting position in front of him on my feet, reins in hand. Rocket stopped and was like, "Erm... how'd you get there?" xD


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## purplefoal (Jun 30, 2010)

I guess, like everyone is saying, it all pretty much depends on the fall. I fell off at a gallop once, but it was one of my easiest falls ever. I fell onto the horses neck and hung there for a while before plopping easily onto the grass. My worst fall was at a horses' transition from trot to canter when the poor horsey fell... but saying that doesn't mean a fall from a gallop couldn't be really bad.


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